Hi. I am just introducing myself. I recently got interested in reptiles and have been doing lots of research to find out what I like and I found the BP. I am still kinda Newbish and am still figuring what to get for supplies and needs. I already checked PetCo and they have four Ball Pythons the cost for one is $80. I haven't found the age of them ,but I plan to inquire on age and if they are born wild or captive born. Also would it be smart to get a male and female python so I could breed them or no. I would be happy with just one ,but I am interested in breeding. Also please tell me what I am missing in my list of suplies. Tank Heating pads Bowl o water Rough Surface for Sheding newspaper hiding spot mice
I would stick with one for the moment. Maybe later you could introduce a "friend". $80 is a little expensive, but I guess thats what happens at big retail stores. I paid $40 for mine. Welcome! I am new as well.
I knew it was expensive. Well does anyone know where else I could get Ball Python in Tracy California. I already have a name for Him/her. I have a problem with parents accepting me to get a reptile ,but I think I can get them to budge Also what is good humidity,and temp. Also I am on a little budget for temp gauges and humidity gauges. Same goes for heaters
Wooo hold on there guys. If you're paying anything less than $80 chances are you're buying a wild caught ball. If you want a true captive bred(which you most certainly do!!) you're going to need to most likely buy from a reputable breeder online. Even if the pet shop tells you they're captive bred be leary unless you ask them for proof and they provide papers and the contact info for the breeder. I got taken once by a pet shop and it won't happen again. Here are some good quality online breeders: www.bobclark.com www.newenglandreptile.com www.vpi.com Don't be scared about the prices you see like $10,000. You'll want to contact them directly to find out if they've got any normal ball pythons for sell. They won't be anywhere near that expensive. Probably about $50.00 and you'll have to spend maybe $30.00 on shipping. Good luck!!
Hmm thanks I contacted Bob from bob clark and asked for the price of a regular ball python. Man those really nice looking ones are so expensive
The Petco by my house strictly sells the BP's they get from a breeder. I was in there once and met the guy. But I didn't pay $80 for one, I got ahold of a local breeder and paid $25.00 (It's actually a reptiles only store with everything you can imagine). They were selling both wild caught and captive bred. I of course went for captive bred. I think it depends on where you get it, but meeting the breeder is always good.
Just be really careful about that because these people know you're looking for captive bred but captive bred are about 10 times the price as a wild caught. Wild caught come in lots of a bunch of snakes to a box for a cheap price. The snakes are treated horribly but any store that sells them is going to make a lot more money off of each sale. It is common someone will tell you a snake is captive bred when it's really captive hatched, which is not the same thing. Here's how they're classified. CB = Captive Bred Captive bred is when the snakes are mated in captivity and the eggs are raised and hatched in captivity. Nothing wild is involved. CH = Captive Hatched Captive hatched is when they take a mother or her eggs from the wild and hatch them in captivity. There's still the same problems with parasites not to mention taking snakes from their homes. This is what a lot of people will interchange with captive bred. Again they are not the same thing. WC = Wild Caught Wild caught is when they just take the snakes directly from the wild and ship them over here. The ones that survive are sold to distributors for cheap, cheap prices. While I don't know enough to give you specific prices I'm positive that each snake is sold for less than $10.00 a piece. Again, that's if it survives the abuse before it gets here. Good luck with your new snake!! BP's are just awesome! Yeah, I think some of those high dollar snakes are awesome looking! Did you check out any of the piebalds? The ones with pure white patches? Those are my favorite morph but I don't have $8000 to spend on a snake!
Yeah I'm not too keen on the axanthic's but I do like the lucy's. The platty's are really nice looking too.
Do I just change the size of the water bowl to change humidity? Also the thermometer I found (http://www.petco.com/product_info.asp?sku=...mp;dept_id=%2D2)would I need one for each side (basking side and normal side.)
The best way to keep humidity high would be to use a subtrate that holds alot of moisture. In your case newspaper. Daily spraying with a water bottle will also help with humidity for longer periods of time because your gonna use newspaper. Good luck if you get one, pythons are always a favorite of mine
thanks everyone for the help. What water should I use. is Tap okay? I actually found this snake kit in PetCo. It has a hide log,water bowl,reptile safe substrate,water sanitizer,hand clenanser. Also would I be needing 2 thermometers for each side?
Here is a link for the thermometer that I have. I got it at Walmart for about $15. http://www.homeenv.com/Hum_Gge_Acc.htm
Hmm I will have to look at that. It looks real good with the probe and you can temps from both sides. can you get humidity for both sides or is the humidity the same no matter the temp of each side ?
Yeah don't buy anything flukers. They're a horrible company. Here's a couple of links if you want to read up on them. http://www.reptilerooms.com/modules.php?op...icle&sid=64 http://www.reptilerooms.com/modules.php?op...d=45&page=1
oh thanks. Also i ran into a major roadblock.... parents. my dad hates snakes, and my mom just doesn't want one. I explaned how docile and how much I know how to take care of it. I showed them how much I really want to get one ,but to no avail. I told them everything that they thought snakes do that was dangerous ,but was with other more dangerous snakes. still no luck. now when I say snake(or anything like it) around them I lose one week of alowance.
Just a question? can you edit your post? I couldn't find out how? Anyways here is what I planned to edit in. What temp/humidity guages are you using? How do you control the heat/humidity. Also with the parent prob i showed my 'rents the snakes at petco and I had a expert talk about them to him. Also I am so suprised that they feed the snakes LIVE rats. I also noted a low humidity in the cage. It was only 40% and it was taking effect becuase one of the snakes had some leftover skin from a shedding on the head. My dad seems a little more interested ,but still the answer in a adamant no. I also found a shop in my city that carries alot of fish,reptiles,and birds. He has some bearded drags,red tail boas ,but one only one baby ball python (real small and cute) I don't know if it is male or female though, or if it is CB ,but I am inquiring on those.
