Ball Python Pricing

[MEXICOYA415]

I recently went to go buy some crickets for my spiders and scorps at my local pet shop, and saw that they were selling a baby Ball Python for $50.00.
They are a pretty good shop and take care of their animals well , so I'm just wondering if that is a fair price. THX

-Jorge

 

[Mushroom Spore]

If you feel you can trust their word that it's captive-bred and is eating and will accept pre-killed or f/t prey, then $50 is an excellent price. I paid 45 or 50 for mine from a private breeder.

 

[MEXICOYA415]

If you feel you can trust their word that it's captive-bred and is eating and will accept pre-killed or f/t prey, then $50 is an excellent price. I paid 45 or 50 for mine from a private breeder.[/QUOTE

I'm pretty sure it's captive bred as they have the birth (hatch) date on the tank along with shed dates. I probably won't be able to pick it up till next week though so hopefully they still have it. I also had some questions as to what kind of substrate you guys would recommend.

Iv'e read different things such as rubber mats and wood shavings but I'm not to sure what would be best.

 

[Nivek]

I use newspaper, lol. It's free (usually) and works just fine.

 

[Jmugleston]

We have used Newspaper or aspen for ours. Either works well.
Joey

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Iv'e read different things such as rubber mats and wood shavings but I'm not to sure what would be best.

Don't use a mat, and I wouldn't use newspaper either. The simple fact is that these are burrowing snakes, and they LOVE to burrow. I used to keep mine on reptile carpet, but it was a pain in the butt to keep clean and he couldn't dig in it. Now I have him on a layer of aspen 4-6 inches thick and I half-bury his hides for him, and he digs all sorts of tunnels and stuff.

And cleaning up poop is as easy as buying a kitty-litter scoop.

 

[tikichick]

Prices between $35 and $50 are pretty much the norm for a normal bp.

I keep mine on Aspen and put a section of the newspaper on top when I feed him so he doesn't ingest any of the substrate. You can also use cypress mulch. Absolutely do not use cedar or pine (toxic), and I would avoid "reptile bark."

Be sure you provide a shallow dish of water for soaking and drinking (they like to poop in there, so check it daily to see if it needs cleaning), and a hide of some kind. The hide box should be a little bigger than the bp when it's balled up. They like to feel cozy and gravitate to tight spaces.

I highly recommend reading Kaplan's info on bp's: http://www.anapsid.org/ball.html

I got my first bp this August and they make a wonderful pet! Good choice

 

[REAL]

I'd say $50 is a pretty decent price!

Its funny cause in Vietnam they're sold for 50 cents to a dollar each. They were so cheap I went out and bought two with my pocket change lmao.

One thing that was sad was that they also sold feeder animals and they were ducklings that were born with bad brain damage.

I felt so horrible for the little guys cause they were standing around like clones just slowly dying. It just makes me realize how many horrible things are happening without us realizing it. Thats why I never went back to that certain area, I just wanted to save them all but I felt so powerless.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I keep mine on Aspen and put a section of the newspaper on top when I feed him so he doesn't ingest any of the substrate.

Oddly, I never thought of this. I've always just taken him out and put him in a shoebox with the dead rodent. You can put the shoebox back in the tank and lock everything up, then come back in 30-45 minutes and the snake should be ready to be taken out of the box.

Be sure you provide a shallow dish of water for soaking...and a hide of some kind. The hide box should be a little bigger than the bp when it's balled up.

Just nitpicking now: the bowl shouldn't be shallow, or the snake will spill everything out when it gets in there. I bought a giant plastic dog waterbowl for my two-year-old male, it just barely fits in his twenty-gallon tank. I fill it a couple inches deep, and it's got 4-5 inches of room for water being displaced by a soaking snake. (It never gets even remotely close to spilling.)

And there should be *two* hides, one on the warmer end, and one on the cooler end. You don't want to make them choose between the temperature they want and being able to hide. Otherwise, good advice, particularly on the "hides should be snug" part.

 

[rollinkansas]

and I wouldn't use newspaper either.

newspaper is fine. Its easy to clean up, and can always be replaced for free. Not to mention all the big breeders use them in their racks.

 

[tikichick]

Just nitpicking now: the bowl shouldn't be shallow, or the snake will spill everything out when it gets in there. I bought a giant plastic dog waterbowl for my two-year-old male, it just barely fits in his twenty-gallon tank. I fill it a couple inches deep, and it's got 4-5 inches of room for water being displaced by a soaking snake. (It never gets even remotely close to spilling.)

And there should be *two* hides, one on the warmer end, and one on the cooler end. You don't want to make them choose between the temperature they want and being able to hide. Otherwise, good advice, particularly on the "hides should be snug" part.

You are so right about needing two hides! Sorry, I totally spaced that.

I didn't mean that shallow, lol. Just not something so deep that they can't get out of, but something appropriately sized for soaking.

 

[Flagg]

For a pet store, the price is ok. But you can get them much cheaper , and probably healthier and with more genetic and feeding info at a reptile show. Normals go for around $20-30 for CBB males and $40 for CBB females. Even adults. You can get a nice pastel male for under $100 these days.

I paid $29 for a cbb female hatchling back in march, and last month got a cbb pastel male for $100. 6 months ago pastels were $200-300.

Captive hatched go for around $10, which is probably what most pet stores are selling.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

newspaper is fine. Its easy to clean up, and can always be replaced for free. Not to mention all the big breeders use them in their racks.

It WORKS, but like I said, I wouldn't use it. I like to let burrowing animals burrow.

 

[Lorgakor]

Man I've never seen one cheaper than $100 in pet stores here.

 

[MEXICOYA415]

I just put it on rserve so I should be picking him up next week. My girlfriend isn't too thrilled about the whole idea thinking that the little guy/girl is gonna get out and strangle our 11 month old daughter. I'm just gonna bite the bullet and let her be mad at me for a while. I have a bunch of extra tanks at the moment and have been debating on the tank size. I have a 20 g and a ten which I was thinking about using.

What do you guys think would be more appropriate for a foot and a half BP?

 

[Mushroom Spore]

If it's already a foot and a half, you can probably go ahead and use the 20. It might seem a little on the large side, but yours should be old enough that being in a large enclosure won't scare it off eating (though of course being moved to a new house and new tank might make it miss a couple meals). You won't have to buy two UTHs that way.

JUST MAKE SURE IT LOCKS. I bought one of those Four Paws screen covers with the really sturdy metal frame, and a little package of those inexpensive L-shaped metal locks that snap over each end of the tank's lid/frame. There's definitely no way to escape from that setup unless something damages the screen or you put the locks on wrong. I can't even open it from the outside without a pen to use as a "key."

Your girlfriend is a spaz. A giant wiggling stinky human infant would scare the crap out of a little sissy ball python. They eat mice, and when something scares/attacks them they curl up into a ball and cry until it goes away. Not exactly killers.

 

[mindlessvw]

Remember there is a difference between captive bred and captive hatched.

 

[MEXICOYA415]

Remember there is a difference between captive bred and captive hatched.

Yeah I didn't think about that but they usually get their animals from breeders so I'm assuming this one is too.

 

[tikichick]

The 20 gallon, for sure