Is this normal practice?

Originally Posted by Bama77

Like I have said I don't think this is a home business... Are pet stores as good as breeders? I saw a couple of ball pythons at a small local pet store and they were at a good price.

On the whole, the chain stores are not the best. Of course, there are exceptions. Sometimes they get an employee who knows a lot about reptiles, but even then they are limited by store policies. (I'm a gecko person, not a snake person, but I'm assuming it's across the board). Mom-and-pop stores are usually much better; run by breeders. Exceptions there, too.

Do some research on this site. Find a breeder and look for them on the Board of Inquiry. Check out their Facebook. Bad things happen, but you can certainly turn the odds in your favor by doing your research. There are plenty of great breeders here. Sometimes the exact animal you want requires shipping; not a big deal. But if you found a healthy one locally, and you're just looking for a pet (as opposed to breeder), I'd say buy it.

Noelle

Ok thanks Noelle

I don't feel comfortable letting anyone come to my house to see my animals, and I know many other people are the same way. I just don't like the idea of giving my address out to someone I don't know. I do let people pick animals up, but I usually require at least a deposit if it is someone I don't know, especially if I'm driving very far to meet them. I have taken time off work, packed critters up, and headed off to meet a buyer only to have them not show up. I've also had people ask me to drive to meet them so that they could see an animal and decide if they were interested. I said no (I had already sent about 10 high quality pictures).

I would suggest researching the seller on the BOI. If they have good feedback, then I wouldn't be worried. I don't think the fact that they want payment before meeting you is a red flag, if everything else checks out.

Well it is only about a 20 mile drive, I fully understand what you guys have said, you can't really trust anyone these days....in the same sense, I don't any to get a snake that the breeder has no idea of the specific animal and it's habits.

My husband and I run a home-based business and have people over every day. Legally we can not conduct business off the premises except in very limited circumstances. We operate by appointment only so as to coordinate driveway parking, running our own errands, etc.

It does get to be a hassle when customers show up unannounced, especially on holidays like this past New Year's Day when we were supposed to be closed... but at least he brought wine. There are also security concerns, though I've noted it's a more common problem in the reptile biz than mine.

Something else I haven't seen touched on is contamination. This breeder knows that you probably own other snakes, and they don't know if you have mites in your collection. The risk of a customer bringing along a mite with them is admittedly small, but there's a reason many of us head straight for the shower when we get home from an expo - because the risk exists.

No I don't own other snakes and have told him, this will be my second time buying a ball... The first time I got screwed and bought a sick animal... That died a week after I bought it... Hence me being cautious now

I think the biggest reason I've gotten so cautious is that my collection has grown to the point that it is irreplaceable. It is difficult to insure (I'd guess that it could be done, through Lloyds of London, but it would cost a fortune) so I don't have insurance. If I lost my collection, either because they were stolen or because of some sort of pathogen that was brought in, I would be done in this hobby. It has taken me years to build my collection and I could never replace them. So I'm not willing to take chances.

Have you searched the BOI for feedback on the person you are buying from? It is a good idea, even if you are buying in person. There are plenty of wonderful breeders out there, so there is no reason to buy from someone you are not comfortable with.