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Best place to buy a corn

L

Lucille

Guest
I'm new to this forum and I hope I am posting this in the right section. I'm looking to buy a corn snake, maybe two, and I'm not sure where the best place to do is. I would like to find an interesting color/pattern, but nothing too fancy. I've found a bunch of stores adveritsed on kingsnake.com, but I'm a little leary of having a snake shipped, plus I'm not sure of the standards of these larger retail establishments. Then there are some smaller breeders, but that would still involve shipping. Finally there is going to be a reptile show relatively close by (Sac. Ca)in a months or so, which would eliminate the shipping aspect, but I've heard that a lot of the people at these things can be kinda sleezy and unreliable.
What's the best way to go? Am I worrying too much about the shipping stressing them out?
Any places you would recommend? On line or in person, I'm in the SF Bay Area
Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks
 
Always glad to see someone new to the hobby....

Lucille,
A few months ago I had the same concerns about shipping that you do. I've been told by many people that if the snake is shipped properly (which will cost quite a bit I think) then it will not harm the snake. With any new snake you should leave it alone for about a week after you get it, just to let it get settled in. I think this applies doubly for shipped snakes who may be a bit nervous at first. I have never recieved a shipped snake though, so this is just what I've heard. Now, I happen to know of a reputable corn snake breeder in the US who apparently does ship within the US. His name is Rich and he's the guy who owns this forum and keeps it going for the rest of us. Find his site at www.serpenco.com .

As for the show, I'd recommend takeing someone knowledgeable along with you if at all possible. Make sure to pick a snake who is alert and has no scratches, scars, burns, etc. Ask the breeder the sex of the snake, what type of guarentee they offer (some do, some don't offer one), make sure you find out how to get ahold of them later on, and if at all possible, see the snake eat. Now I realize that at a show this is unrealistic at best but after seeing the trouble my breeder had with my problem eater (it refused to eat from birth to 8 months but haven't had a problem once it started!) I'll always ask to see the snake eat from now on. I think shows can be great places to get snakes but I'm sure there are people there, like everywhere else who would like to scam you. Just be careful. Also, you may want to purchase "The Cornsnake Manual" by Bill and Cathy Love. There are some good tips in there on what to look for when picking out a new snake!

Good luck and I hope you're happy with your new pet.
 
I also have never had a shipped snake... I always buy my snakes from petstores... but this is something im really thinking on changing... the pet store usually isnt knowledable on corns... and will usually not know the problems that they are having... they usually dont know the phenotype or the genotypes of the corns either... I would buy from ppl on the internet (especially people on this site) the shipping cost might raise the price your willing to pay... but you will get a snake which is in good health... and youll recieve one of the prettiest snakes out there... just my opinion... wish you luck with the purchasing of your first corn...
 
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