should i buy this bp??????

i went to petsmart to buy a snake. had it all ready and i asked her for the feeding report and the poor little guy has not eaten in 2 weeks. so i decided to not get it. what do you think i should do? i feel bad for him so bad i just want to go get him out of that hell hole. i held him and everything and he was a little shy, he did not curl up into a ball he just made an s with his body. ?????? what should i do??? i feel bad! when i first arrived he was out of the hide and active and flikering his tounge. the lady there told me he has not ate because of the stress and maybe going into shed because his colors were a little dark.

Feeling bad should never be the reason why you buy an animal, in the end it works for the pet store, they sell the animal that people had pity for and next week there will be 10 more replacing him. (will you buy the 10 next because they look emaciated and have not taken a meal in who knows how long)

Pet smart and petco get CH that are not well started, and I would not recommend this to anyone getting into this hobby.

While very sad however you cannot save them all.

:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Feeling bad should never be the reason why you buy an animal, in the end it works for the pet store, they sell the animal that people had pity for and next week there will be 10 more replacing him. (will you buy the 10 next because they look emaciated and have not taken a meal in who knows how long)

Pet smart and petco get CH that are not well started, and I would not recommend this to anyone getting into this hobby.

While very sad however you cannot save them all.

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:thumbsup:

buy a healthy snake from a respected breeder.you are going to pay as much at petsmart for a normal as you could for a pastel at a show or from someone on here.

The not eating in two weeks thing shouldn't be a concern of yours... I have a male right now who is going on 6 months of not eating... I've offered everything under the sun but for some reason he doesn't want to eat. His previous owner power fed him so I guess now he wants to take a break from eating :rofl:

Anyways, that being said maybe you need to do some more research before you buy a BP... It sort of sounds like you may not be ready for a BP if you are refusing to buy a BP because it hasn't eaten in 2 weeks. It's kind of common knowledge for a BP owner that their BP might not eat before or during shed or if stressed. If you want to buy a BP I would highly recommend buying from a reputable breeder if you are looking to purchase a quality animal/pet.

don't do it.

the other day, I went to petsmart and there were 4 BPs in this tiny little tank. besides being cramped, they all had stuck shed everywhere, retained eyecaps, and no hides...
screw petstores

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Originally Posted by Koolaid

The not eating in two weeks thing shouldn't be a concern of yours... I have a male right now who is going on 6 months of not eating... I've offered everything under the sun but for some reason he doesn't want to eat. His previous owner power fed him so I guess now he wants to take a break from eating :rofl:

Anyways, that being said maybe you need to do some more research before you buy a BP... It sort of sounds like you may not be ready for a BP if you are refusing to buy a BP because it hasn't eaten in 2 weeks. It's kind of common knowledge for a BP owner that their BP might not eat before or during shed or if stressed. If you want to buy a BP I would highly recommend buying from a reputable breeder if you are looking to purchase a quality animal/pet.

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wat? a baby ball not eating is a huge deal!adults go off feed for breeding reasons.

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Originally Posted by Koolaid

The not eating in two weeks thing shouldn't be a concern of yours... I have a male right now who is going on 6 months of not eating... I've offered everything under the sun but for some reason he doesn't want to eat. His previous owner power fed him so I guess now he wants to take a break from eating :rofl:

Anyways, that being said maybe you need to do some more research before you buy a BP... It sort of sounds like you may not be ready for a BP if you are refusing to buy a BP because it hasn't eaten in 2 weeks. It's kind of common knowledge for a BP owner that their BP might not eat before or during shed or if stressed. If you want to buy a BP I would highly recommend buying from a reputable breeder if you are looking to purchase a quality animal/pet.

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i have been around here researching and learning for about a month now. i set up the tank that the bp will be in and got everything set up and ready for him/her. the temps and hum are what they are suppose to be. so i think im ready to get the bp. the only reason i did not buy her was because i have been reading to not buy from pet stores, and that their snakes are sick and blah blah!. i was considering buying from a pet store because the employee said that the vets look at all their pythons to make sure they are in full health. but i was not sure of the eating part because of all that has been said here. the point is i am ready to take care of that bp for the next 30yrs. did alot of research and alot of reading and alot of talking with friends that own bps.

