Hi everyone :)

[Discordia]

I've been lurking for a year, slowly gaining knowledge before I get my first corn snake (first real pet, really. I had 2 small dogs at my parents' house). I'm probably going to get one within the next couple months and I'm sooo excited I just moved into a new place and I have a few big purchases that take higher precedence so I figure I'll take this time to build a viv...we'll see how that goes. My boyfriend is probably going to just watch me and laugh when I mess up, then give up :awcrap:

By the way, does anyone know where the best place would be to get a snake? I live in Arizona; looking for lavender morphs specifically.

Thanks and hope to see you guys around

 

[Iulia]

Hi,

I got my first corn a couple of weeks ago, after dithering for months, and I'm so glad I did!! My little guy is a blast.

Live in UK so can't help with suppliers.

 

[Tavia]

Hello and welcome! As to suppliers, that depends on if you are willing to have one shipped or not. There is a sticky at the top of the For Sale section on here with a list of breeders by state, I don't remember if there are any in Arizona offhand but you can check. If you are okay with shipping, the list of great breeders is pretty much endless. SMR, cornsnakes.net is great, that's in Texas, VMSherp is good and you could also order from Kathy Love, to name just a few.

 

[Discordia]

Hi,

I got my first corn a couple of weeks ago, after dithering for months, and I'm so glad I did!! My little guy is a blast.

Live in UK so can't help with suppliers.

Thanks! I've actually never even touched a snake before, haha. But they're just so cute and I've been thinking about it for a long time.

Hello and welcome! As to suppliers, that depends on if you are willing to have one shipped or not. There is a sticky at the top of the For Sale section on here with a list of breeders by state, I don't remember if there are any in Arizona offhand but you can check. If you are okay with shipping, the list of great breeders is pretty much endless. SMR, cornsnakes.net is great, that's in Texas, VMSherp is good and you could also order from Kathy Love, to name just a few.

Thanks! I did check that sticky and there was only one in Arizona. I'll probably check it out soon, but I'm okay with shipping too, so I'll look into those places you mentioned.

 

[Iulia]

Are there any local pet stores you can go have a look?

I was undecided whether to get a gecko or a corn, and when I visited the shop and handled both I just fell in love with the snakes.

You don't need to buy there - I didn't - but I'll be buying snake food etc there so no loss to them

 

[Discordia]

Are there any local pet stores you can go have a look?

I was undecided whether to get a gecko or a corn, and when I visited the shop and handled both I just fell in love with the snakes.

You don't need to buy there - I didn't - but I'll be buying snake food etc there so no loss to them

Besides the usual Petsmart and Petco, there's one reptile shop right by me that I know of, but he only has an adult corn right now. I have to hunt around for other ones in the area, but I know there's more.

 

[dan803]

Around here, the pet store employees know next to nothing about corns, feeding them insects, and they sell dying animals. I've bought 3 corns from a pet store. 2 of them died within a week. The two that died were both very weak when I brought them home and the stress of moving probably pushed them over the edge.

But I'd still check out the pet stores before having one shipped to you because I doubt they are as bad as mine. Shipping often costs more than the snake itself. Just be extra careful and ask a lot of questions. It's pretty easy to tell if they aren't knowledgeable especially if you've been looking at this forum for so long.

 

[toxiclight]

Shipping can sometimes get expensive, no doubt there...but considering the price I've seen in some pet stores, I actually spent less for an animal plus shipping than some of the ones I've seen pet stores selling for. And buying from a reputable breeder, you will no doubt get a better quality animal.

I love the lavender morph too...my first snake was a lavender from SMR.

 

[carnivorouszoo]

Don't knock getting an adult, I have bought a few and had no issues except for the pair of rescued adults I got but they were free because they came with problems. I just love corns so much! I am quite sure you will too. One thing to remember, a hatchling needs to eat a bit more and be handled a bit less, if you want to be able to handle more often you might want to start with an adult and get a hatchling (or 2 or 3 or 4 or 50 lol) later. Keep us posted and welcome to the wonderful world of corn snakes!

