Where is the best place to buy a snake from?

Hello, my few faithful followers! Alright so, I know that there are many places to buy snakes from, but where are the best places? Well, your first option should always be a reptile show. No matter what state you are in, there is bound to be a reptile expo nearby sooner or later. Why here? Well, for one, most people who are selling at these expos are excellent breeders and handlers, and won't screw you over. Also, they are some of the most knowledgeable people that you can find. Plus, you can find the snake you want for a much cheaper price if you buy straight from the dealer. For example, a healthy pastel ball usually costs around $150, but at an expo, you can get it for half price. At these expos you can also get everything you need to keep a snake, such as bedding, the tank, even mice to feed or breed for it. If you cannot get to an expo, your next bet is to go to the local pet store. Never go to Petsmart. I know it's convenient, but the snakes are never taken care of the way they should be. My friend bought two snakes from there. Both snakes died within three weeks from an Upper Respitory Infection. If you have to go to a petstore, ask questions to the owner to see if they actually know how to take care of one. If they don't have a clue, then don't buy. Your next bet would be online, but this is definitely a desperate last option. Never go to craiglist.com or anywhere like that, because you never know what you get. Instead, go to BHBEnterprises.com or kingsnake.com as these are the top places to buy from. If you choose to buy this way, be aware that you will be paying nearly twice as much as you should, because snakes have to be shipped overnight, and there is a lot of paperwork involved.
So, in general, always buy at an expo. If you can't get to one just yet, sometimes it's best to wait until you can.

The Haunted Ball

Now, before I get to the meat of this post, I need to point out something. If you get a snake, it will shed. And when it gets ready, it's usual beautiful colouring will start to fade out. If your snake is healthy, its shed skin will come off in one piece, but if it doesn't you will need to help it out. Pour some water on the stuck skin and gently rub it off. This is vital, because you DO NOT want dead skin stuck on for long. Why am I saying this? Well because the snake I will be talking about today always looks like he/she is going to shed.
The ghost ball python is a slightly weird snake. Because of a recessive mutation, the snake's black pigmentation is reduced, giving it the look like it is in perpetual shed. It is a basic morph, which means it is found in the wild, but it was first captively bred in 1994. Ghosts are varying shades of yellow, brown, grey and green. Their sheds are always clear much like albinos, with faded dark colors with a faded head. This makes it a bit more difficult to tell when they are actually are going to shed, so you have to watch carefully.

Zebra Ball

Sorry it's so late guys, I was hanging with the gf in the swimming pool. Anyways, tonight I am turning the spotlight onto the Cinnamon Spotnose ball python. As you can tell by the title, it is commonly called a Zebra Ball, and rightfully so. This pattern is amazing. What makes it cool to me is that the head looks a bit washed out, but from then on its like BAM! right in your face. This is a designer morph, meaning someone bred two different pythons together to make this beauty.

Contest!!

Alright, so I know at least some people have seen the paypal button on the side there. Well there is a good legitimate reason for it. The ball python that I am going for is a Pastel ball, which cost around $150. I have that much, but I also have to buy the tank, the hemostat, the hide box, the mice to breed and feed it, the heating pad, the basking rock, and much more. So, I have proposed this. I will make a contest for this. At the end of next month, there will be a winner, and said person will win something. My thoughts were maybe a Steam game, and the top price that the prize will be is going to be $35 dollars. Or they can choose something else of their liking, but it has to be >$35.

The rules are simple: To be eligible, you have to donate $1 to my paypal OR you can refer 3 people to my blog. If you choose paypal, just tell me your username on blogger when you checkout on paypal. If you decide to refer the users, then you need to tell them to leave a comment on this post, saying who it was who referred them to it. You can do either of these, or you can do both. For every dollar you put into my account, or for every three people you refer to my page, you increase your chances of winning.

For example, say I donate $2 and refer 9 people. My name will be in the drawing 5 times, instead of 1 time for someone who only donated $1. Simple enough. No matter how much or how little attention this receives, someone WILL win the $35 prize. Fair?

And so you will never know who is ahead, as soon as someone comments that someone referred them to my blog I will write down said person's name and delete the comment, that way no one can tell who has the better chance.

Badass Bumblebee

Sorry I took so long to make this one today, but I have been at church all day. My topic today will be about the Bumblebee ball python, and it's 'super-morphs'. They were first created by breeding a Spider Ball to a Pastel Ball. What makes these balls truly astounding is the fact that they are a man-made double homozygous, meaning they carry not one, but two different traits at the same time. Known for their gorgeous colouring, if you want one of these beauties, be prepared to pay a small fortune for it. But once you buy one female bumblebee, that is all you need. If you buy a much cheaper male normal ball python and mate him with her, you will end up with a 25% chance of hatching a bumblebee. And since most snakes lay 4-6 eggs each time, your chances look pretty good. Not only that but if your bumblebee lays 4 eggs, you should end with 1 of each of these: a bumblebee, a spider, a pastel, and a normal. I don't know about you, but I like those odds.

Axanthic - Classic Black and White

So today I feel like talking about the Axanthic morph of the ball python. Now, why did I say black & white in the title? Axanthic means the opposite albinism. So in other words, an axanthic python is missing it's red and/or yellow pigments, and usually has just black, white, and brown pigments. This morph is only a morph of colour, so it's pattern follows the same pattern as the normal ball python. Though most axanthics "brown-out" later on in life, the best lineages can maintain their colours for a good while.

Feeding Time!!

Well today, I want to show you how a ball python eats.  This has got to be the coolest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.  Depending on how old your python is, it will eat either mice or small rats.

Beautiful Piebalds

I had received a comment either today or yesterday saying that the snake in my background picture had a beautiful colouring.  Well, this particular morph of a ball python is called a piebald.  First bred in 1966, this snake is known for it's splashes of white scales amidst the regular coloured scales.  Quite rare in the beginning, they are now still very sought after, but the price has dropped drastically, from thousands of dollars down to just a few hundred.  The amount of white that they have usually ranges from 15 to 85%, and the pattern is hardly ever close to each other.  Any more questions?  I'll be glad to answer them.  Also, from now on, each day that I can, I will talk about a different morph, and provide you with a picture as well.

Why Should I Get A Ball Python, and Which Morph Is Best

Most people just starting to get into snakes have a lot of trouble figuring out which kind of snake to get.  Well, your best bet is to get a snake from the constrictor family.  Now which snakes are these?  Well, snakes like the boa, the pythons, and corn snakes are constrictors.  They are called so because instead of injecting their prey with venom, they strike their prey and then curl around them, slowly constricting them, suffocating them.  Since these snake are not poisonous, and are generally more laid-back snakes, they are usually the best bet for a novice owner.  Out of all these snakes, the ball python is by far the best beginner snake.  Called the ball python because when startled it rolls itself into a ball surrounding its head, it is a very docile snake, and is pretty lazy. 

Now the next part is the most confusing for new snake owners.  The ball python has a tremendous amount of morphs, which are just different colourations and patterns.  Some of these morphs are very rare, such as the Mystic Potion ball python, shown in the below link.  These snakes can easy go for thousands of dollars.  In my opinion, your first ball python should be a normal ball.  They are the cheapest ones out there.  Now I don't mean for you to go out and find the cheapest one out there, because you really need to watch what you are buying, and I will bring that up in my next post.  Til then, subscribe, and watch me continue my journey.