If you do not have previous experience get a well-started animal do not get a un-started or problem eater from a pet sotre (you might end up having to assist or force feed and I doubt you are ready for that)

BP from petsmart are not well started.

I won’t even comment on Petsmart and their vet :rolleyes:

Get your BP from a breeder!

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Originally Posted by MUSTANGGTANDGSXR

i have been around here researching and learning for about a month now. i set up the tank that the bp will be in and got everything set up and ready for him/her. the temps and hum are what they are suppose to be. so i think im ready to get the bp. the only reason i did not buy her was because i have been reading to not buy from pet stores, and that their snakes are sick and blah blah!. i was considering buying from a pet store because the employee said that the vets look at all their pythons to make sure they are in full health. but i was not sure of the eating part because of all that has been said here. the point is i am ready to take care of that bp for the next 30yrs. did alot of research and alot of reading and alot of talking with friends that own bps.

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Originally Posted by Butters420

wat? a baby ball not eating is a huge deal!adults go off feed for breeding reasons.

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I've had baby balls that went several weeks without eating and are champ eaters now... one of which is my breeder het. pied female who is over 1500g. now... as long as you are experienced and you keep an eye on your babies and make sure they don't lose a ton of weight they will be fine...

Adults don't just go off feed for breeding reasons... there are so many factors I couldn't even start to list haha...

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Originally Posted by Deborah

BP from petsmart are not well started.

I won’t even comment on Petsmart and their vet :rolleyes:

Get your BP from a breeder!

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You are making a broad generalization about Petsmart and I guess all pet stores. There are a few that have knowledgeable, caring people working there.

I'm not an expert by the standards of this forum. My experience with a captive hatched BP from Petsmart (my niece's) is that it was in great health, not stressed and is an aggressive eater while being a sweetheart with all of the children that handle it frequently.

I purchased three BP's from a breeder. All were healthy but a little thin for my taste. All were stressed and needed lots of encouragement to eat. They have all come a long way because of my experience. They would not be where they are today if they were handled by a complete novice. Is that the breeder's fault? Maybe.

My only point is that we shouldn't assume that all pet stores are bad and that all breeders are good.

To the OP - good luck in your search. Try to find someone local that has experience and can help you choose a perfect pet for you.

Not all just petsmart and Petco, being a caring employee is not enough as the caring employees MUST follow corporate procedures and guidelines when it comes to housing and caring about the animals being sold.

I could elaborate a lot more but this would be way of topic.

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

You are making a broad generalization about Petsmart and I guess all pet stores. There are a few that have knowledgeable, caring people working there.

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The bottom line is, Yes it may come from a chain store , it is a normal ball python. Are you into them for breeding or for a pet? If this is the only snake you you are acquiring at this time, which will be quarantined, by all means buy the snake, give it a healthy, happy, loving home.

Forget about the petstore snake. You can get a heathy Normal, shipped from a breeder for about the same money. Support CB, not CH from the petstores.

DONT BUY IT.. BE A MAN.

i brought 3 ball under pity influence. 1 died the day after, another one, died after 3-weeks. with determination to save the last one & After 2-mths under intensive caring.. They all died. So DONT ok..

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

You are making a broad generalization about Petsmart and I guess all pet stores. There are a few that have knowledgeable, caring people working there.

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I have one Petsmart that I go to all the time for dog/cat food. They know me as the BP lady. They stop me when they see me come in the door to pick my brain and ask me to sex the most recent ball pythons they've received.

Every last one of them said they wished that they didn't sell BP's, because they have to follow company policy and are having to assist feed EVERY single one of the ball pythons that they get in, and they are only allowed to feed them F/T fuzzy mice, even though the animals can take hoppers or small mice. Even if the animal is starving, they cannot feed it live - instead, they have to stress the animal out and force food down its throat.

