Breeder , pet store, or private sale?

Ok, lets get some input here.

If you were in the market for a snake, normal phase, not hypo this or hyper that, just a regular snake and it is available locally in a pet store, or you could get it from a breeder, {internet sale}, or a local individual and pricing is similar, where would you buy from and why? What are the pros and caons of each, in your opinion?

Personally, I would:

Pet store. They have a guarantee, I can see, hold and examine the animal.
Thats the pros. Cons are: Maybe from an importer, maybe have health issues.


I would pass on local sales, unless I knew the seller very well and knew that he/she properly cared for the animal.

Internet sales I would pass on because the price is seriously inflated by shipping costs, I cannot see, hold or inspect the animal, potentially be ripped off by some lowlife scam artist.

More often, major pet store chains are buying from breeders in the states and that may be a good thing, according to if the breeder was a good one.

I know some folks will say that pet store buys are supporting the pet mills, kind of like puppy mills, but if you see it right, that is what a breeder is, right? They breed for profit and most breed for mutations {higher profits}. And thats ok, if its your thing, but some of us are not interested in morphs.

Anyway, what would you do? Why?

I would look to the local guy first. You would have the benefit of seeing the snake and possibly the breeder/sellers set up before hand. Plus you can get an idea of what kind of person your buying from. This is why I really like reptile shows. You can just start up a conversation with the person and see how happy they are with what they are doing.

The pet store thing is too general to answer well. Some pet stores are very nice and have only CB animals. Others look like hell, are filled with sick WC animals, and smell like death. I don't like big chain pet stores as they tend to provide less than ideal conditions for there stock. And I would never buy anything from a dirty local store. But I have bought a lot of stuff from nice local stores. Some things were breed by the owner of the store, others are from other breeders.

I also have bought from breeders online. I usually do this if I am looking for a specific animal that I can't find locally. You do have to be more careful here and can get into trouble. But with a little bit of research and staying away from sketchy deals, you can stay away from most problems. If your buying multiple or high dollar animals then shipping is not an issue. If you are just looking for a normal cornsnake, then this would not be the best route to go. However if you take into account the full cost of keeping a snake for it's full lifetime, a $50 shipping charge is nothing compared to getting a healthy, feeding, well started snake.

Petstore
Never. The ones around here are terrible. None of the workers have a clue, the animals are sick, infested with mites, improperly cared for, and way overpriced.
You must have some good petstores since none of the ones here will give you a guarentee on reptiles.


Local Person
Possibly since I could see how the animals are kept.

Online
Most of my purchases are online. Even with shipping costs, the animal is far less than what it would cost in a petstore around here and I know I won't get a sick snake as long as I do a bit of checking on the seller.

Hmmm. Hard for me to answer this one....I have done both, bought from pet stores and from internet. I was fortunate to have good experiences on all accounts. The bp I bought for my boyfriend I bought at a local pet store and he is healthy. 2 of my leos are from petco and they're good. My bd, MJ, I got from dragons del sol in texas and she is in great health and the transaction went incredibly well. I did go on the boi here to find out info on them before I did decide to buy from them. My bd male, stoner, 3 leos, pacman and my female bp I go at Hamburg shows and they are well also. The other remaining reptiles I got from a friend that knows his reptiles.
My answer? It all depends on what you're looking for in an animal and the condition the animal is in as well as the knowledge of the person who has said animal. I'm planning on getting a T in the future(have to warm up the bf to that idea) and I'm most likely going to be looking at local stores and speaking to some people here as well when the time comes.

Be it an online breeder or a local breeder or a herp show, that is the only way I would go. I have seen first hand at countless pet stores the terrible conditions and lack of knowledge and care the animals are treated with. I have stopped going to pet stores period. It has been almost 3 years since I have stepped foot in a local pet store because I refuse to support anyone that will treat animals in such a way. I buy everything (animals and supplies alike) online or at local herp shows.

Their are some neat replies to this. I guess whats nice is I don't have to get chewed out. lol Cross my fingers and hope to die. I guess it would just depend on Location and Experience. Garweft?? You said you don't like big chains where as here the Mom and Pop store is BAD! Pet Connections SUCKS, absolutely under NO circumstances do I like buying ANYTHING from there anymore. They broke poor Jakers back!!! Last thing I bought from there was a bigger same version of Jakers FAVORITE water bowl. Do you think I could talk my Fiancee out of buying from there though. NO! And Jakers is his to!! He tells me they have the best selection for his bugs and I say GO ELSEWHERE! I don't want to give those B****** .2 cents!

Now the big chain PetCo is my favorite. They have the best looking feeders and they are stuck to big chain policies and because they are a chain they can afford to take them to a Vet and they do. It doesn't help that most of them there (99%) are dumb but if the animals are hurt, if its something they notice they will take them. I myself haven't and can't get to shows right now or I'd be having a dandy old time.

I would support local breeders. I ran into a situation where the guy wasn't a Breeder but had a couple BPs and said he'd trade me one for my 50 gallon. Well having the good people senses I have I said no. Politely. I don't want to buy anything (or trade) off of anyone personally unless their knowledge is at my level or exceeds mine. If its like that then the animals and their set up should look good.

As for Breeders on line the main reason I haven't done that yet is because I'm not sure how that works. I'm anal about my money but heres how. Do I care if I spend $30.00 or $40.00 more for a healthy animal? NO. Heres my question though. Even if its a good Breeder if anything goes wrong are you (the breeder) paying for it to get shipped back to you and then another one back out again?? Or am I doing it?

I rent and I have a VERY nice Landlord, shes great! She hooked us up with furniture. Lets me have at least some of my animals. LOL I don't mean any offense to her but if I go downstairs and shes not there but I have to go to work and she has to have it that day so rents not late I none the less ask for a recite. Call me shady but I only trust her. I wouldn't blame her if she didn't get it to ask for it again. The thing of it is though I don't have $300.00 some dollars AGAIN!! Thats where I get anal. That and call me a romantic but these animals in the Pet Stores deserve a home to. Theres most of my own reasonings. Peace!