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First Corn Snake

B

brandibod

New member
Looking to get our first corn snake in the near future.

Snake is my 12 yr old son's project. I had many wild caught snakes growing up and this is looking way more involved than just catching a wild snake. I always let go after a few weeks or so.

Where would be our best choice at getting a snake?

We have decided we really like the Okeetee coloring and are trying to find one locally. I like in the Dallas/Fort Worth TX area. I have contacted two breeders, but on their websites they breed more exotic morphs colors.

There is a reptile convention in the area this Feb.2013. Are these a place to get a good healthy snake at a reasonable price. Not wanting to spend much for first snake. Looking for one locally so as to not pay for Fed-X shipping charges.

Petsmart and such chain pet stores. Are they a reliable place to get a healthy snake? Or is from a local breeder going to be the best choice?

I raise and train pure bred bird dogs for hunting, and I know you will get better dogs from a individual breeder than from a chain pet store. I assume it is the same for snakes.

Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks
 
I think you're right and that generally speaking, buying direct from the breeder is a much better idea than buying from a big chain. Conventions have a good reputation - there can be a good range of breeders and animals represented and prices are usually competitive (not least because they're only a few feet from their competitors!) You can usually get good prices when bulk-buying food as well.

Your only disadvantage with a convention is that you don't have time to research the seller. Whilst the vast majority in the Corn world are highly reputable and well thought of, there are very odd bad apples which you might want to avoid (although they'd have a lot of nerve to show up at a convention). Check the "Board of Inquiry" or "BOI" here for info on potential wrinkles with breeders/sellers:
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=13
 
Hi and welcome! There are some quite beautiful Okeetees. Here is a link to breeders on this site:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76317 A bit outdated, but a starting point.

Here are the ones listed for Texas:

Texas
Blue Apple Herps blueapplepaste
South Texas Herps mike17l
Strange Cargo Exotics StrangeCargo/Graham

Remember, no matter who you buy from, always check them out on the BOI. Here is a link about that:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3008

Strange Cargo I believe sells out quite quickly.

Someone else should be speaking up soon about what is available in Texas.
 
You are also fairly close to one of the best breeders in the US, Don Soderberg of South Mountain Reptiles. Unfortunately, I'm not remembering exactly where in Texas he is located but might be close enough for you to avoid shipping.
 
Is there a preference on male vs female. temperament, ease of care, etc. At this point don't plan on breeding, unless down the road he really gets hooked on these snakes.
 
temperament is based on individuals, the care for a non breeding pet snake is the same for both sexes. males tend to be less expensive for the more common morphs.
 
The only real difference between them is that a female can produce infertile eggs, even if never around a male, so it's a good idea to know what to do in that case. It's also possible that a female can go her whole life without producing eggs too. And males even without being bred can have gender related issues as well. But yeah, there isn't much difference between them other than that.
 
Tavia said:
You are also fairly close to one of the best breeders in the US, Don Soderberg of South Mountain Reptiles. Unfortunately, I'm not remembering exactly where in Texas he is located but might be close enough for you to avoid shipping.
Click to expand...

Agree having bought many snakes from him. Never an issue. I bought one of my corns from a local petco it was the only one there. I felt sorry for it for some reason and bought it. Its a snow with some Zigzag pattern. It's actually very nice was very healthy and is one of my favorite corns. I don't breed them so Blood lines don't matter to me. I Enjoy having them as pets. My local petco is a nice store very clean and the staff there know the critters they are selling. That said I think checking into breeders and getting your snakes there is far better it will insure your snake is feeding before you get it and in most cases it will be what the breeder says it is as far as morph. As mentioned seek reputable breeders Use the BOI And Good luck with your first corn purchase.
 
You can't go wrong with one of Don's snakes. I bought 2 from him at the Arlington expo a couple of years back and never had any regrets.
 
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