How to Buy a Ball Python?

How to buy a ball python? Finding a Ball Python for sale isn’t really difficult, especially since they are one of the most popular snake breeds in the market. How to buy a ball python, well, they are in fact quite easy to acquire and are relatively common compared to other snake species. You can find Ball Pythons for sale via looking for online vendors and breeders, going to a pet store, or through attending reptile expos. In this article, you’ll learn how to buy a ball python as well as the pros and cons of owning one.

How to Buy a Ball Python?: Where to Acquire 

It is highly recommended that you purchase directly from the breeder that’s how to buy a ball python since this will provide you with a proficient source of information regarding the python’s bloodline, lineage, and husbandry. Additionally, since most breeders who enter this field do so because of a genuine passion for the creatures they breed, you will also find them to be quite knowledgeable about the species that they breed.

However, you should also bear in mind that there are other factors that you need to consider in how to buy a ball python. While purchasing directly from a breeder does have its advantages, such advantages may not always be true for all breeders.

For instance, breeders can range from small, private breeders to mass producers that supply large quantities of pet animals to retailers and pet stores. Large – scale breeders sometimes may charge more because of the huge overhead they incur in their breeding processes, but sometimes small and private breeders may also charge quite a bit, especially if they are dealing with a particularly rare species.  

Consulting with breeders and their willingness to entertain questions you might have may reflect on the final fee you would have to pay. Breeders may be available to you and your queries at the right price, though, of course, there are those who are genuinely happy to help out a snake – keeper. Some pet stores also hire people who are quire informed about the creatures they are selling, so you can always try your luck in asking the personnel. Reptile expos, where reptile and snake enthusiasts often converge, are also a good place to look for people passionate about the animals and would be more than willing to answer questions about the creatures.

Meeting with people is a good way to gauge if they are actually decently informed or if they are just trying to make the sale – not that it is necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes important details are overlooked or left unsaid that may present a future problem.

So it is recommended that you speak to them yourself and see if you find them trustworthy and reliable. Do they falter when answering your questions? Do they offer you helpful advice? Are they accommodating or hesitant?

You should note how comfortable they are in providing the answers and how easily they give the information. Building a rapport is also ideal, since these people may be the ones to help you out should you encounter problems with your snake in the future.

How to Buy a Ball Python?: Selecting a Healthy Snake 

After selecting a reputable breeder that you are comfortable with and knowing how to buy a ball python, it is time for you to decide on the Ball Python that you will be bringing home.

Regardless of what age, sex, or size python you are looking for, you are looking for a healthy animal with no illnesses or diseases, and as much as possible, no temperamental issues that would make things difficult for you when it comes to general snake husbandry such as feeding or cleaning their cage.

Though shy in general, the Ball Python must be somewhat curious and open to your touch, gripping you when being handled. See how the Ball Python feeds as well, if at all possible. This would give you a working idea of how the snake feeds, whether you are going to encounter feeding problems, picky as they are in nature, and whether they have been trained to readily feed.

How to Buy a Ball Python?: Is this Pet for You?

If you’re still uncertain whether to buy a ball python or not, you can consult the following lists of pros and cons that you might want to consider before making a final decision. The lists cover information relating to keeping an actual snake as a pet, with other factors that relate only keeping a Ball Python specifically.

Some of the pros include that ball pythons are naturally gorgeous creatures. They have a especially docile and passive temperament. They are not an endangered species and are thus more easily allowable by law to be kept as pets. Ball Pythons, being the smallest of the African pythons and growing only five feet maximum – half a regular boa constrictor’s length – do not require huge spaces. They are generally low-key and shy, so if you’re not up for a petting session, it’s okay (though regular exposure to humans does help in taming them more). They can live a very long time, given proper care; one report stated a Ball Python living for up to 47 years and unlike other animals, do not smell, so you wouldn’t have to worry about stink or the need for an impromptu bath like dogs.

Some of the cons include ball pythons being notoriously picky eaters, especially during winter months; you should watch out that they do not lose weight or starve. Snakes, in general, and Ball Pythons, in particular, cannot be trained to do party tricks; if that’s what you’re looking for, you should perhaps just get a dog.

Ball Pythons are sensitive to temperature and humidity changes, so you would have to be extra careful to make sure that they are comfortable. Finding a vet clinic well-equipped enough to treat your Ball Python should the need arise can be tricky, depending on the area where you live.

Finding a friend willing to feed your pet if you are not around is difficult since most humans don’t take kindly to feeding snakes lest their fears of being eaten themselves come true. Speaking of feeding snakes – this is a task not recommended for the squeamish and the faint of heart; if you cannot bear to look at a rodent being devoured, then you should not get a snake as a pet. If you’re looking for affectionate pets, then you should probably not be looking for a reptile at all. We hope you learn a lot on how to buy a ball python, for more info, make sure to visit the blog section of our website.