Pet shops,Are they really that bad? (GA)

[Fat_Luke]

I was scared of all snakes for a bit pictures shows anything related,argued with a girl i know and she won the conversation,i have recently been contemplating getting a bp as a pet,so i decided it was something i am ready to do and would like to,so i found a couple breeders that i planed on ordering from,but before i commit i wanted to handle a live snake to make sure i wasn't over whelmed so checked about four pet shops,end up at a pet super store (3413 Diversified Dr
Loganville, GA 30052)

they had a room full of reptiles they seemed to be in good shape cage was relatively clean they where all in shed/just got out of shed no big chunks of shed in the cage just little pieces that recently came off i guess,i confirmed that they where cb and ch,Not wild,Apparently the current clutch they have in stock came from one of their employee's that is a breeder,few looked normal,few looked like pastel's,Of course they housed them all together to be cost efficient,I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to just purchase from the local store,Only worries was that there was no hygrometer/thermostat in the cages,but the room was very warm,witch is alright if the ambient temp of the room is siting at 85-87ish,I have owned no reptile before the whole store was clean every animal seemed to be in good condition and have clean bedding etc,even the feeding rats cages where pretty darn clean.Personally what would you do purchase from the store or go ahead and purchase on line the bp's at the shop where 60 something,the bps on the website that are in my price range and i thought where pretty where 75 (idk what would be more cost effective purchasing from the store,or from bhbreptiles)


thank you for taking the time to lend out some advice to a newbie

[singingtothewheat]

You are most likely going to get a lot better quality from a professional breeder. A lot of the pet store snakes are questionable. They can tell you anything about ch cb.
Little pieces of shed isn't a good thing. A healthy shed comes off in one piece. That is the good sign that humidity is good, nutrition is good, snake is well.

The fact that they are "Housed together" are you saying in one cage. That would scare me off IMMEDIATELY. One snake in there with a problem that spreads and they all have a problem whether you see it or not.

I've never purchased from Brian. You might also check out Ralph Davis. I trust Ralph and have some of his stuff. He's a good guy.

[coldblooded]

There are several awesome breeders right here in Atlanta!

Trey Bernard from Fireball Python and Robin Abernethy from Robin's Nest Pythons both come to mind immediately. I know there are a couple more but they're slipping my mind at the moment..

Anyway, I *highly* recommend buying from a breeder versus a pet store. Repticon: Atlanta or the Georgia Herp Expo that are every year are also good places to shop.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Buying directly from a reputable breeder is best, but I don't consider buying from a good pet store to really be worse than buying from a dealer at an expo. (The expo dealer is going to be tons cheaper). Pet store animals are retail/pet priced. Animals purchased from breeders will be priced with consideration of shipping costs in most cases. (For example, a normal ball python in a pet store sells for 60 to 75 dollars. A normal ball python from a breeder costs around 25 dollars, but then you will have to pay 35 to 50 dollars in shipping charges).

Find a local breeder, and you can get the best deals of all.

The store you mentioned doesn't sound awful--all of the animals came from a single known source. Ask the store if they offer any guarantees on them, and ask what their procedures are for preparing a cage for new arrivals once all the animals in it have been sold out. If they all look healthy, then they're as safe as most, and safer than some. I don't demonize pet stores simply because they are pet stores--nor do I expect them to house animals in optimal permanent care conditions--as long as the animals are good body weight and aren't around for very long, cage sharing with animals of the same species is normal for pet stores (and also very frequently seen at expos).

If that's your only source for those animals, and there is one there that you really and truly want, and are willing to pay a pet store premium for, then go for it--just remember to quarantine. A year is the new 'safe' quarantine period, though, not the 3 months normally cited. But quarantine is necessary whether you buy the animals in person from a top breeder, or anonymously from a pet store.

My friend's pet ball python came from a local pet store--a knowledgeable place that even revealed that the original breeder was crestedgecko.com. He's completely healthy, hardy, and growing just as he should. Not all pet stores are bad, and while they aren't generally the top choice for purchasing animals, I wouldn't write them off completely. As long as you know a good store from a bad one, and know which questions to ask, I see no reason to dismiss retail stores out of hand.

In fact, NERD has a retail storefront.

[rabernet]

There are several awesome breeders right here in Atlanta!

Trey Bernard from Fireball Python and Robin Abernethy from Robin's Nest Pythons both come to mind immediately. I know there are a couple more but they're slipping my mind at the moment..

Anyway, I *highly* recommend buying from a breeder versus a pet store. Repticon: Atlanta or the Georgia Herp Expo that are every year are also good places to shop.

Thanks for the recommendation! And I'm UBER impressed that you spelled my last name correctly too!

You're very lucky that we have a lot of great local breeders here. I'd recommend getting one from a breeder, who's going to be available to answer questions after the sale, and help you be successful!

Some other local breeders who'd I'd recommend - Deborah Stewart of Stewart Reptiles, Shaun Pruitt of Prototype Pythons, Albey Scholl of Albey's Too Cool Geckos, Justin Kobylka of jkobylka Reptiles.

You've a great group of locals who breed and produce quality animals! You can get to my page through my signature, and then if you click "Contact Us", I have links to all the other breeders who have mentioned in this thread so that you can easily find each of their sites!

Welcome to BP.net!

[rabernet]

Buying directly from a reputable breeder is best, but I don't consider buying from a good pet store to really be worse than buying from a dealer at an expo. (The expo dealer is going to be tons cheaper). Pet store animals are retail/pet priced. Animals purchased from breeders will be priced with consideration of shipping costs in most cases. (For example, a normal ball python in a pet store sells for 60 to 75 dollars. A normal ball python from a breeder costs around 25 dollars, but then you will have to pay 35 to 50 dollars in shipping charges).

Find a local breeder, and you can get the best deals of all.

The store you mentioned doesn't sound awful--all of the animals came from a single known source. Ask the store if they offer any guarantees on them, and ask what their procedures are for preparing a cage for new arrivals once all the animals in it have been sold out. If they all look healthy, then they're as safe as most, and safer than some. I don't demonize pet stores simply because they are pet stores--nor do I expect them to house animals in optimal permanent care conditions--as long as the animals are good body weight and aren't around for very long, cage sharing with animals of the same species is normal for pet stores (and also very frequently seen at expos).

If that's your only source for those animals, and there is one there that you really and truly want, and are willing to pay a pet store premium for, then go for it--just remember to quarantine. A year is the new 'safe' quarantine period, though, not the 3 months normally cited. But quarantine is necessary whether you buy the animals in person from a top breeder, or anonymously from a pet store.

My friend's pet ball python came from a local pet store--a knowledgeable place that even revealed that the original breeder was crestedgecko.com. He's completely healthy, hardy, and growing just as he should. Not all pet stores are bad, and while they aren't generally the top choice for purchasing animals, I wouldn't write them off completely. As long as you know a good store from a bad one, and know which questions to ask, I see no reason to dismiss retail stores out of hand.

In fact, NERD has a retail storefront.

I hadn't heard that about the year quarantine being the new "safe" period. Where have you heard that or seen that recommendation?

[j_h_smith]

I have never heard of this NEW QT period. One year is just waaaaaaay too long. I don't know why you would need that long of a period.

Oh well, learn something new everyday.
Jim Smith

[Fat_Luke]

jkobylka is a four hour trip there and back,i would guess shipping would be cheaper then actually riding down there are there any good breeders in the dekalb area?

I mean the animal's looked good to me but i'm no reptile expert,i just looked for symptoms i have read about