I'm looking to get a BP after I set up the habitat and all, but I've been looking around a bit. I want a HATCHLING. I live in Dayton, OH (about an hour north of Cincinnati and an hour south of Columbus).

I've been to two pet stores near my house.

Jack's Aquarium and Pets: Had hatchling Ball Pythons, but keep them in a very small tank together. I counted 5-6 in nothing bigger than a 10 gallon tank. I've heard from other people that Jack's doesn't take care of their animals very well, so I'm extremely apprehensive. They are charging around $50/$60.

PetSmart: They had a small tank labeled for a Ball Python hatchling, but I didn't see it inside. I think they are out. The problem is that the label said Captive HATCHED, not captive BRED. They are charging $70/$80.

My friend got his BP from an online breeder.

http://www.rcreptiles.com/: He's an actual breeder, and the closest to Ohio that I've found. He's out of BP hatchlings (waiting on a female to lay eggs). I believe my friend said RC charges around $80 + shipping for the hatchlings.

QUESTIONS/CONCERNS:

- Which is better: Pet store or Breeder?
- Which is better: Captive Hatched or Captive Bred?

I'm worried about stressing the snake out through shipping, but worried that the snake is stressed out like crazy through pet store procedures anyways.

I've read captive bred are better than captive hatched.


Does anyone recommend any breeder or know of any close to or in Ohio?

Thank you!