They've adopted out 1/2 of the ball pythons they've had since they started carrying them, because they wouldn't eat, even with force feeding (by employees who haven't been trained how to assist feed, much less force feed) and they couldn't sell them. They give my phone number to every one who buys a ball python from them, and even have the BP.net caresheet that we pass out at shows to give to new owners (although covertly, since that's also against corporate policy).

I've even been paged while shopping to come to the front to talk to a customer who had purchased a BP from them the week before and answer his questions.

The point is - this store couldn't have better, caring employees - but they know that their corporate policies inhibit them from caring for these animals like they should be, and that they are selling animals that are not eating on their own while in their care.

If you buy from a REPUTABLE breeder, the animals will be healthier than the animals you'll get from Petsmart or Petco.

With that said, would "I" purchase a snake from either of them? Maybe - if it was a pattern that I just couldn't turn down - BUT, I have the experience to deal with issues. Someone getting their very first snake with no prior experience should be encouraged to purchase a well started, CB animal vs. an animal that is CH and not well started. The employees are well-meaning, but they don't have the practical experience.

Robin:

I agree with what you're saying about your experience with the Petsmart near you. My only point is that your experience doesn't match mine. The BP we have from Petsmart was a better choice for a novice owner than the three we have from a breeder, based on my experience with various pythons.

I have three "big box" stores near me and several smaller pet stores. I would never recommend the smaller stores because of the low quality of the animals and the poor care they receive.

Of the bigger stores on the highway, Pet Goods is the best with Petsmart second and Petco a distant third. Pet Goods is a small local chain (3 stores here) and they purchase their reptile stock directly from breeders or occasionally from reptile shows like Hamburg, PA and White Plains, NY. They feed properly sized live mice or rats and provide very good care.

I have seen Petsmart employees feed F/T hoppers to the young BP's and Corn's. Could they eat larger mice? Yes, but not much larger. On the plus side the snakes don't hang around more than a few weeks. The tanks are too small and they will keep up to three in a tank.

I'm not sure if anyone at Petco knows anything about any of the animals they sell.

My point again:

"ALL generalizations are dangerous, even this one."
- Alexandre Dumas

JohnNJ

went ahead and bought the bp this morning. i put it in my tank which has been running for a couple of weeks with tems and hum good. let it be all day. tried to feed him/her since he/she has not ate for a couple of weeks and he/she took the f/t mice right away. im so happy. i checked him/her out real good before i bought him/her and he/she looks real good. im gonna leave him/her alone for a couple of weeks to get acclimated. after that i will take some pics of him/her so you all can see him/her. by the way is there any way i can tell what gender he/she is without having to probe him/her

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Originally Posted by MUSTANGGTANDGSXR

by the way is there any way i can tell what gender he/she is without having to probe him/her

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There is the popping method, but I wouldn't try it without the help of someone experienced in doing it. Don't sweat it. Take it to the vet and let them probe it.

I see you went counter to most of the advise you asked for...I truely hope things work out for you and the BP.

congrats on getting your new baby.

however most everybody put up lots of reasons not to get it. just because you feel bad for it doesnt warrant getting it, if you are an impulse buyer i wouldnt suggest going into any petstores because %95 dont know what they are doing and if we all went to petstores then all the respectable breeders would be out of business. also the prices that they ask for their snakes at the stores are outrageous when compared to the prices of quality breed snakes.

again i congratulate you and hope you dont catch the addiction.:snake:

ps. i would recomend replacing the reptibark with aspen or another non toxic substrate, you will find plenty of reasons if you search it.

i switch from reptibark to cypress mulch for humidity reasons. hers a couple of pics i got from him last night while he was out.
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...newpics001.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...newpics002.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...wpics003-1.jpg

by the way he is 118g. what size mice should i feed him. i fed him a med mice yesterday. just want to make sure i give him what he needs

an easy way to measure feed size is to give your snake food that is no bigger than 1/4 larger than the largest part of the snake.

other people have different ways to regulate their feeder size, but this has worked for me and havent had any problems and mine grow like weeds.:snake: