• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

How old are the hatchling snakes they sell at pet stores?

Maize411

Maize411

Hooked for life!!
I'm trying to get at least somewhat of a close estimate on Maize's age..how long do you wait before you give your new hatchlings to pet stores or to new owners? I'm hoping to come to a close estimate based on the most commonly stated time period that most breeders wait before they give their snakes to pet stores to sell..Sorry if this seems like a pointless thread..but I'm curious as to how old Maize is..thanks again.. :shrugs:
 
When I got my corn from my local reptile store, there was about 6-8 corns in icecream tubs. All had a paper on the lid with feeding dates, the first date on my corns lid said 04/09/06 (4th Sept 06), which would make him about 4 - 5 months old when i bought him. I can only guess that it was his very first feeding date. But im not 100% on the time he spent on the petstore shelf.

I have guessed my corns age based upon first feed according to the paper because I dont know anything before that date.

Hope this helps.
 
Well, if mine shed at, say ten days old, eat immediately, then take two more feeds at five day intervals, the youngest that go to my local reptile shop will be 20 days old - I only sell if they've had three feeds in a row of d/f pinkies (no tricks like scenting, braining etc).

If they're slow to take their first feed, or they need "tricks" to get them established or if they only eat two in a row then refuse one, I could have them for weeks or even months as I establish them as reliable feeders.

Unfortunately, a hatchling's rate of growth is directly proportional to the amount of food they eat. That means that sometimes I can have two month old hatchlings that have just eaten three-in-a-row and look the same size as the 20 day old ones that went to the shop earlier.

Sorry - I don't suppose that helps, but that's the way it works for me. It's one of the reasons I always sell mine with a full feeding record, including date of hatching and all feeds offered (even if they refused).
 
They're hatched.

Okay, seriously, I'm not a breeder. But it is a valid point that some breeders with... uh... less concern for their product, will not keep the snake for a guaranteed couple of feedings. Out of the egg, shedding, then over to the petstore.
 
Well...I've been a member here for about 8 months..I joined the night I bought Maize..so I guess I'll estimate that she is about 9 months old..so 9 months old and is 57 grams...I guess that's not bad...I personally think she could be a bit longer..but she has grown so I am happy of that.. :rolleyes:
 
A breeder can have the best intentions but it is also up to the petstore to maintain the snakes. I don't sell any hatchlings unless they have eaten 3 times with no hestitation. I don't think I have sold anything less than one month old to any pet stores. But I have been back to the same pet stores a few months later and noticed a huge variation in the size after they had been taking care of the animals for a while. In one case the snakes still looked like 1 month olds, and I decided not to sell again to that particular store. If you go to a petstore to look for a snake, ask to see feeding records. They may not have that, but some of them do. When I sell to them I give them an index card with hatch and feeding dates as well as information on hets, the better stores will take the time to keep these records up to date.
 
It's probably safe to assume that a hatchling is between 1 and 3 months old when it arrives at a pet shop. A lot of breeders don't sell to pet shops until their other outlets are exhausted and they need the space.

I can also tell you that a good pet shop won't rely on the breeder to "establish" hatchlings, and will take a few weeks to ensure the snake's have "settled in" before allowing them to be sold.

At the shop where I work, I get hatchlings at around a month old, and then I keep them for another month before we put a price and label on them. I do this because I don't want someone having to deal with feeding issues, regurgitations, or a "sketchy" snake. I like to make sure that every snake that leaves my shop is eating regularly and voluntarily, digesting without issue, and is at least moderately easy to handle(obviously depending on the snake, this may or may not be an easy task).

I know that alot of the "bad" shops out there get their snakes in and immediately turn them around, relying on the efforts of the breeder to determine stability of the hatchling. But my shop, and a few other good shops I know, won't sell any animal that has been there less than a couple weeks to ensure the customer is buying a healthy and well-established animal.

So, back to the original question...2 months of age is a reasonable guess as to the age of a hatchling that is "For Sale". The shop *should* know about how long it has been there, and *should* be able to supply feed records if you ask for them...It isn't an exact science, but you can guess their age within a couple months...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top