At what point do I opt for larger enclosure

[jotay]

I have my young bp in a 20 gal breeder tank, he is about 24" long.
I have read that those of you who keep your bp's in tanks keep them in 40 gal breeders.
My question is twofold;
At what size of my bp do I need to switch over to the larger tank?

With that said where can I purchase a decent priced 40 gal or bigger?
The Petco where I live has 40 gal breeders for 90.00 but that seems high.
I guess I want to start buying stuff now for the larger tank so I dont have sticker shock all at once in setting up the new tank.
Any help or advice is appreciated

Also when I do switch Ozzy over to the bigger home I want to purchase a young Albino bp, any breeders or places you can suggest?
I live in the Washington, DC Metro area

Thanks !

[emroul]

If you are going to buy a glass tank (especially a brand new one), expect to pay $90. It does suck, but that's why I switched to rubbermaids. The same size rubbermaid costs $15...

Use judgement, keep him in there as long as you feel he isn't "cramped". I think once he is 30-35 inches or so I would move him.

Albino ball python, eh? That's really awesome. Just in case you don't know (which, I'm sure you do) they do run about $2000-$3000. I got a pair of hets for $950. That's a bit of a cheaper route for you. But if you getting it because they look pretty, or whatever, and you can afford it, then that's awesome. I wish I could do that, lol. I would suggest a place like Bob Clark (though his albinos are $3000 for a hatchling). There is also Dan and Colette Sutherland (aka The Snake Keeper), VPI, NERD, I think Alex Hue may have some this year. There is also Camlon Reptiles, Graziani Reptiles, Marcus Jayne (He is in Canada though), and some others. If you want to, PM me, and I can give you contact info for any of those. Oh, and don't expect to see anything available until everything has started to hatch (May-September).

Jennifer

[JLC]

When you're ready to look for an albino, Brian Sharp is a large breeder located in Virginia. I'm not sure how far he is from DC, but VA isn't such a big state that you couldn't take a day to drive out there and personally pick out a snake when he has some!

http://www.briansharp.com/

[JLC]

I'm in Springfield, VA, by the way! Do you ever go to the NVRE in Mannassas? My daughter and I went once a couple months ago, and probably will again this spring sometime.

[jotay]

Emroul- Thanks for the info. I know they are a bit costly but I was gonna use my holiday bonus on it The Albino that is. So I won't be looking til next year around Nov/ Dec.

JLC not to sound like I dont know what NVRE is but.... I dont know anything about NVRE??? Please fill me in.
Gee, Springfield is right up the street from me!

[emroul]

Oooh, what a nice holiday bonus.. Man, what a way to spend it, you're smart. Hehe, I'm sorry, I'm just VERY partial to Albinos. They are beautiful.

[JLC]

Aahhhhh....allow me to enlighten you about the Northern Virginia Reptile Expo!

http://www.nvre.org/

Brian Sharp is the biggest bp breeder that I saw there, but I've only been once. When we were there, they also had a special demontration of hots! A guy who owns a reptile zoo here in VA brought out a copperhead, a timber rattler, and a monacled cobra! It was an amazing show...we were just sitting on the floor about 15 feet away from these magnificent animals with nothing between us and them! Unfortunately, that was a one-time thing, so far as I know. But still...since it's so close, it's very well worth a visit!

There's a show on the 21st of this month. I don't know if we'll be going or not this time.

Yeah...I know right where Alexandria is. We spent a weekend in Old Town while house hunting last spring. It's a great place!

[JLC]

Oh...one more thing! It's also an excellent place to get a good deal on frozen rodents without having to pay shipping...so if you go, take an ice chest! 8)

[jotay]

Thanks for the info JLC
I dont know if I can make the one this month my son has B-ball tourneys coming up the next few weekends. Thanks for the info
Let me know if you are going and if I make it maybe we can say Hi
Great chance to meet another women into herps!

[JLC]

My son has b-ball as well, and my daughter cheers for b-ball...so I'm not sure how it'll fit into our schedule either. But I'd love to get together sometime! It's really hard to find ladies into this hobby!