your thoughts on these pet store Ball Pythons? 10 pics

[fuhgeddaboudit]

I haven't had Ball Pythons since the late '90s, nor have I kept up on the latest morphs. These are the specimens readily available to me without having to drive 3 hours to Lodi or Berkeley.



$35, local pet shop:




$150, local pet shop:




$150 each. These are pastels(?) There are two available, a light one and a darker one:













And then there's this. It's listed as a Spider, but what do you think about that stripe? It's $200:






And its Spider cagemate, also $200:




Is there anything exceptional, or negative, about any of these specimens? I feel like I'm inclined to go with either the wild type or the striped spider dude, or the lighter pastel.

Thanks!

[kylearmbar]

That "lighter pastel" im pretty sure is an axanthix, but it could be the lighting cuz all I see is grey. And the spider could be some short of stripe morph but im not very familiar with those morphs. The spider in the second picture looks nice.

[Swoof]

the $150 and the $200 are both spiders as well as probably the one under the log. These are getting more common at Petco in the past couple years, prices tend to be higher then most online sales.

[coldbloodaddict]

That "lighter pastel" im pretty sure is an axanthix, but it could be the lighting cuz all I see is grey. And the spider could be some short of stripe morph but im not very familiar with those morphs. The spider in the second picture looks nice.

No Axanthic there.

You can find those same Morphs way cheaper on line or maybe at a local reptile show.

Also if you are looking at Spiders please research the Spider Wobble.

[SaintTawny]

Maybe it's just the pictures themselves, but I personally wouldn't get any of them, no matter how cheap. None of them look healthy to me, and while that's reason enough to keep me from buying any of them myself, they're also all priced much higher than you could find a similar (healthier) animal at a show.

*Edit - I'm also not seeing good husbandry practices, although I know it's a big box store and they don't always have experienced reptile keepers on staff, I suspect they'd try to goad you into buying the same improper husbandry tools they're using, like the analog humidity/temperature gauges, and complete lack of proper hides.

[Crazymonkee]

Nope not axanthic. I like the stripe spider personally. $150 for a pastel is high right now even if it would be female.
Honestly I like the first one, very pretty

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[4theSNAKElady]

The "stripey" spider is cool lookin, but for $200 is BETTER be female. You have a challenging decision to make....getting a better,higher quality animal for much less but pay $50+ for shipping, or spend the money in gas to drive the 3 hours to the reptile show...where there would be oodles of great quality ball pythons to chose from at great prices. Or, you could just buy one of those you have pictured and get instant gratification.

[Crazymonkee]

Problem with finding one online right now is depending on where you are they are unable to be shipped...

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[Mikethornton]

These prices are not that competitive. I would definitely get something onlin or go to the show. I love reptile shows! You get To see so much cool stuff and meet all the breeders. If you want a good deal wait til the end of the show and make an offer on something. The real ligh one doesn't look like a regular pastel though...maybe it's just the pic.

[fuhgeddaboudit]

Well, thankfully, I've been able to control my impulses and I'm still doing my research before I get back into the game.

One thing I can assure you all, I will not buy a snake from Petco.

The first couple of photos in my original post, from the local pet shop...I really like that place. Their BPs come from a local breeder and I was mistaken on the price of that Spider, it's not $150, it's $100. I'm kind of feeling like I may not want a Spider, due to the wobble issue. They also have a Pastel, not pictured, for $75. And I still really, really like that Normal for only $35.

I did hold the Spider and checked it out for a few minutes...no sign of wobble. But, the more I read, the more I think maybe I want to do something that doesn't involve the Spider gene. I'm not sure yet.

For the time being, I'm more focused on nailing-down the parameters of a solid stewardship program and putting it all together before acquiring the stock.