Why do you want to avoid shipping? The snake is usually in transit for 15-18 hours. A reputable breeder ought to know how to ship safely, although there have been a couple exceptions recently. But if you look on the Board of Inquiry, those ought to turn up. Not boa people, anyway. The only snakes I _haven't_ had shipped were, let's see...Noah, Razzle and Orchidee, Gartersnake, Zeke and Zoey, Jewel and Janine, Yggdrasil and Buzztail. So 10 out of 50ish. Heck, Fred was shipped here, shipped back to Colorado, and shipped back here all in less than a year!