Quote Originally Posted by TheBallPython View Post
Hello,

I am looking to get my first BP in a few months and had some questions. I have learned the basics (humidity, warm/cool side, identical hides, etc), but there are a few things I don't know. Now, I was thinking about getting my snake from the show here in havre de grace, md.. but I'm a little worried about either being ripped off, or not knowing the breeder. Is there any way to know which breeders will attend certain shows?

I was also wondering if there seems to be a temperment difference between males and females. Right now, since I'm still living with my mother, she first didn't want me to have a bp at all, then agreed on a male because they don't get as large. And on here, I have seen some MASSIVE females. However, do they get that big naturally? Or is it because of frequent feeding? I just really wish I'd be able to keep my options open with gender and be able to tell my mom that females don't really get that much bigger.

I have also seen many opinions on tank size. After what I've read, I'm thinking about going with a 20gal. Is that really large enough for a full grown BP? I was also wondering if 1 UTH would be enough? One person here told me 2 would be better for the warm and cool side since my house is a little cooler for my chinchillas, but being a 20 gal, would it really be necessary? Not that I don't trust who told me (they were a huge help), just want multiple opinions.

Thank you. I'll ask more questions as I think of them, lol.
Depending on the morph you want to purchase, not sure on the pricing. I'm just guessing you want a normal. Baby normals can be anywhere from $40-$80, maybe more or maybe less. Try to get a cheap one, but make sure it's healthy.

Many females are fed A LOT for breeding purposes, so females normally don't get large unless you feed it large food items. Though, you wouldn't want her to get too fat. Females only get massive when fed large food items and given a large enclosure for space to grow. Males can also get pretty large when fed the same way and given a large enclosure.

A 20 gallon enclosure is too small for a fully grown adult BP. Adult BPs will need a 40-55 gallone enclosure. The smallest size you could go would be a 40 gallon enclosure. Also, I think 1 UTH would be just fine.