Tips on buying a healthy snake

[brobertson]

Enchi, fire, lesser, and mojave are a few more at the upper end of your price range.

[Arcapello]

In that price range: pastels, spiders, pinstripes, lessers, black pastels, and probably a couple more that I'm not thinking of. Males will be cheaper than females, typically.

Thanks so much And I have noticed that males are noticeably cheaper than females. Is this because females grow to be larger?

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Enchi, fire, lesser, and mojave are a few more at the upper end of your price range.

Okay, thanks. I'll have to look for some at the expo.

[Inarikins]

Thanks so much And I have noticed that males are noticeably cheaper than females. Is this because females grow to be larger?

It's because females are the ones that lay the eggs

If you're looking just for a pet and know you're never going to have any intentions of breeding down the road, you can go with a male. If you think you ever might want to breed in the future, go with a female - by the time you're ready to start breeding, she's ready to go, you don't have to wait years for your girls to get up to breeding size.

[Vasiliki]

A common thing I have seen lately is also receipt issues.

At a show, it can be something that's difficult to get, but if you can, ask for a receipt for the transaction. That way you have written proof that you purchased that hatcling from said vendor, just in case there are problems down the road or issues.

Expos can be very hectic, and I know only a handful do this, but it should be a request that most vendors should honor. Receipts are a standard of being in a business. And there have been numerous stories lately where a receipt might have helped resolve a potential problem, or back up a claim from the buyer.

All in all, go with your gut. If you get a 'bad feeling', trust it. It's usually right when it comes to that kind of thing.

[Arcapello]

A common thing I have seen lately is also receipt issues.

At a show, it can be something that's difficult to get, but if you can, ask for a receipt for the transaction. That way you have written proof that you purchased that hatcling from said vendor, just in case there are problems down the road or issues.

Expos can be very hectic, and I know only a handful do this, but it should be a request that most vendors should honor. Receipts are a standard of being in a business. And there have been numerous stories lately where a receipt might have helped resolve a potential problem, or back up a claim from the buyer.

All in all, go with your gut. If you get a 'bad feeling', trust it. It's usually right when it comes to that kind of thing.

Thanks! We don't have any reputable breeders/shops within 5/6 hours of here, and the expo is 4 hours away, but I thought it would be better than getting a sick snake. I didn't want to order online, either.

[Vasiliki]

Thanks! We don't have any reputable breeders/shops within 5/6 hours of here, and the expo is 4 hours away, but I thought it would be better than getting a sick snake. I didn't want to order online, either.

Totally understandable. Go, see, talk and get familiar too. Find a snake that really appeals to you too. Don't just look at the price tag (at least, not first, haha).

I hope you find a fantastic little snake for you!

[Arcapello]

Totally understandable. Go, see, talk and get familiar too. Find a snake that really appeals to you too. Don't just look at the price tag (at least, not first, haha).

I hope you find a fantastic little snake for you!

Update:
I did find a normal male. I had been planning to get a morph, but I really liked his pattern and personality. And he's pretty light for a normal. I'm sure every owner says this, but he's the prettiest normal I've seen One of the prettiest BP's, too.

[Annarose15]

Update:
I did find a normal male. I had been planning to get a morph, but I really liked his pattern and personality. And he's pretty light for a normal. I'm sure every owner says this, but he's the prettiest normal I've seen One of the prettiest BP's, too.

Pic-tures! Pic-tures! Pic-tures!!!

[MrLang]

I see that you already bought the snake and congratulations!

Just in the off chance someone in the future stumbles on this thread I will share the one tip I can contribute that nobody here has mentioned.

Mites are one of the major issues you DON'T want to bring home with you when you buy a snake. I was advised by a local breeder on how to properly check for them before purchasing. If the snake is small, you want to be VERY CAREFUL when you're holding their head and neck.

You want to check the area under their chin. There's a little cleft there that expands when they're swallowing food to allow their mouth to wrap around it more. It looks like a little butt crack. If you carefully hold the snake and check that area using your fingers to spread and move the skin and reveal the scale-less area between the crack, you can often catch mites by finding them hiding in there.

His source for this tip: he worked at NERD for several years.

[Arcapello]

Pic-tures! Pic-tures! Pic-tures!!!

Once I start handling him I'll start a thread