Should I look into it?

[Boidae]

So, I've kind of run into some trouble. My mom wants me to consider pet stores for my very first snake, by pet stores I mean pet smart, and I don't really like this idea as I'd be way more comfortable with getting it from a breeder, I'm not sure what to do. The reason she wants me to look into getting one from Pet Smart is the fact that the BP morphs are way cheaper there, we saw a Stinger for 80$. But still... I'm not inclined to trust Pet Smart because every animal I've received from Pet Smart has been very aggressive. What should I do? Stick to breeders or consider a pet store?

[treaux]

The benefit to buying from a pet store is that you can get a chance to hold the snake and get to know it before you purchase. If the BP looks healthy and has a nice personality, there's nothing wrong with buying from a pet store. You can look up some good videos on Youtube about making sure the snake you're looking at is healthy.

[Zincubus]

The benefit to buying from a pet store is that you can get a chance to hold the snake and get to know it before you purchase. If the BP looks healthy and has a nice personality, there's nothing wrong with buying from a pet store. You can look up some good videos on Youtube about making sure the snake you're looking at is healthy.

You can hold snakes at a breeder though , surely .

Also many breeders sell off their poorer stuff ( the ones that haven't been bought ) to stores as " job lots " the stores then charge the public twice as much as the breeders do ..

[distaff]

The price can sometimes be lower because you are not paying shipping.

However, the price can be higher because most of the customers won't have much background, and will buy on impulse. Also, once a customer holds the animal, they are more likely to want it - regardless of price and quality.

Furthermore, I would not take the pet store's word for the morph. If the store employees don't have the expertise to determine for themselves, they are just going on what they remember the breeder/wholesaler supposedly told the manager/owner.

I would never buy an animal from a pet store if I wanted to start a breeding project with it - just too many unknowns. Nevertheless, a pet store can be a perfectly good source of...pets. There is a lovely BP at our local pet store, $85, claimed to be Enchi. I wouldn't have given him a second glance, but he was out and I had a chance to hold him. I very much liked him - good energy. (maybe in a few months if he is still there. Discretionary funds for a proper set-up are rather low at the moment.)

Take your time with this, do some more research, and maybe read a few related books. There is always a more beautiful snake out there - so there is no need to be in any hurry.

[wolfy-hound]

If the breeders are local, you might be able to meet the snake first IF the breeder is willing to invest a lot of time and allow someone in to look at the various snakes. Not all breeders like to do this.

If the breeders are not local, then of course you have a wide range of breeders to choose from but there are bad breeders. There are sellers who sell from lots of snakes they buy from other breeders(just like the pet store). There's even breeders who scam people.

So what I'm saying is not "all breeders are bad" but pointing out that some pet stores might have a good animal for you, or some breeders might have a good animal for you. If you find a good animal at the pet store and you like it, there's no reason not to go ahead and purchase it. If you went for a local breeder, the price MAY be lower, the animal might be higher quality, etc. But you might also end up paying shipping fees if the breeder is not local. Or the breeder may want a higher price.

Instead of being automatically disappointed, give the pet store a chance and if you don't like any of the animals they have, you can always try convincing Mom that you'll get a better deal from a breeder instead.

Also I second the "double check the morph" since we've seen plenty of folks pop up with snakes gotten from Petsmart/Petco type box stores that were not as advertised.

[bcr229]

Post your location (city, state) and someone here may know a breeder who would let you come over for a show-and-tell session. I don't mind having customers come to the house, but other people prefer not to.

[cagedconstrictors]

Perhaps you could talk her into attending a reptile expo with you. This would give you both a chance to meet many breeders and hold lots of different snakes to find the perfect fit for you. My suggestion would be to find a breeder that is close to your area who you feel comfortable talking to. At expos you could have a chance to talk to the vendors and forge a relationship with some of them. That way if you have questions you could call some of them to help you out.

[Boidae]

Post your location (city, state) and someone here may know a breeder who would let you come over for a show-and-tell session. I don't mind having customers come to the house, but other people prefer not to.

I live near Charlotte NC. Also thanks everybody for the replies I appreciate the help

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I live near Charlotte NC. Also thanks everybody for the replies I appreciate the help

I would recommend you to wait until the next repticon in Charlotte, it's a good show with many different mutations and great breeders. http://www.repticon.com/charlotte.html

[Boidae]

I would recommend you to wait until the next repticon in Charlotte, it's a good show with many different mutations and great breeders. http://www.repticon.com/charlotte.html

Thank you! My mom says she is willing to attend either this year, or next year. I am so excited