Finally gonna get my 1st ball got a question though....

[sinner6669]

I am looking to get my 1st Ball and was wondering which would be best to procure a hatchling, juvenile, sub-adult or adult.

I have been doing some heavy research and think I have my tank setup well, tested temps and humidity and they are as follows: Cool side @ 83F Warm side @ 90F Humidity @ 55%. I have a bask light and a red light on timers with 12 hour cycles. I have a ZooMed thermostat with the probe on the cool side. Finally a UTH on the warm side that isn't attached to the thermostat. My tank is a 55gal long (48"x13"x21") and i have 3 walls insulated.

I have had a couple friends that got juveniles, one with great sucess and the other one wouldn't feed and eventually passed away. So thats got me a bit leary about getting one so young.

So I am interested in the opinions of everyone on this forum on this matter. Also I am from Medina, OH and would like to know if anyone knows a breeder that they could refer me to, all I have is pet stores around me and I would be more comfortable getting my first ball from someone who really knows what they are doing. Thanks in advance for all the help!

[Nate]

I can't say one is better than the other, except I would make sure that if you get a baby, you make sure it's had a few meals before you get it. since it's your first one, you may want to go with a juvy that's got a feeding history.

Good luck!

[frankykeno]

I am looking to get my 1st Ball and was wondering which would be best to procure a hatchling, juvenile, sub-adult or adult.

If you have no snake experience than likely not a hatchling or at least not one fresh out of the egg (though this isn't really the time of year for that so much). Unless you are working with a reputable breeder, than a well started hatchling is fine (just not from a pet store). Whatever size you decide on, you want a snake that comes to you with a solid feeding pattern set down, healthy, properly sexed and if it's a morph or het, proper genetics paperwork. You want to be absolutely sure you can provide what it eats (rats or mice), in the size it eats and using the feeding method this snake is used to (live, frozen/thawed or pre-killed).

If for instance you get a nice snake but it currently eats live fuzzy rats and you can't buy live fuzzy rats in Medina, you're in trouble from the get go so make that part of the buying decision as far as size/age of the snake and who you buy it from.

I have been doing some heavy research and think I have my tank setup well, tested temps and humidity and they are as follows: Cool side @ 83F Warm side @ 90F Humidity @ 55%. I have a bask light and a red light on timers with 12 hour cycles. I have a ZooMed thermostat with the probe on the cool side. Finally a UTH on the warm side that isn't attached to the thermostat. My tank is a 55gal long (48"x13"x21") and i have 3 walls insulated.

A 55 gallon is an awfully big tank for a ball python especially if you are going to get a young one (always nice to raise them up). You might want to consider going with a smaller enclosure for now. Better for your young ball python and far, far easier to maintain consistent temps and humidity in. Ball pythons are nocturnal, shy snakes that often stress if they have large open tanks to deal with, most especially when they are young.

We have a wonderful caresheet here for your review.

I have had a couple friends that got juveniles, one with great sucess and the other one wouldn't feed and eventually passed away. So thats got me a bit leary about getting one so young.

I would bet those friends got their snakes from pet stores. Sadly a lot of pet stores know next to nothing about proper snake care, let alone a species like ball pythons that require certain temps/humidity and hides to do well. They are also most often captive hatched or wild caught imports, often have health issues, mites, etc., usually are not hydrated or fed correctly....basically a disaster in the making for a person whose never had a snake before and a struggle sometimes even for those of us that already have snakes.

So I am interested in the opinions of everyone on this forum on this matter. Also I am from Medina, OH and would like to know if anyone knows a breeder that they could refer me to, all I have is pet stores around me and I would be more comfortable getting my first ball from someone who really knows what they are doing. Thanks in advance for all the help!

I would always recommend the breeders that frequent this forum. They are all great folks, contribute their time here to help us care for our snakes and most of them have a long record here of posts you can read to get a "feel" for them. I would advise you to pass on pet stores. I am in Toledo, OH and if that's anything to judge by what you have in Medina....it truly sucks.

I was in a chain pet store here this past summer, found a hatchling there that was so close to death, so thin, so awful that I could not believe that poor thing still lived. My husband and I spoke firmly with the manager but in the end I doubt much was done and that poor baby likely tossed in a freezer as "too much trouble". This was a snake out on display for sale! I walked out in tears knowing there wasn't anything I could do, I couldn't risk my own collection and I couldn't give money to a store like that. It's heartbreaking the disgusting level of care most pet stores here give (other than one PetCo which isn't at all bad though they are honest in that their ball pythons are all captive hatched out of Africa babies).