Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know where to get a piebald python besides from breeders? They charge so much. Thanks

np

Get a pair of hets , from a good breeder. In a few ears you can have a pied.

Yup. That's what I did about 4 years ago. My hets were around $4k pr. Now they're $1k pr. I've produced 8 pieds in the last two seasons. Now I have a pastel female gravid from my pied male as well as a HUGE het pied female and a HUGE normal female. It's definatley paid off.

Brandon Osborne

Is there a right way to get confirmation that the hets are 100% for pied?

How much is a pied from 2 hets worth? I guess I could look it up, but thought I'd ask. Tx

to verify hets is to breed them. If you bought from a reputable breeder that you trust then it should be simple. Put the 2 snakes together and pray for atleast 25% of the clutch to be homozygous.

As for how much a pied made by 2 hets is worth, I'll give you a couple hunder for it =P

hehe, j/k. A pied is a pied, whether it came from a pied to a pied breeding or otherwise. And you could probably fetch anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000.

Later.

-John

Is it less cost to buy a number of normal females lets say 7 and then buy 4 100% hets male and breed them to the normal females and then line breed the offspring 50% het back to the 100% het to get visuals/morphs, I have my first vision rack and I already have one female normal , a 100% het female albino on the way , that leaves 9 vision tubs empty in my new first vision rack , I am not in a hurry and I want to create my own visual/morphs and grow my hobby/buisness this way, I feel this way is a great deal less costlier than going out and paying tens of thousands for morphs, your oppinions,and advice welcome?

But are you really saving money?.....not to mention time.

Cost:
4.0 100% het pieds $150 ea. = $600
0.7 normals $ 50 ea. = $350
.....................................
Total ======================= $950

About the price of a pair of hets, give or take $100. The time it will take you to produce a pied with the group you mention will be 2x as long. Consider it takes 3 years to raise the average female to a good breeding size. You breed those 7 females, and say 5 of them ovulate. You still have to raise up all the young from those for 3 more years and wonder if any are 100% hets. Then there's the possibility of having lots of males....or lots of females. It sounds like a good idea, but on paper, the 1.1 Hets are a cheaper and easier bet. Food, utilities, and time play, and pay, an important roll in breeding.

Good luck.

Brandon Osborne

I am with you on that and this is the plan that I had made and is actually already in the works, I have already begin my purchase of a female albino from a very reputable breeder, I am look forward to getting her, I plan on purchasing ten more females 100% het ball pythons and this will fill my first vision rack, I than will purchase more vision racks and continue to buy more het females , once these females are at the age to breed I will purchase a few 100 % het male or morphs and breed them to the 100% het females by doing it this way I should be producing my first visuals/morphs in about two and half to three years max, thanks for your oppinion .

Garage sale?

J/K. Go the het route....

you may get lucky and find a pied ball python in newspaper classifieds, reptile rescues, humane societies etc....but it would be very rare to find a valuable pet for next to nothing cost wise. It could happen, it has happened and it may happen again, but you definitely have to do your homework. You will have to browse every newspaper ad you can get your hands on, even real estate auctions. Sometimes they have unwanted pets and one of them may be a pied.

Talk with all the rescues in your area, including humane societies. Tell them you are interested in a ball python (show them pictures of what a pied ball python looks like). Thus if one comes into their hands, they will think to call you first (make your presence well known, so that your name comes up first). Same with reptile rescues, local reptile zoos, etc. Some will be happy to let you know when they hear of somebody who doesn't know better, trying to dump their unwanted pet into the hands of a zoo or rescue, and they could call you about it, so you can have the opportunity.

Definitely present yourself well, make sure you know as much as possible about ball python care (if they think you are a novice, a zoo etc, may not want to suggest a person contact you to take care of an unwanted pet, if it is just going to go into another bad situation). Also be prepared on that lucky day, when somebody does want to get rid of their pied that it may not be healthy at all. It may need vet care right away, and vet care can cost alot, depending on how bad the snake is.
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PHLdyPayne

Thanks!! I have been thinking about getting a ball python for over a year now and I have been reading on them everywhere I can find so I think I'm well prepared. I just have to get a cage and set it up and wait...patiently :O) Christine

You will have a much better chance of just getting the Hets and breeding them in a few years or saving up for a year or two. If you wait for a rescue you will probably die of old age without ever having one.

Christine -

If you have your heart set on a pied you shouldn't wait around for one that might come through a rescue. I've been part of a rescue network for many many years - yes occasionally a morph comes through ( off the top of my head I can remember: a few pastels, a cinny, a YB and an albino that was in such bad shape it ended up dying) but I can guarantee you if a pied came into me or anyone else part of my network - it would either be added to our personal collection or if they don't work with balls - passed along to a friend that does - it would not end up being adopted out like a $25 normal. And most of the local dumping grounds for snakes (animal control, vets and pet stores) usually already have a reptile rescue or person they already work with. I'm not telling you to give up but realize that it's highly unlikely to happen.

I would also suggest that you consider perhaps purchasing a nice looking normal as a practice snake. You might find that snakes aren't your cup of tea and then your not out a bunch of money.

Good luck with whatever you decide!
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Tosha

I agree whole heartly with tosha , pieds are very expensive and for a person just to dump one is probably very very rare , like having a better chance of hitting the lottery, I am in the process of buying all 100%het female balls which is the best route to go , this will give you the skills you need to keep these beautiful animals and I feel that you get more enjoyment out of the hobby if you produce your own visuals/morphs and you save a ton of money, read, read and than read again , good herping