Newcomer looking to jump into the scene.

[starmom]

...As far as where to get them, I know everyone in general will say to avoid Petco, but that's where I got mine. ....

Everyone says to avoid Petco for very good reasons. Inknsteel, your snake has mites...where do you think they came from?? I'd bet Petco since it's a new snake....

[CircleOfSnakes]

Also, just to clarify, I'm only looking for a normal BP at the moment. Nothing too fancy and expensive.

[starmom]

Also, just to clarify, I'm only looking for a normal BP at the moment. Nothing too fancy and expensive.

Don't dis the normals!!!! I have two normal females and they are beautiful! I have seen stunning normals on this forum that I could have sworn were some type of morph! Normals are gorgeous snakes and they can be quite fancy!!!

Many of the breeders are not going to list their normals on their pages Please don't get discouraged by seeing all of the morphs and thinking that they have no normals. Pick a breeder you get a good feeling from (Justin is terrific) and give them a call. Also, don't fear shipping!! That said, if you can visit a breeders facility it would be a fabulous adventure and experience!!

[soy.lor.n]

Don't dis the normals!!!! I have two normal females and they are beautiful! I have seen stunning normals on this forum that I could have sworn were some type of morph! Normals are gorgeous snakes and they can be quite fancy!!!

Many of the breeders are not going to list their normals on their pages Please don't get discouraged by seeing all of the morphs and thinking that they have no normals. Pick a breeder you get a good feeling from (Justin is terrific) and give them a call. Also, don't fear shipping!!

Yeah good point that I forgot to mention. I bought my little girl from Albey, and although he doesn't have normals listed on his website, he definitely has some to sell! As he said when I first called him, breeders always have normals in the clutches that they're trying to "get rid of"
Also, I know there are a bunch of members here from Nashville, so I imagine there must be some breeders (in fact, IIRC, there are 2 members from Nashville with parthenogenesis issues right now...LOL)

That said, if you can visit a breeders facility it would be a fabulous adventure and experience!!

No kidding...it was awesome to go visit the snake room and see all the cool different morphs, and get to hold the ones that I thought I might want. THAT said, looking at all the sweet morphs is an easy way to get addicted, hehe...

[CircleOfSnakes]

Don't dis the normals!!!! I have two normal females and they are beautiful! I have seen stunning normals on this forum that I could have sworn were some type of morph! Normals are gorgeous snakes and they can be quite fancy!!!

Many of the breeders are not going to list their normals on their pages Please don't get discouraged by seeing all of the morphs and thinking that they have no normals. Pick a breeder you get a good feeling from (Justin is terrific) and give them a call. Also, don't fear shipping!! That said, if you can visit a breeders facility it would be a fabulous adventure and experience!!

Oh, I know what ya mean. Normals are just as pretty as some of the others I've seen, so I'm perfectly cool with having one of them. I'd actually pick one of them over some of the more expensive morphs I've seen. And yeah, I was wondering about the breeder sites I've seen so far, since most of them just have morphs available. I may try emailing or calling around and seeing what's available. I'd also assume that the normals won't be as expensive as the others listed on the sites. Unless the facility is very close to my hometown, visiting won't be a possibility at the moment, as much as I'd like to .

Also, another question (surprise, surprise): Is there much difference between a male and female? I have a female Iguana, and of course she becomes gravid once a year, which is a pain to deal with and frightening at times. Do female balls also become gravid? Also, are there any personality or size differences between the two? And I'm assuming one of the perks of getting it through a breeder is knowing the sex before I buy it, since I would think most stores don't sex their selection, confirm/deny?

[starmom]

Females are larger than males when full grown.
Males come to sexual maturity sooner than females.
An '08 female will not become gravid (pregnant) unless a male is introduced and Barry White is playing in the background!!!
I have not seen any reliable personality differences between my males and my females.
I love your questions....it means you are planning things out and are taking responsibility. Kudos!!

[soy.lor.n]

Oh, I know what ya mean. Normals are just as pretty as some of the others I've seen, so I'm perfectly cool with having one of them. I'd actually pick one of them over some of the more expensive morphs I've seen. And yeah, I was wondering about the breeder sites I've seen so far, since most of them just have morphs available. I may try emailing or calling around and seeing what's available. I'd also assume that the normals won't be as expensive as the others listed on the sites. Unless the facility is very close to my hometown, visiting won't be a possibility at the moment, as much as I'd like to .

