Craigslist Buy?

[alpine]

So in the bay area I have a heck of a time finding a good female ball python. Usually all they have floating around are males... Males as far as the eye can see. Anyway~ I found someone selling one on craigslist and I am curious and want opinions on whether or not to get it. It's supposedly female, 2 years old and she is of fair size. They guy sent me a picture and her skin seems pretty baggy so I think she might be dehydrated. Is this something easily treatable? Just liquids and close care? or is this something that requires a lot of care? On a second note, is there any way that I could make sure that she is female? I have been specifically looking for female. Owner says that the person HE bought it from assured that it was a female. Is there any way to be sure on my part?

And the guy said to just make an offer. How much should I offer? She is normal so I know that is gonna effect it, and she is dehydrated so I KNOW that will change some things. Any recommendations?

[Kaorte]

The only way to know the gender would be to pop or probe the snake. If you don't have any experience doing this, then I suggest finding someone to teach you or find someone to do it.

Could you post the picture? Baggy skin might mean she is underweight or had a bad shed.

I got a normal female from craigslist with a large boaphile cage so I don't know the exact "price" of her. I'd say a fair offer is somewhere in the realm of 50-100 for a decent sized normal. If she is skinny then I would personally pass..

[stickyalvinroll]

i wouldn't buy it at all. buy it from a real hobbiest support the hobby not this guy. the animal you are describing sounds like it has been not cared for too good. the owner is unresponsible and should not be doing business with him. i encourage you to shop around kingsnake, fauna and here shipping is only 50 bucks. for quality animals thats not too much.

[satomi325]

I would pass. Since the guy isn't 100% sure that the snake is female, you're not guaranteed one.
Where in the Bay are you located? I recommend finding a breeder.
They are typically guaranteed gender and health. Plus they're cheaper than going to a petstore or on CL.

[alpine]

sticky, the problem is that when you factor in the fact that I want a normal, paying $200 for a normal that could be $50-100 is not going to fly. I'd be more than happy to

She doesn't look skinny, she just looks like she is dehydrated but I could be wrong. Now you see her, what think you? :3

- - - Updated - - -

I'm in the Santa Clara, San Jose area in CA. I have been searching high and low for breeders in the area so I don't have to try and ship, trust me it is murder. absolute and complete MURDER!

[satomi325]

That snake doesn't look dehydrated. It's just having a very horrible shed. There's not enough humidity in the enclosure to properly shed it's skin.
The body weight doesn't look too bad. But I would still pass.

Contact Brian Gundy. He always has normals.
He's an excellent and knowledgeable breeder in the South Bay. He's located in Campbell (or the edge of San Jose).
http://www.for-goodness-snakes.com/

I highly recommend him.

He has 2 types of normals, so you just have to clarify to him. He has normal normals. And normals from his special Gold Blush Mojave line, which are more expensive.

Another breeder in the East Bay(Walnut Creek) is Robert Seib.
http://easternindigo.com/index.html
I also highly recommend him. His snakes are top notch and he's very helpful. He's a retired Herp professor from UC Berkeley.
Robert doesn't update his website, but his contact is there.

[alpine]

any others? Robert has NO ball pythons on his site, but I will email to ask if there are some that he has not put on the site. not really interested in other pythons to be honest, later I might branch out but for now I will pass. Thanks for the links though. I sent Brian an email to inquire about female normals, we will see what he says.

[satomi325]

any others? Robert has NO ball pythons on his site, but I will email to ask if there are some that he has not put on the site. not really interested in other pythons to be honest, later I might branch out but for now I will pass. Thanks for the links though. I sent Brian an email to inquire about female normals, we will see what he says.

His site is really outdated, but I believe his contact is there. If not, here's his email: rseib73@gmail.com
I've purchased a ball python from him last year. She's my best snake right now.
I see his BP adds on Kingsnake classifieds all the time, so I know he has ball pythons.

[alpine]

Alright, well I emailed both to see what they had in stock. Thanks a lot for the help Satomi I just don't want to have my pets shipped if I can avoid it. I would rather buy local and stay local so I can go in and see them before I decide to buy them. And shipping is intensely expensive (which sucks too) I just don't see the point in shipping normals ya know, so I like this idea, we will see what they say about them and I will go from there since they are close.

[satomi325]

If they don't have any normals in stock, you can try East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley. They're a little expensive, but they still have healthy animals.
Way better than going to a Petco/Petsmart.

Good luck.