Hi all,

I was in my local pet shop the other day and noticed they had a newcomer in their reptile section - a big old Normal they got from a customer. They weren't sure of its age or sex, but oddly enough they have it priced lower than the young Normal who's been there for a few months... $159 for the big one, and $250 for the small!

Now I know that $250 is a ridiculous price to pay for a baby Normal. But $159 for a grown snake seems like a decent rate... The thing is, I'd only be interested if it's a female, because a grown female would allow me to start breeding MUCH sooner than if I had to grow one to maturity myself... and of course, not having to ship the snake is a bonus.

I handled it yesterday, and it was a joy. Looked healthy. Not nervous, not aggressive, just wanted to curl up on my arm and go back to sleep. Which makes me want it even more, as those are the kinds of traits I'm interested in! But arghh! It has to be a female or it's not useful to me. The store staff don't know how to pop or probe it, and they say even the vets around here will refuse to do it for fear of damaging the snake (it really doesn't seem that dangerous? Loads of people here can do it no problem...). So now I'm tempted but without the proper info.

What do you all think I should do? Is $159 (plus 12% tax!) even a good price to pay for an adult Normal? Is it worth my time and money to house and feed a bp that has a 50% chance of being useless to my breeding plans? Should I even be getting a Normal when what I originally wanted was a Mojave??