Also, another question (surprise, surprise): Is there much difference between a male and female? I have a female Iguana, and of course she becomes gravid once a year, which is a pain to deal with and frightening at times. Do female balls also become gravid? Also, are there any personality or size differences between the two? And I'm assuming one of the perks of getting it through a breeder is knowing the sex before I buy it, since I would think most stores don't sex their selection, confirm/deny?

The females generally get bigger than the males, and *generally* don't become gravid unless they're bred to a male (like I said though, there seems to be something in the air in TN) I also paid more for my girlie, but I figured it was worth it because I already had the bug and thought that in a few years I might be thinking about breeding her. I don't know of any personality differences really, but it wouldn't surprise me. I guess males are more likely to go off feed. The breeders definitely will know the sex, and although pet stores will often tell you what gender the snake is, it also seems that they won't care to be honest about it. You technically could learn to "pop" the snake to determine the gender, although you can hurt the snake, so I (as a noob) would be afraid to do it.

[CircleOfSnakes]

Females are larger than males when full grown.
Males come to sexual maturity sooner than females.
An '08 female will not become gravid (pregnant) unless a male is introduced and Barry White is playing in the background!!!
I have not seen any reliable personality differences between my males and my females.
I love your questions....it means you are planning things out and are taking responsibility. Kudos!!

Ok, cool deal. I really don't care if I have a male or female, I'm comfortable with both, the only thing that would change my mind about that was the chance of the female becoming gravid yearly. So that puts me at ease a bit. And yeah, after all the looking around I realized that this is definitely something I have to know a little bit about before jumping in to it, so I'm trying to get everything as straight and understood as I can, lol.

The females generally get bigger than the males, and *generally* don't become gravid unless they're bred to a male (like I said though, there seems to be something in the air in TN) I also paid more for my girlie, but I figured it was worth it because I already had the bug and thought that in a few years I might be thinking about breeding her. I don't know of any personality differences really, but it wouldn't surprise me. I guess males are more likely to go off feed. The breeders definitely will know the sex, and although pet stores will often tell you what gender the snake is, it also seems that they won't care to be honest about it. You technically could learn to "pop" the snake to determine the gender, although you can hurt the snake, so I (as a noob) would be afraid to do it.

Yeah, the breeding idea has passed through my mind as a possibility far into the future. That's jumping the gun for now, though, lol. Besides, if I was to ever make that move I'd definitely do it at a later time and try to get parents that have a possibility of popping out some profitable babies. I won't be learning to pop them myself. Way too risky and I might not even be able to make anything of it once I do it. Luckily the name I already have picked out is pretty neutral .

[soy.lor.n]

Yeah, the breeding idea has passed through my mind as a possibility far into the future. That's jumping the gun for now, though, lol. Besides, if I was to ever make that move I'd definitely do it at a later time and try to get parents that have a possibility of popping out some profitable babies. I won't be learning to pop them myself. Way too risky and I might not even be able to make anything of it once I do it. Luckily the name I already have picked out is pretty neutral .

I have to agree with you on the popping thing- it makes me nervous!
Yeah I also won't be breeding til way down the line (at least until my husband gets his PhD and then a job and we make the move...I don't want to be transporting dozens of snakes to a different state!)
But remember, you need 2 snakes to breed, and there are plenty of AWESOME dominant/co-dominant traits out there! When I do get a male, I'm planning on getting a pewter, which is double co-dominant, so I could potentially hatch out all kinds of morphs! (namely pastels, cinnamons, and more pewters)

[CircleOfSnakes]

I have to agree with you on the popping thing- it makes me nervous!
Yeah I also won't be breeding til way down the line (at least until my husband gets his PhD and then a job and we make the move...I don't want to be transporting dozens of snakes to a different state!)
But remember, you need 2 snakes to breed, and there are plenty of AWESOME dominant/co-dominant traits out there! When I do get a male, I'm planning on getting a pewter, which is double co-dominant, so I could potentially hatch out all kinds of morphs! (namely pastels, cinnamons, and more pewters)

It's an exciting prospect. I'm still pretty new to how it works, and I've only looked into it a little bit, but the possibilities seem pretty endless. I was looking in the pictures section and saw a silver ball, the only one out of a batch of hatchlings, and my jaw dropped. Not only was it beautiful (I doubt I'd sell it if I ended up with one like that), but just amazing the way the breeding and snakes in general work.