 

[Christen]

I've been lurking for a year, slowly gaining knowledge before I get my first corn snake (first real pet, really. I had 2 small dogs at my parents' house). I'm probably going to get one within the next couple months and I'm sooo excited I just moved into a new place and I have a few big purchases that take higher precedence so I figure I'll take this time to build a viv...we'll see how that goes. My boyfriend is probably going to just watch me and laugh when I mess up, then give up :awcrap:

By the way, does anyone know where the best place would be to get a snake? I live in Arizona; looking for lavender morphs specifically.

Thanks and hope to see you guys around

What is the name of the reptile store by you? Not many people breeding lavenders here in AZ just yet, that I know of. So I would recommend checking out the other places that you were referred to. cornsnakesforsale on here (I think his website is www.cornsnakesforsale.com ) has a few available right now. Beautiful butters if you are interested in yellow. But all of people have babies hatching very soon so I am sure that you will find your perfect baby.

 

[rickmoss95]

welcome

first off welcome to the forum. second, i would for sure buy from a breeder and not a petshop...unless you know the shop well and know they know what they are talking about. believe me, just because it is a petshop does NOT mean they know what they are talking about!!! i am with you totally on the lavender morphs though, they are some of my favs! i have a "few" lavender combos and they are right up at the top for me! i have a hypo patternless(vanishing stripe) poss het lavender that i hope to prove out next year...patternless lavs are awesome! ....and still pretty costly. i hope to get a patternless lav and a hypo patternless lav....or two or three of each. i dont think i would sell any. unless they were ALL males, then still maybe not...:crazy01:

 

[Discordia]

What is the name of the reptile store by you? Not many people breeding lavenders here in AZ just yet, that I know of. So I would recommend checking out the other places that you were referred to. cornsnakesforsale on here (I think his website is www.cornsnakesforsale.com ) has a few available right now. Beautiful butters if you are interested in yellow. But all of people have babies hatching very soon so I am sure that you will find your perfect baby.

The store is called Reptiles & Reefs. I replied to you in my other thread about any other breeders but now I'm sad that no one breeds lavenders here haha. I spoke to cornsnakesforsale and I'm going to look at his babies when they're ready, it looks like he has a few lavenders listed as breeders on his website, so I have my fingers crossed!

 

[Naagas]

I think that adults make better first corns, because they are more settled in and relaxed. You aren't going to run into any of the baby problems, like a non-feeder or a snake that won't hold still.
But, watching your little one grow up has its perks.

The first time I held an adult corn, I was hooked. The babies are squirmy, but the adults are just dolls. I now have way too many. I'm addicted!

I know that there are a lot of smaller breeders in Arizona... you may want to look in your local classifieds section. I have gotten some great deals through there (my Sunglow Motley I got for $25! With her tank that I turned around and sold for $50! I have not seen a Sunglow Motley as perfect as her from any breeder!)

Or, you could always drive up to Utah and buy one from me! Lol!

I've had snakes shipped, and I found that it is easy and the snakes survived it just fine. I would recommend doing that over buying at a pet store.
A well-bred snake is so much more beautiful than a 'mutt' that you'll find at a pet store, not to mention getting an ACR registered corn gives you all that more confidence in the genetics and such. Plus, many pet stores don't know important details- like when the snake fed last or what it ate, or what illnesses it may have been exposed to.
I have seen way too many heartbreaking stories of pet store purchases.

That said, there are good, knowledgeable pet stores- I have one in my neighborhood. They can tell you the whole history of the corn snake. They house them appropriately. They handle them appropriately. They feed them appropriately.

Anyhow, congrats on the impending first snake! Keep us updated!

 

[Discordia]

Thanks, Naagas! I'm planning on buying from a local breeder and I'd rather try to buy local before I have a snake shipped. I originally wanted to get a hatchling because I'm one of those people who can't watch a TV series unless I've seen every previous episode, if you know what I mean :laugh: But I've been thinking that maybe a yearling would be better. I can't get a snake for another couple months because of my current roommate, though, so I have a little while to wait.