Gah, the temptation to gamble!

[Pickenprod]

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??

[Daybreaker]

I paid $125 each for each of my big three 2000+ proven normal females.

Would I pay $160 for a unsexed larger normal? No way.

I'd wait and get a actual female normal with size or go with your Mojo. If this normal turns out to be a male that you have no breeding plans for then that's your $160+ pet (which isn't a bad thing: I have snakes that I have no intentions of breeding) but you could have used that $160 for something you really wanted.

[cschneider]

I would definitely wait to find a for sure female. There is a local pet store that gets adult bps by me. They are always males. Not sure why someone would sell an adult female to the pet store and if they are pricing it at 150 that means they probably paid half of that. I could be wrong but if your set on wanting a female or mojo, I would pass.


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[youbeyouibei]

I'd pass on that. I've seen a few proven breeder normal females in the 1500 - 2000 gram range for $150 plus shipping, so for another $50, $60 over what they want for an unknown sex animal, you'd be in the money on getting what you wanted, even if it was a little more expensive. I hear ya' on the impulse buy but if it were me, I'd pass, save my money and get one that was for sure what I wanted.

[Sarin]

Get it sexed, and if it is a female, go for it. Adult healthy Normals go for 200-350 over here depending on size, and shipping is usually minimum $100.

[angllady2]

Try to be reasonable with them. if they cannot sex it, ask them if you bring a vet will they let the vet sex it.

Don't let them fool you with their "claims" a vet won't for fear of hurting the snake, they just want to move the animal fast and if you have it sexed and it is male they know they lost the sale.

I saw a 1300 gram normal go for $220 at auction tonight. Breeding size females go for a premium price during the breeding season, so if it is a female, you could do worse than spending $160 on her. Of course, you have to see if you can find a vet willing to sex it, and how much they will charge you. Your best bet might be to talk to the vet the store uses, you might get it done no charge then.

Gale

[SquamishSerpents]

You're in BC, might I ask what pet store this is, and where it is located?

[Pickenprod]

Thanks for the advice, everybody

@Squamish: I'm in Kelowna, and the store in question is The Purple Seahorse.

I totally understand the reasons not to buy it. And thank you for reinforcing my doubts. Actually, I found a group of proven breeder females for sale locally, for $250 each! Would you say one of those is a better deal? I know they're really expensive for Normals, but keep in mind I'm located in Canada. Everything is more expensive here...

[angllady2]

If they are proven females, that would be the way to go.

However, be sure you ask when they had eggs last. A female just coming off of eggs will need a year to recover, and a female who has lain two or three years in a row is due for a break and may not take for you. So factor that into your plans.

Now if they just happen to be extra normals the breeder is replacing with morphs, and they haven't lain since last season or so, jump on that deal. It happens here in the states regularly as breeders replace normals with morphs, and believe me those girls never last long when they go up for sale.

Gale

[coldbloodaddict]

You should learn how to sex if you're already planning on breeding...You don't want to be adding breeders that are the wrong sex and find out years later...

People make mistakes and some people are just flat out dishonest...I sex every new animal myself as soon as they arrive no matter who produced it.