New to snakes/forum; Questions and Intro

Hi everyone. Ive loved reptiles and amphibians since I was very young, but I was never allowed to have one as a pet due to my Mothers fear of them. Well, im allowed to make my own decisions, and id like to get a ball python. Im doing my research, asking questions and so on, but id like to have a place to come and talk about it, and talk to other owners.

Before I get it, id like to know if there are any tips on what to look for, how to buy, the first few months/years, or anything I wouldnt find in the care sheets and regular books. I have a ton of questions, but so far everyone seems pretty nice, which is great.

Also, would someone kindly go over breeds of ball pythons with me? Are the different names only related to the colouring, or are there different attitudes, like with, say, a dog? I work in a pet food store by the way, so I have access to a HUGE range of supplies and products (I can special order anything from any company whos products we sell), and at a discount too!


Thanks a ton,


Andrew

Hi Andrew! Welcome to BP.net! :handshake


First off....you're already doing the very best thing you can do to prepare for your future BP...which is learning and planning ahead before you get it! ;) That's awesome!

Something I'll say that you won't usually find in books or most caresheets is to suggest that you DON'T buy your snake in a pet store. Get to know some breeders (through this site and others like it....although THIS one is the best and you'll meet some GREAT folks here!) and buy directly from someone you trust. This greatly increases your chances of getting a healthy, well adjusted snake that you'll be very happy with.

Ball Pythons don't come in "breeds." They're all ball pythons, no matter what color or pattern they have. However, whenever the colors or patterns differ visually from the common "wild type" or "normal" colorations, they are called morphs. These looks are rare and many years of breeding and work go into bringing them to the public, so they tend to cost a lot more than normals.

Hope this helps some! Feel free to ask all the questions you need to. It's what we live for here! (Well....that and pictures! :P )

Yeah. Working in a pet food store, I always tell people not to buy any pets from stores, and to go to breeders. Id like to buy one off bp.net, but I live near Toronto, which may make it hard to ship up here. Unless some local breeders frequent the forums, I may need to go to a show?

If you PM "Uncle Festae"....he'll be able to point you in the right direction for either local breeders that are trusthworthy...and/or expos that you can cruise.

welcome fellow canadian. there are many canadian breeders out there who can hook you up. of course, with a little paperwork you can also buy from the many many MANY american breeders.

welcome!

Know of any near Toronto perhaps?

http://www.ballpython.ca/about_us.html

Thanks. I took a look and they're either sold out or they arent done hatching. I guess they're hard to find north of the border :)?

first you ALWAYS want to email them and ask if they have any available because often their websites are not totally 100% up to date.

check out the BOI

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...play.php?f=614

and these people are canadian

http://www.theurbanreptile.com/

there's also:

http://www.mountaingeckos.freeservers.com/photo5.html

and

http://www.a1pythons.com/avail.htm

and

http://www.proreptiles.com/

and

http://coreywoods.com/

and that's all i have for now

Wow. Thats a lot to chew through. Great! Thanks for that. Do most breeders supply snakes only, or do they offer starter kits as well? Also, im looking to get a normal, or a regular. They actually look nicer then half of the morphs, and I dont think I need a $14500 snake, but I notice that most breeders have few/none. Theres nothing wrong with just wanting a normal one is there :S ?

a lot of breeders just don't advertise them but i think most of them have some. just email and ask! doesn't hurt!

[QUOTE=CanadianNinja]Wow. Thats a lot to chew through. Great! Thanks for that. Do most breeders supply snakes only, or do they offer starter kits as well? QUOTE]

Hey Ninja Man,

Here's my https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag..._sign01341.gif

Before you even buy your BP, you want to set everything up. (I know you work at a pet store so I'm sure you can get discounts too)
So have this all ready before the snake is even home... and you can even adjust your temps before it comes home so it's totally comfortable once it arrives.

You want your
1 - UTH (Under tank heat) - no hot rocks pls and thank you!!!!
2 - 2 seperate hides that will be a little bigger then your snake.
3 - Your water dish (big enought for the BP to get all wet and soak)
4 - A rock to help with getting the skin off during shed
5 - I use two heat lamps as well (one night, one day)
6 - Some fake leaves (something for your BP to hide in when it comes out, if that ever happens, I still don't know!)
7 - You want a DIGITAL thermometer. And I stress digital because I had bad problems with analog before. You can get them at Walmart and they have a probe to put on one side so you can read out and in. (one thermometer = two different temp readings)
8 - Spray bottle to help with humidity (humid hide is always nice to have during sheds as well. I use an ice cream container and put damp ppr tower in it)
9 - make sure you have a TIGHT lid on the tank or rubbermaid container/ mom wont like when she finds out that the snake is roaming the house. (My mom was in tears when my corn got out)

So thats all I can really think of. Perhaps someone else can add a few things or what not.

Also, if your new snake is a baby, you won't want a 40G tank for your 8 inch snake (it can cause stress). So you may spend some extra money on upgarding in size as it grows.

But between you and me and I guess everyone else that reads this... i didnt do that!
I put my baby in a 40G tank, and I think it wasn't the best idea because some sheds were not perfect and she even went off food for 4 months (but I think that had to do with the temps, why the temps you ask... because I was usuing an analog thermometer and it was off by like 10 degrees, they all were off (even humidity), so thats why we use digital)

SO... After all is setup... you can go and purchase your new buddy, and live happily ever after. *hopefully*

Most ppl say, Rubbermaid is better then a Glass Tank... and I agree, even though I've never tired it...

They hold the humidity better and probably also the heat as well...

so look into Rubbermaid... but the downfall is you can't really see your pet you just purchased.
Kinda blurry looking through plastic eh!