Experience with BHB Reptiles?

[RiA MaU]

Hi! I recently discovered that BHB Reptiles has a store with fairly decent prices. I've watched a lot of their SnakeBytesTV thing and from what I can tell, they're pretty legit. I just want some opinions from anyone who's purchased from them. Did the animal/product come in quality condition? Was it healthy? Would you recommend/purchase from them again? Thanks!

[Caspian]

Both of my Kingsnakes came from BHB. They arrived healthy and active... however, over time, the female has not flourished the way the male has. The vet's prognosis is an internal defect in her digestive tract.

My Ultrafly that I just received a week ago also came from them. She's gorgeous, healthy, has already eaten for me, and is doing great. She also has a very mellow personality, which I love. My only concern was that FedEx ended up having delays, and when I first opened the box she was very cold - but after closing the bag and stuffing her down my coat to warm her up, she appears to have suffered no ill effects from it.

[Lizardlicks]

BHB is a big name in the business, and with that comes the reliability of Brian doing what he can to uphold his reputation, so you are likely to get the quality you expect. However, because of that reputation and the size of the operation cost for the facility he runs, you will be paying a premium for animals purchased through BHB. That's not a bad thing, and Brian has certainly earned the right to ask the prices he does on his animals, but it's a factor. I personally prefer shopping with smaller breeders. My first two girls are gorgeous and thriving, and they came from a producer advertising right on this website. The newbie that's incoming I found through Morph Market, and she's a beauty that was about $100 less, and looks a ton better imo than what the next guys where asking for the exact same morph (enchi pied female, $750 through Morph Market and a decent amount of white for a morph that's considered low white, vs $850 from Breeder's Circle for a much more typical white to saddles ratio).

My advice is to figure out the specific morph that you want, then shop around and do some research on each seller. Ask the seller questions: I always feel like I'm going overboard with my question bombardment, but every seller I have dealt with so far has been very accommodating, and answers all of my questions quickly and thoroughly, even sent me more pictures when I asked for them. Someone who's dodgy about responding could be trying to hide something, and might be someone you want to walk away from. If you can get to a reptile show and get up close to hold and look at your future snake prospects, all the better.

Beeps are great, but your snake will be with you for well on 20-30 years, so it makes sense to me to take some extra time and do due diligence.

[OhhWatALoser]

I have quite a few animals from bhb, some had mites pop up shortly after coming home though. Over the last year I feel he has dragged his reputation through the mud by his own doing. Without saying anything I can't back up with evidence, I will say I will not be purchasing anything from them in the future.

[SmoothScales]

I always feel like I'm going overboard with my question bombardment, but every seller I have dealt with so far has been very accommodating, and answers all of my questions quickly and thoroughly, even sent me more pictures when I asked for them. Someone who's dodgy about responding could be trying to hide something, and might be someone you want to walk away from. If you can get to a reptile show and get up close to hold and look at your future snake prospects, all the better.

This right here. I will ask you 10000 questions. Some sellers may walk away from that because they perceive it as a tire kicker and not worth the effort, but the reality of it is I don't know you and I don't know what your snake looks like in person outside of an expo or con so I'm going to ask questions until I'm satisfied and confident about the purchase. Is it annoying for the seller? Probably. Have I walked away from a breeder because of their answers or lack thereof? Definitely. They're snakes, not shoes. There really is no return policy if it shows up and isn't as bright or healthy as pictured. Of course that might vary case by case and breeder by breeder, but they are under no obligation or guarantee to accept a return reptile just because it doesn't look quite as nice as it did in the photos.

Someone in a FB group posted a while back about receiving a year old BP from a breeder they found through Morph Market and the pictures looked fine, the customer service wasn't brilliant, but was okay so she let some of her unanswered questions slide. When the snake showed up, it was under 100g and while it was the snake from the pictures, looked like it had been barely maintenance fed since the pictures were taken. Stories like that make me more paranoid than ever about purchasing snakes over the internet. Of course this means 2 things - 1. If you can't be bothered to answer my questions, then I can't be bothered to buy from you. And 2. If I buy from you and have a good experience, I'll be much more likely to purchase from you again and will be much more relaxed about it.

[wolfy-hound]

I've talked with BHB folks at shows and I believe I bought one snake in the past from them. All the animals have looked great and the people are generally friendly and accommodating.

[Marissa@MKmorphs]

I purchased my male ghost honduran milk snake from BHB at NARBC Arlington February 2015. Very healthy and well mannered snake and I received great customer service.

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