ball pythons

[TheWidowsPeak]

I was wondering how many of you have ball pythons. and how many of you breed them, I was thinking about doing this since I can get such a great deal on ball pythons right now ( $15) I was gonna buy two and hope for the best. so if you think this is a worthwhile endevor then let me know thanks

 

[skinheaddave]

Don't buy the $15 ones, as they will be wild caught. Get some captive bred ones and you will save yourslef a world of trouble. Then, get yourself two and breed them. We have three right now and Tamara intends to breed them once they mature (well, one is mature, but the other two aren't yet)

Cheers,
Dave

 

[TheWidowsPeak]

nope these are hatchlings fresh from the CB eggs. and there in great condition. I have seen four so far, we might order 25 or so while there still on sale. and I'll pick mine from those.

 

[Bry]

Well, unless you're 100% sure that these snakes are captive bred, I tend to agree with Dave here. Don't go with the $15 ball pythons unless you're 100% sure. And yes, I own a ball python, I'm not breeding it now for two reasons: A) it's too young, and B) you can't do any breeding with just one snake.

Bry

 

[skinheaddave]

Originally posted by Bry
B) you can't do any breeding with just one snake.

Maybe you're just not trying hard enough.

As for the captive bred thing, don't forget that sometimes CB ends up meaning captive born, not bred. Also, it sometimes means "wild caught, but we don't sell many that way." If you are 100% sure, then I'd get four or five, though they shouldn't be bred to each other (inbreeding)

Cheers,
Dave

 

[TheWidowsPeak]

I'm about 99.9% sure these are at least captive born if not bred. because they're all just barely over 12" and in great condition. I wouldn't even have wanted one except for seeing the good condition these were in. look great and have some beautiful patterns. and im pretty sure if I'm only gonna get one and see what sex it is then buy another sometime down the line

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Hi Jon,

I have two Python regius and plan on breeding. I'll probably pick up on about four more, set them up in a huge cage and let them go at it! lol! These are awesome snakes, and I would love to see more captive breds in the snake trade. Of course, we do need a little of that wild blood to keep bloodlines from mixing eventually! I'm not sure how many breeders are out there (probably a lot), but I expect that few buyers keep track of where the parents were from. This is probably because they don't buy with the intent to breed, but later down the road decide they want to. By that time the information they need on bloodline may no longer be easily accessible.

At any rate, these are one of my favorite species of snakes!

$15 is a great price!



Cheers,

Paul

 

[Bry]

Personally, I think captive born isn't as bad as wild-caught. The juvies aren't taken out of the wild, their parents are. Then the parents are bred in captivity (or the female is caught already gravid), and the babies are shipped over here. Captive born are a bit easier to acclimate than wild caught, because they've never been exposed to what life in the wild, their natural prey, etc. It's kind of a sticky issue, go with captive bred if you can.

Bry

 

[conipto]

I thought that captive born meant it came in uh... gravid? and popped out eggs in captivity, rather than mating the parents in captivity.

Bill

 

[Bry]

Conipto, I've heard it goes both ways, either the mother is brought in already gravid, or the parents are bred, then the babies are shipped over here. Another term I've heard for that is 'farm raised'.

Bry