Any snake in a pet store is more than likely a captive hatched animal. They are usually malnourished, parasite-infested and generally unhealthy animals. Ordering a healthy baby from a reliable breeder will ensure that you will get a quality animal that is sexed, healthy and feeding. Temperatures should be 92-94 on the warm side and 82-84 on the cool side. There should be NO fluctuations and the temps should remain constant 24/7/365. Temps should be monitored with a reliable digital thermometer and controlled with a RELIABLE thermostat, not one of those junky ALife ones, or ESU Reptile ones. They will break and kill your animal. Johnson's Controls, Herpstats, Rancos, or Helix units are the best way to ensure your animals environment is spot on. You can find heating options as well as thermostats and care products as www.mgreptiles.com . Matt is a wonderful person to deal with and I wouldn't hesitate to order anything from him. Awesome. You can get almost EVERYTHING from WalMart. The digital combo temp/hygro unit is $15 and is located in the outdoor thermometer/airconditioning section behind the household paint section. You can get ASPEN bedding in the fish department where the small animal bedding is for $3 a good-sized bag. It works wonderfully for ball pythons, as well as many other snakes. No pine or cedar as it leads to neurological disorders and respiratory distress. You can find CLAY POT SAUCERS in the gardening section. These saucers are what the clay pot sits in and catches water. You will need two or more of these. They are under $0.30 for one. Knock a small hole in the side with a hammer, and flip it upside down. Place one on the cool side and one on the warm side. The 4" in diameter saucers work great for babies. I have to use the plastic ones for my girl because she got to big for the clay ones. If you want to decorate the enclosure, you can find plastic or silk plants in the craft section by the fabric. You can also look in craft stores for the clay saucers as well as the fake plants. The leaves will help provide some cover and make the snake feel more secure. WalMart will also have small, shallow dog bowls that you can use for a water dish. Check dollar stores for supplies as well. Those are all of the supplies for the cage you will need. If you are planning on using a screen-topped aquarium style enclosure, keeping the humidity high enough will be an issue. You can cover part of the top with glad press n' seal, saranwrap, or cut up a black garbage bag and tape it to the lid. You can leave a circle for the lamp as well as small triangles at each of the 4 corners. This will help ventilate, but also keep the humidity in. Humidity can be in the ranges of 45%-60%. It doesn't need to go over 65-70%, and don't spray the substrate down with a spray bottle, as this will lead to scale rot as well as the bedding will mold. A humid hide can be made out of a Gladware container or any other small, lidded, plastic container. Cut a hole in the side of it, put moist paper towels in, and place on the warm side. This will help give the snake that added humidity it might not get out in the regular enclosure environment. And here's my little rant. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with feeding live animals. It is when you feed them irresponsibly, is when bad things happen. For instance, someone mentioned that they hold the live rat by the tail when feeding. That is completely dangerous for the snake. Snakes use the cover of surprise to get their prey, and when the rat is already startled and in pain, it is wanting to bite anything it can get ahold of so it can get away from the pain. A proper way of feeding live is to wait until evening-time when the snake is awake and ready to eat. Drop the prey item at the opposite end of the enclosure and BACK OFF. Let the snake do what it has done for millions of years. Reptiles have lived LONG before us and will continue to thrive regardless of the "hazards" in their lives. They will more than likely pass us up in species longevity... The largest prey item a ball python will ever need is a small-smallish medium rat. Feeding large rats not only ensures they will go off feed, but if you are feeding live, that is definately an unwanted risk. Large rats KNOW they are going to get eaten as soon as they see that snake. Small rats don't have a clue as they are young and naive. Younger rats aren't nearly the danger as large/colossal rats are. If you are going to feed live, do it SAFELY and RESPONSIBLY. All of the pictures you have seen on the internet of snakes mangled by rats/mice are because of irresponsible owners who shouldn't have owned snakes in the first place. Rats and mice do get hungry, and when left in the tank for 3-5 days without food and water, what else are they going to eat? You guessed it... Snake... Feeding smaller prey items once a week will ensure that the snake doesn't get more than it can handle, as well as ensure that it won't go off feed. Just remember, $100,000+ ball pythons get fed live every week, and guess what... They are absolutely fine. YOU feed what is more convenient for you and what the snake will eat. If the snake will only eat live, then feed live. But if your snake will eat p/k or f/t, and it is cheaper and easier to get for you, then by all means, feed that. But there is no basis in the statements I am reading at this site. The ignorance astounds me. Live can be just as safe, if not safer, than f/t prey IF it is DONE RIGHT. If people would educate instead of slamming down the statement of "No! you can't feed live prey, it is much too dangerous!", then maybe we would have more responsible keepers... I am a moderator over at a reputable Ball Python site, and have conversed with many top breeders such as Kara @ NERD, Randy Remington, and Adam Wysocki of *Ball Pythons. I have learned more invaluable information from these guys than I would ever learn from just a reptile site, and believe me, I DO know my ball pythons... I have a 1-year old who is 940g, and is a fat, happy, little heifer. It would just benefit this site so much more if they would learn and teach others instead of being so closed-minded. I enjoy helping at this site as much as I can, but it gets frustrating to see so much ignorance over this sort of thing.
