Looking for info on getting a big Sub Saharan

[TessadasExotics]

I have also not seen any of the 4kg gravid females selling for $800. I have seen them being sold for about $400.

[Johnmb]

So from what i'm gathering the sub saharans have bigger heads but tend to be the size of real big normals and not much bigger. (If there is even a difference) So is the general consensus to just get females from normals that are very large? All my females are much smaller, all 450-1800 grams. Just weighed them all yesterday. Hoping they all get huge.

[Emilio]

Not sure where you are getting your information from, but it is highly inaccurate. Ball pythons are not highly sought after for their meat. As mater of fact try killing and eating one in Nigeria and see what would happen. Supposedly the "giant" or "sub Saharan" ball pythons are from the Volta region. (funny as the whole area that ball pythons are found is the sub saharan) This is actually a region of the south eastern part of Ghana on the border of Togo. Warlords are not rampant in this area. Ghana does have tribes and chieftains which do have conflict with each other at times. There has been a land issue between the Nkonya and the Alavanyo going on since 1923 and has just recently gotten heated again this past month. But all in all Ghana is not a very dangerous place.
I have not seen much of a decline in the selling of these particular balls as of late. Actually seems to have picked up some. There where quite a few for sale this past year and this one so far. If you ask me they are nothing more than nice old, well fed specimens. Until someone proves them to be genetically larger than any others. We have 4 girls that are over 4kg. We have never seen any differences between the babies from them and the babies from our other smaller females.

I have to disagree with you, I have heard from many down here in miami that indeed ball pythons are being sold for their meat. This season for example the wholesale price of CBB normals actually went up because China bought huge amounts of CH BP's before they could make it to the US market.

I also heard that the Chinese are actually growing the females and trying to reproduce them for sale much like they do with turtles already.

[TessadasExotics]

I have to disagree with you, I have heard from many down here in miami that indeed ball pythons are being sold for their meat. This season for example the wholesale price of CBB normals actually went up because China bought huge amounts of CH BP's before they could make it to the US market.

I also heard that the Chinese are actually growing the females and trying to reproduce them for sale much like they do with turtles already.

That is fine and you can disagree with me all you want. The thing is is that you are disagreeing about an incorrect thought.
The statement was that ball pythons where being highly sought after in the region for their meat. Which would imply that they are being caught and eaten in africa as a delicacy. They are not to my knowledge. Maybe some people do, but largly they are not. They are caught and or farmed for Export. What an importer does with them is different. We were talking about Africa not China.

[Brandon Osborne]

We have several females well over 4000 grams and a few that are over 5000. I disagree that size is not genetic. I believe it can be by evidence of some of my Pied and het Pied animals. My largest girl being a 5500 gram het Pied and several of her offspring in the 3500-4000 gram range. I agree, the Volta animals are probably just old, well-fed adults.

[Emilio]

That is fine and you can disagree with me all you want. The thing is is that you are disagreeing about an incorrect thought.
The statement was that ball pythons where being highly sought after in the region for their meat. Which would imply that they are being caught and eaten in africa as a delicacy. They are not to my knowledge. Maybe some people do, but largly they are not. They are caught and or farmed for Export. What an importer does with them is different. We were talking about Africa not China.

To me it does not matter where they are eaten, my point was that some are now being caught specifically for the meat trade and not the US Pet market.

[OctagonGecko729]

Not sure where you are getting your information from, but it is highly inaccurate. Ball pythons are not highly sought after for their meat. As mater of fact try killing and eating one in Nigeria and see what would happen. Supposedly the "giant" or "sub Saharan" ball pythons are from the Volta region. (funny as the whole area that ball pythons are found is the sub saharan) This is actually a region of the south eastern part of Ghana on the border of Togo. Warlords are not rampant in this area. Ghana does have tribes and chieftains which do have conflict with each other at times. There has been a land issue between the Nkonya and the Alavanyo going on since 1923 and has just recently gotten heated again this past month. But all in all Ghana is not a very dangerous place.
I have not seen much of a decline in the selling of these particular balls as of late. Actually seems to have picked up some. There where quite a few for sale this past year and this one so far. If you ask me they are nothing more than nice old, well fed specimens. Until someone proves them to be genetically larger than any others. We have 4 girls that are over 4kg. We have never seen any differences between the babies from them and the babies from our other smaller females.

I apologize if I did not state that I heard this as a "story" about the murder. No idea if its true or not. All I was told was that their collector got killed by some local so they had collection issues last year (2011). I also don't know who is consuming them for meat but they are being consumed and the larger the animal the more cash it is bringing in, meaning alot of the large girls aren't around.

[OctagonGecko729]

I have also not seen any of the 4kg gravid females selling for $800. I have seen them being sold for about $400.

Ah, guess you missed it then, it was on kingsnake and sometimes those animals get buried in the pages. 4900g gravid WC volta female for $800 or so from Outback.

[TessadasExotics]

Ah, guess you missed it then, it was on kingsnake and sometimes those animals get buried in the pages. 4900g gravid WC volta female for $800 or so from Outback.

Hmmm I must have. I always see outbacks listings when the gravid girls come in. I have never to my recollection seen any that were listed anywhere near 800. Pretty sure they sell them between 300 and 500. But then I guess I could be remembering wrong.

[TessadasExotics]

I apologize if I did not state that I heard this as a "story" about the murder. No idea if its true or not. All I was told was that their collector got killed by some local so they had collection issues last year (2011). I also don't know who is consuming them for meat but they are being consumed and the larger the animal the more cash it is bringing in, meaning alot of the large girls aren't around.

Maybe it's just me but I would bet that the highest price paid for a ball python would be to the pet trade and not for consumption. The US is absolutely not the only importer of ball pythons. Canada and Europe are also huge importers of them.