soon to be new owner, I'm not sure if this breeder can be trusted/want to make sure.

[notthedoctor]

Hi, so I've been looking for a breeder to buy a Ball Python off, a hatchling, and I was having quite a hard time. I finally found someone who sells a variety of Ball Python morphs, as well as normals. The emails that I've exchanged have been mostly good, though there were a few things that felt a bit off, and there was a bit that i wanted a third party to clarify for me.

As i said in the title, I haven't owned a Ball Python before, and I've never worked with a breeder, so I'm not quite sure I'm doing everything correctly.

I'm not sure that it would be polite to disclose the emails publicly, though there's nothing private in them. I was hoping someone would come along that I could PM for help.

[dkspftw]

Your best bet is to google the breeder and look for reviews. Anybody established should have them. I'd also recommend signing up for an account on faunaclassifieds.com, as they have a BOI (board of inquiry) section that's good for breeder reviews. There's also a similar review section on this site, but it's less thorough.

[notthedoctor]

Thanks for replying, this guys company name seems to be Medusa's Morphs. There is a page on faunaclassifieds, however he only has two votes though they're both positive, they're low in number.

If anybody could possibly point me to a breeder with hatchlings that would be nice, I've looked on faunaclassifieds a bit, as well as other sites, but I'm not so good with forums and so I couldn't really find much. I'm looking for normals, or pastels. As a first time owner I'd like something cheap to start out with.

I'm still willing to pm with somebody though, to atleast get a second opinion.

[Spike89]

They are all over on this forum. Keep checking your unread folder if you have Tapatalk. They are always posting updates on their new hatchlings.

[colton62]

If you have any reptile shows nearby you could always check there. The one by me always are selling baby normals for $20/25

[notthedoctor]

The closest expo is about 4 hours away, and only two days from now. I've done some closer looking on faunaclassifieds though and have found another breeder that I've also been emailing.

The first guy seemed good, I was just unsure of the shipping price, (he lives on the other side of the state) but I've realized $60 is decent. I looked at the prices that usps and fedex have. The other thing that caught me was when I mentioned i may buy a normal, rather than a $50 pastel, since I'm just starting out and am low on money right now. He offered to throw in a male normal hatchling as well for free, and as far as I know, it isn't a good idea to co-mingle. I had expected him to know that, it's also odd that he would make that offer in the first place. But enough of that.

I asked him about guarantees and also about feeding/shedding information and parentage among other things. He has a decent sized list of other, more expensive morphs, and seems good. So I may end up buying off of him.

[Mr. Misha]

So what are your concerns about the breeder? I've read this whole post and still don't understand.

If its because he's offering you a free Normal with a purchase of a Pastel, that's because Normals don't go for a lot of money nowadays so breeders will often give them away so they don't have to feed an extra snake.

In regards to cohabitation, did he actually suggest keeping two snakes together or did he just offer you two snakes? It's really up to you to do the research into the husbandry and care of the animal. Cohabitation is not recommended to newer keepers. It can be done if done properly (I speak from personal experience). It's a highly debated subject, but by no means it's wrong to do it.

I think if you don't have the funds right now, I'd wait on the purchase of the snake. First, buy all the necessary caging equipment for the animal and make sure the husbandry is correct and then purchase a BP. The proper setup starting costs could be pricey (caging, thermostat, hides, thermometer, etc.).

[notthedoctor]

You kinda hit there, I said that I was in the process of buying everything I need and it would be a week or so until I could purchase the snake. I suppose I expected him to stay on the cautious side, and not offer another snake so that I buy the pastel, since I had certainly mentioned that this is to be my first snake. In regards to simply offering a normal, seeing as how cheap they are that wasn't really as concerning as offering a second snake to me since it was obvious (I thought) that I'm brand new at this and only just got the needed items for the one snake.

I suppose I expected him to be a bit more cautious about me or something along those lines, rather than doing what he did. But I do realize I was wrong on one point, and the other seems to be debated so often that it can't really be called a point. I may have simply been looking for something, since I had read that one needs to make sure they buy from a trust-able breeder.

I think if you don't have the funds right now, I'd wait on the purchase of the snake. First, buy all the necessary caging equipment for the animal and make sure the husbandry is correct and then purchase a BP. The proper setup starting costs could be pricey (caging, thermostat, hides, thermometer, etc.).

Certainly, I wouldn't buy the snake without the proper equipment first, that's partly why I've waited over a week at this point. I've already bought a tank, UTH, thermometer/hygrometer, multiple hide spots, and a few other things. I have most of what I need now, which is why I finally made this thread. However it seems I may not have had to, and I can happily buy my first Ball Python on Monday.

[Mr. Misha]

I may have simply been looking for something, since I had read that one needs to make sure they buy from a trust-able breeder.

I've already bought a tank, UTH, thermometer/hygrometer, multiple hide spots, and a few other things.

You're on the right track. It's definitely important to ask the breeder questions to make sure you're buying a healthy animal.

Also, don't forget a thermostat for the UTH. That will make sure that you control the temperature of the UTH.

Here's a good thread on how to setup a 20 gallon tank:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=201740