Hmmm.... Is this a good deal?

So my local pet store is selling Baby Balls for $20 with a package (tank, lid, clips, uth, and something else) for $50. They said they get them from a breeder BUT there were NO hides in any of the snake tanks and hence they were all moving about (sign of stress). Should I snag on of these or wait till the reptile show. Btw, they all looked healthy, no mites.

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Originally Posted by cartman89

So my local pet store is selling Baby Balls for $20 with a package (tank, lid, clips, uth, and something else) for $50. They said they get them from a breeder BUT there were NO hides in any of the snake tanks and hence they were all moving about (sign of stress). Should I snag on of these or wait till the reptile show. Btw, they all looked healthy, no mites.

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Well I bought mine at a local pet store for $30 on sale marked down from $80. And $50 for all of that is a pretty good deal I would say, but you still need some more things (thermometer, thermostat, hides).

Most breeders are JUST now getting eggs hatching, so there is a very slim chance they came from a local breeder.
They are most likely captive hatch.
SO NO, unless you want to deal with a possible non feeder, mites, diseases...
IF you are seriously interested ask them where they got them, if they say florida.. they are captive hatch and imported. IF local ask for the name of the breeder for reference sake.
It is better to wait til a reptile show.
AND please remember to quarantine you new purchase.
Carol

There are people with babies already hatched, and not all babies from florida are CH. Just saying.

Ask them what breeder, but know that they might not want to tell you much, for fear that you would bypass them, and go direct to the breeder to buy cheaper(in theory it would be cheaper to go to the source).

No hides in a store is not unusual, becuase if you put hides in, the babies would all be inside it, and no one could see them to buy them. A empty appearing cage doesn't sell snakes. It does stress the babies some though.

If the store is a good store, and the babies are feeding, you could buy one there. If you have reservations about the store overall, or the babies are questionable, then wait and go to a show. You don't lose anything by waiting.

Also, you should have the cage set up and get the temps and humidity correct BEFORE you bring home the new snake. The temps can sometimes fly up or down, and you don't want to accidentally cook your baby because the temps were not stable yet for whatever reasons.
Good luck!

I think that you should go with a breeder. At an expo, you'll be able to find normals for $20, sometimes less. You could get the package deal at the pet store or wait for the expo for supplies as well. The vast majority of pet store employees don't have a clue on how to care for reptiles. Better to wait and get a healthy, happy ball from a reputable breeder, in my opinion, than get a less-than-healthy, stressed out ball from a pet store.

When/if you get one, I'd love to see pics!

thanks!

if you do go with some from the pet store ask to see it eat!!!

Sounds like a good deal to me. I hate it when people suggest that just because a BP spends a couple days or weeks in a display tank that somehow they are now damaged goods. Sure it may take a little extra effort to get them to settle in and eat, but that is what the hobby is all about!

I'd just recommend being careful to not buy a stressed CH ball python. I got a CH as my first ball python which might've been a mistake as now I'm having some real troubles getting him to feed. :(

I'd wait for an expo if it's an option.

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

Sounds like a good deal to me. I hate it when people suggest that just because a BP spends a couple days or weeks in a display tank that somehow they are now damaged goods. Sure it may take a little extra effort to get them to settle in and eat, but that is what the hobby is all about!

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Couldn't agree more...I mean, why not save one. :gj:

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Originally Posted by unrezt

Couldn't agree more...I mean, why not save one. :gj:

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Because your kind heart is creating and an artificial market. If people stop buying ball pythons from pet stores then pet stores will be forced to stop pulling them from the wild and pushing their stressed animals. [Sidebar: Some pet stores are good, responsible institutions. Know the difference before you buy.]

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Because your kind heart is creating and an artificial market. If people stop buying ball pythons from pet stores then pet stores will be forced to stop pulling them from the wild and pushing their stressed animals. [Sidebar: Some pet stores are good, responsible institutions. Know the difference before you buy.]

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I agree. If you pick up a sick snake from a pet store, it's saving that snake but it's causing them to replace it with another.

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Originally Posted by Montessa Python

Most breeders are JUST now getting eggs hatching, so there is a very slim chance they came from a local breeder.
They are most likely captive hatch.
SO NO, unless you want to deal with a possible non feeder, mites, diseases...
IF you are seriously interested ask them where they got them, if they say florida.. they are captive hatch and imported. IF local ask for the name of the breeder for reference sake.
It is better to wait til a reptile show.
AND please remember to quarantine you new purchase.
Carol

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just wondering, y would they be CH or imported if the store says they got them from florida? also, im going to a reptile expo on june20, 2009. do you think breeders will have baby balls?

Well, there are no wild balls in Florida. I guess it depends on how much you trust your pet store. I know many pet stores that would lie. It took a good bit of digging to find out that the ones at my local pet store were imported.

Yes, there will be loads of babies. The massive amounts of babies being produced usually slows down around August, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong).

I'd still wait for the expo if I were you. Get a top-notch NERD or ProExotics baby. Those are guaranteed to be healthy and CB for many generations.

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Originally Posted by coolguypat27

just wondering, y would they be CH or imported if the store says they got them from florida? also, im going to a reptile expo on june20, 2009. do you think breeders will have baby balls?

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Maybe they get them from someone who is based in Florida? That's totally possible too. Florida is a hotspot for importing.

I live in Florida, and I am going to breed mine. Every single one I own is captive bred to my knowledge. I have two from 8-Ball (that I couldn't be happier with!) and one from a breeder in WA state (what a pleasure to deal with- but I forget his name, though at the moment!) a pastel from a local breeder, and the rest who knows, but every one of them eats like a pig.

thanks everyone! I should be selling my Saltwater aquarium today and with that money and my pay check tomorrow I should have ALL the equipment saturday!

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Originally Posted by aff19802

if you do go with some from the pet store ask to see it eat!!!

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DUH! lol Yeah they said they would:gj:

Oh btw, luckily I have a friend who works their. He says they are really reliable and he will let me know where the snakes come from. Guys, this place has SLOTHS and GATORS and MONKEYS!

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Originally Posted by cartman89

Oh btw, luckily I have a friend who works their. He says they are really reliable and he will let me know where the snakes come from. Guys, this place has SLOTHS and GATORS and MONKEYS!

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Sloths and monkeys at petco? Where do you live?

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Originally Posted by unrezt

Sloths and monkeys at petco? Where do you live?

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No not petco. I live in melbourne FL and there's a store called Incredible Pets

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Originally Posted by cartman89

No not petco. I live in melbourne FL and there's a store called Incredible Pets

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Oh snap for some reason I thought you said petco in the first post. Probably because they had a deal on them at petco too.
My bad.
:bow: