Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How can you be 100% sure that you are buying a 100% het? I know that you should by from a trustworthy breeder but what about papers and all that good stuff? If you could help me out I'd appreciate it.

What good is paperwork? I think it is almost worthless. Buy from someone you trust, and can go back to if it does not prove out. Call the person, talk to them, if they do not sound like they know what they are talking about, walk!

Dave

Ok...
Maybe I wasn't clear enough...

Other then trusting the breeder, there is NO way to know.
Paperwork means squat!
I could write up paperwork for some hatchlings I bought at Petco.

It really boils down to picking a trustworthy breeder and building a good buyer/seller relationship with him/her.
Point blank.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

I was at a show recently, and saw a female bp that I thought looked very nice. I asked the seller about it and he said, "Its het...het...hetelo...I don't know its hetelo or something." I looked at the snake a little closer, and it was covered with ticks. If it had been a captive bred healthy snake, it might have been worth his asking price, "hetelo" or not. I didn't buy it.

Steve

Some good breeders chip their hets.
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Jesse Jeffcoat
Gopher Hill Herps

Researching the breeder you intend to buy a 100% het from is one way. Asking previous customers who bought hets from them to see if they did indeed prove out those hets works as well. Looking at the parents also helps (to get 100% hets you need to have one parent showing the morph (thus all offspring are guarenteed to be 100% het) or proven hets that actually do produce the morph in their offspring when paired with another 100% het or snake showing the desired morph.

Though there are plenty of trust worthy and reliable small time breeders out there, sometimes it is best to buy 100% from the large scale breeders. Being well established and around for many years deffinitely indicates they have not been selling normals as hets and getting away with it for years. Bad practices and dishonest business people tend to vanish quickly, not linger for years. Breeders who give a guarentee for their hets in writing, are also worth looking into. Also getting a 'land line' phone number works well, as these are easier to trace back to a person (providing the number isn't for some sort of answering service taking only messages).

Ask for pictures of the parents, find out the history of the parents, how long the breeder has been in business etc. If they are local, ask to see their animals in person etc. This way you can see they do indeed have the morph animal to make the hets with etc. Though not everybody has the time to show strangers around their homes to check out their animals, providing pictures shouldn't be a problem. A few minutes at the keyboard is all that is needed to send pictures via email.

Other than the above suggestions and others people have already posted, there is no way to be 100% positive the snake you are buying is 100% het till you breed them. Alot of trust is required that you are indeed buying a 100% het. What breeders are willing to put in writing guarenteeing the snake as a 100% does give a good indication how much effort they are willing to make the decision to buy easier for their customer.
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PHLdyPayne