Importing WC balls?

I was wondering, who/where do people get wc ball pythons imported from? Is there any websites? I read about people getting ball pythons imported that turn out to be new morphs and whatnot and was just wondering who to go through for stuff like that?

New morphs are always offered to the bigger breeders with deep pockets first. If it's truly a new mutation that has not currently been identified, it will be in the thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.

CH babies are offered in the spring by various distributors. Most "new morphs" are simply fancy normals.

Thanks, but who and where are they offered by? Even just normals.

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Originally Posted by DM1975

Thanks, but who and where are they offered by? Even just normals.

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Ben Siegel offers many fancies, David Fernandez offers fancies. I got mine from Will Bird in 2006/2007, but I don't think he's offering imported babies any longer. I haven't shopped for them lately. You just need to keep an eye on classifieds come late spring (April/May/June time frame).

Also, you cannot just import 1... you have to import hundreds i believe...

Nice... My wife would KILL me :)

From what I understand the lots sent over have already been picked through for the best and those are sold separately anyway for big money. You may find an occasional granite or het for god knows what but the big money animals are already separated before the big lots are sent over. I have seen "unopened lots" for sale on kingsnake but who knows if they really are, and even if they aren't 99.999% will be normals anyway. I would worry about them carrying disease to my own collection it would be different if I had some one to quarantine them in a completely different house but its not worth it IMHO, since I don't have anywhere else to quarantine snakes.

Thanks. I was curious more than anything, but was also wanting to make sure I wasn't missing out on something here.

There have been some special snakes bought as CH normals(according to the owners) that have turned into "something" genetic. But it's RARE.

Ballroompythonssouth usually has some CH, but you'd have to watch for the deals again. You can look for snakes that catch your eye as "something" and try proving it out as a morph. Who knows?

But don't count on it, and yes, you can't just import a few balls, the best most of us can do is check out the CH for sale.

Here's what I came up with...

http://http://www.kingsnake.com/bree...section=impexp

Thanks for the help. I am not looking for the next hottest thing or some miracle snake or anything like that, just looking for friendly advise on how the imported snakes get in this country.

from what ive heard you have to buy the contact info

They ship them in on contracted lots. The people who buy direct from the exporters would contact them and arrange for X number of straight hatched babys, or X number of females, or specials.. and then when they are ready to ship, they have a lot of paperwork, and eventually ship them over in large crates(in bags inside) for the buyers to pick up at a airport.
Once they are inspected and all that, they get to take them home to set each one up with water etc. Sometimes the babys are not even shed for the first time, so it can be a real hassle getting them all set up and ready for sale.

That's the rough idea of what happens. The easiest way to get one(or more) is to buy from the people who buy from the exporters, since you can't exactly buy "a few" from overseas.

Thanks, that is more of what I am looking for.

I import directly from West Africa and would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Just let me know.


David Fernandez

Awesome, thanks. I was just wondering what was all involved in it? What paperwork and who you have to go through to do it? I am trying to get more of a solid grasp on how everything works from the ground up. I have heard people talk about looking at photos of certain snakes on import paperwork and whatnot and was just wondering how all of this worked.

Mainly, if I were looking to bring in say 100 new snakes or so, what would I go through to do it.

The first thing you need is a contact in West Africa..without that the rest is useless. That's also the hardest piece to acquire. Once you have that then you will need an Import license. That's a federal license..not state. I would also get a Wildlife broker to clear the shipment. It can be a pain to clear it yourself. Really after you have all of that you just need money.

Let me debunk a few things while I'm at it..

You can buy one animal. Exporters are not really concerned with quantities unless we're talking about normals. I had one shipment last year that only contained 3 animals. It's the dollar amount that really matters.

You do not have to buy the contact. I have contacts in Ghana,Benin,and Togo. I did not pay for any of them.

CH animals are just as easy to set up and get going as CB animals. I have never received animals with ticks,mites,or diseases. That has been my experience. I can't say what other people have received and of course WC animals are a whole different ball game.

I hope this helps. Contact me if you have any other questions.


David Fernandez

Thank you very much for the information.

How did you go about getting your contacts over there? Is there a list that you got or did you have to actually have to go there and meet them in person? If you dont mind me asking what does it cost to have them shipped overseas and what percentage of the snakes actually make it here alive if you order less then 10 snakes?

Finding legitimate contacts is not easy. There isn't a list and I didn't go over there. Shipping prices will vary depending on the size of your order and the airline used. Dead on arrivals are very rare..at least they have been for me.



David Fernandez