Snake people, need some advice please

[Epona142]

Can you name the breeder? I do know that the bearded dragons come from a wholesale breeder, and who it is, as well. However, the ball pythons they buy are wholesale captive hatched babies. They may buy them from a "breeder" but that breeder imports them. I imagine from time to time they may get actual captive bred specimens, males, because females have worth in the ball python industry, while excess males are less desirable.

Just a note, I worked at Petsmart for a good while (in grooming) and am well aware of many of the practices going on in Petco as well. I'm not bashing either store, though I personally will never shop at Petsmart again due to certain occurrences, but I do shop at Petco for supplies and the local one is pretty good about caring for their animals.

 

[Epona142]

On second thought I may have come across a bit harsh! I apologize. I still believe most, probably not all of course, Petcos are carrying captive hatched babies, and a lot of their reptiles ARE imported. It just depends on which is cheaper. Like for corn snakes, its cheaper to buy from a breeder, and for Russian tortoises, those are wild caught, as captive bred babies are very expensive. I'm in no way against captive hatched babies! Properly handled, they are great, I even have one female captive hatch. It's especially interesting to see some of the beautiful patterns, or "fancies", that come in those shipments.

Anyways, that's besides the real point I originally was attempting to make, and that was that putting a new snake in with your beloved pet, even in a partitioned enclosure, is highly risky! ANY new snake/reptile/chicken/pet can carry parasites or diseases, no matter if they are imported, captive bred, rescued, etc, and a quarantine period is very important, no matter where they come from! I know of several ball python breeders who brought in a new snake, and some even WITH quarantine, experienced drastic and forever damaging problems that stemmed from the new one.

So please, whatever you do decide to do, proceed with caution and care.

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

Quote:
While a larger enclosure is a great idea (once the snake is ready for it, size wise), converting a window into a home for a snake is not. The temps resulting from the sunlight can far exceed the appropriate temps for your Ball Python ..and the glass enclosing the window and the viv, itself, will intensify that temperature by double digits! It's not a good idea, at all.



As for the Petco source for various reptiles ...Epona142 is correct.. a very select few of them come from breeders as CBB (captive bred and born/hatched) ...a few more as CB or CH (captive born or captive hatched ...this is often misrepresented) ..and quite a few as WC (wild caught).

I've worked in a few shops, locally ....and I know a few folks that still work in them ..one is a "reptile specialist" at my local Petco. He and I have had many conversations about the sources of the animals they get in for resale.. and they are not CBB, in most cases ..if at all.

 

[bayouchica]

Aneesa's Muse :

Quote:
While a larger enclosure is a great idea (once the snake is ready for it, size wise), converting a window into a home for a snake is not. The temps resulting from the sunlight can far exceed the appropriate temps for your Ball Python ..and the glass enclosing the window and the viv, itself, will intensify that temperature by double digits! It's not a good idea, at all.



As for the Petco source for various reptiles ...Epona142 is correct.. a very select few of them come from breeders as CBB (captive bred and born/hatched) ...a few more as CB or CH (captive born or captive hatched ...this is often misrepresented) ..and quite a few as WC (wild caught).

I've worked in a few shops, locally ....and I know a few folks that still work in them ..one is a "reptile specialist" at my local Petco. He and I have had many conversations about the sources of the animals they get in for resale.. and they are not CBB, in most cases ..if at all.

I appreciate your concern, we've thought it thru totally. The window is on the south side,only gets a little direct sunlight in early in the morning.It is shaded during the heat of the day. It's only going to be sticking out to where the eve of the house is.It's going to have a temp & humidity guage in it & I'm at home to be able to monitor it.
We've decided to NOT get another snake, just put that money towards the habitat.
Besides, the way my hubby has been working,it could be months before it gets done,lol.
thanks so much for your advice,
Miriam​

 

[LV426]

Very few of Petco's reptiles are captive bred. There are some like the bearded dragons and the occassional but rare redfoot tortoise, leopard geckos and rat snakes but if you are looking at larger snakes and other tortoises like russians or redfoots those are not captive bred. They are imported and sold from local dealers to petco. But this isn't about Petco this is about ball pythons. I implore you to please buy from a dealer and not from a petstore. Petstores just encourage wildlife trafficking. Also no it's not a good idea to keep two snakes in one enclosure. Even the breeders only let snakes share if they are breeding them and then they remove the males when they are done.

If you do get another snake please remember that a 6 month quarantine is the safest way to prevent your pet from getting ill from other illnesses, diseases, and parasites that can be carried in by the new comers. Mites are especially horrid to try and get rid of.

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

Quote:
It sounds like you have put much thought into it ..I hope it works out as planned

I've actually considered some type of basking lounge for some of my more desert phased lizards, in the past ..but none of my windows (all West and East facing ..strangely) will support the temp ranges I need for them to be completely safe.