Would This Be A Good BP To Start With?

[SnakeKB]

Im just about ready to get a BP and of course i checked craigs list. I found a 3 year old male normal being sold with an Aquarium and Heating. Basically the entire setup the snakes been living in for its life. All for $45. Reason for selling is the owner is moving to an apartment and cant have animals. Its fed a live mouse every thursday. Owner has informed me that it drinks alot of water during shed. The owner has refused selling to other people but has accepted me as a buyer because of my farm/animal background even though its my first snake. Owner has told me the snake is very docile and has only struck when she first got the snake. Ever since then the snake has been quite tame. Does this sound like a good snake to have and start out with? Talking to the owner, the snake seems well kept but i havnt been able to see it yet.

[Vypyrz]

The price sounds ok, but you need to ask what type of heating is being used, ie.. lamps or UTH, and if a thermostat is included. If not, be prepared to get one, especially if a UTH is being used. Depending on the size of mice she has been feeding it for the last 3 years, it may or may not be on the smallish side. But that is not too important. What is important is for you to look the snake over and check it for any obvious health issues and it's temperament. And if you do decide to get it, we must see pics...

[SnakeKB]

It comes with a UTH, ill have to ask about a thermostat. I think she also has a heat lamp as well that she said the bulb burnt out on last week. Im pretty prepared to spend some extra money to get other things needed. I figured a 3 y.o. isnt gonna be small anymore. Hopefully i can go see it this weekend and if all goes well, ill have myself a new pet.

[tonyaltn]

$45! Man, mine was $150 but I got it with a 75 gallon tank and some extras, there is another one right now also for $150 with a nice 40 gallon breeder tank. I want the 40 gallon breeder tank because there is a Bearded Dragon for sale with a 55 gallon long, wich is the wrong size for a Beardie, its $120.

For $45 thats a great price! And at that price anything else you need for it will feel a little cheaper. It was tougher buying the things he needed after spending $150. I would jump on it for sure if its a nice healthy animal and since you are prepared to spend some money for anything extra you need.
Wish I could find a deal like that !

[stevepoppers]

Sounds great to me. Make sure it seems healthy, and whatever else that comes with it is great. Just make sure that once it's in your care you give it everything it needs.

[SnakeKB]

Heres a picture she just sent. It looks like a really nice color. Im gonna try and go see it this weekend.

[stevepoppers]

Looks really skinny. See what they're feeding it. Drop a mention of this site. Maybe they'll learn something.

[SnakeKB]

I was thinking the same thing. She feeds it live mice but im not sure on the size.

[stevepoppers]

Frequency's important, too. -rereads first post- Wait, 3 years old, and on the corner of a comforter, next to a price tag, it looks tiny. That thing looks like it's been starved for years. One mouse a week... They definitely should have given it more mice or switched to rats at some point. Doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it, though. You can pack the meat on.

Actually, it's got a really reduced pattern. You could probably breed for that if you're into that later on.

It's definitely a nice pickup and a good deal. Nothing wrong that you can't easily fix. You won't even have to do anything special to fix it, just feed it properly. It's cheaper and quicker to feed one item than a bunch, so there may be the challenge of switching to rats.

When fed properly, they reach and maintain a certain size and girth. They look healthy and well fed. I just don't get how people don't recognize this.

I would at least try to give her a gentle heads up about this for her future reference.

Mice only get so big. Petco adults here weigh 30g.

[SnakeKB]

If the snake has a good apetite, is it ok to feed it more than once a week? How longs it take to digest a meal?