Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just moved down to Delaware last week, about a half hour away from where I used to live in PA, but now 10 minutes from my work. Anyway, I stopped at a pet store on my way home today because the sign said they had reptiles. The shop was nice and clean and the animals looked healthy, so that was cool. Typical pet store staples, balls, boas, corns, leopard geckos...one of the tanks said "Jungle Pastel Ball Pythons $200 each". And they were pretty big too. At least yearlings or older. They were dull and brown and almost definitely males, but there they were, pastels in a pet store. First I've ever seen that. Just thought it was interesting and thought I'd share.

If I were a petstore owner, I would do my best to educate my customers about morphs and get them interested. I would post pics of the parents and the eggs hatching, or even display the eggs at the store to generate interest and take advanced orders.

The petstore is going to get far more @ retail price w/no shipping. In addition you then add in the markup on the tank, water dish, etc.. and the Pastel may be a really profitable snake

Thats the way to go selling Pastels maybe?

Pastels may have moved from being a lower end boutique snakes, to a higher end retail commodity.

As soon as I saw them, my mind started trying to figure out how they got there. I figure somebody local either bred them, or just owned them, and either couldn't sell them or perhaps lost interest and unloaded them cheap. They're pretty ugly pastels. Happens every day in the classifieds. And who knows how long they've been there. They're seriously yearlings plus. They look really good though. They've obviously been eating well. I think I might go back tomorrow and get some more info on them. Just out of curiosity, and, never know, one could be a female. $200 yearling female pastel ain't bad, even if it is an ugly one.

Ryan,

If it is a chain store like a Petco or even a mom and pop place, just go in with your probe kit when all young people are working (no manager) and tell the kid you will give him $5 to let you probe them.

I have done this before looking for females and I told the kid I'd give him $5 for every female I found. Explain about probing, and tell him/her you can give them a lesson in the correct technique.. You get the kid so curious, he would almost let you dissect the thing for free by then.

Like you said, they are most likely all males, but you never know and for $5 its worth finding out.

Let us know how you make out.

Alan

the pet shop near me buys alot of corns from me.......balls they get from wholesale dealers' list ,African crap....dumbassesanyways..........I try......I told them that this year they WILL be selling pastels in the store ......they are that cheap now.........

BIGGEST Pet Shop in the World is it's ad......

.........they do sell stuff like emeralds, chondros, het amel balls(mine)....lots of odd kings and corns and milks, other odd stuff,including amphibians......anacondas, and an albino retic at the momment........$1G........

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Local Corn is in season and picking is non-stop........LOL
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Here in the northern suburbs of Detroit, Michigan a couple shops sold male pastels last year and I plan to do it again this year. That is where all the base ball morphs are headed eventually. There are people geared up to produce pastels, mojaves, spiders, etc in volume for the pets hops the next couple years. They have to go somewhere when they get cheap and you have to have a way to sell off the males that are not wanted when everyone has moved to combo males.