Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm thinking of trading my Suriname Red Tail for a Pastel python. Mostly doing this because no on in the family wants to go near my boa. Don't get me wrong she is a beautiful and friendly boa but when she was younger she scared most everyone in the house with periodic nipping. Anyway, I don't know much about Pastels, are they similar to normal ball pythons? I have a 5 year old ball now which everyone loves. Is there anything I should ask the breeder who wants to trade with me? Any info would be helpful.

Thanks

A pastel is the same as a normal except for it's coloration so you shouldn't need to know anything new. But you will want a good looking pastel... not one with a lot of brown instead of yellow

Thanks. I just don't know, I love my red tail and my ball. Just concerned that the red tail will be a "size" problem later on when I need to clean out her enclosure. Being that she is around 2 years old I know these guys will be using her for breeding so they are pretty excited about working out this trade. Like I said, I'm just not sure I want to give her up.

Well size could be an issue with an adult redtail. But i think that you are getting the short end of the stick in that trade... Your female is worth more then a pastel (and i'm assuming that they're looking to trade a male pastel) right now. They would be getting a female boa that has been cared for and raised up for probably a male pastel that they couldn't sell for $200 if they wanted to. I have to say i'm not well versed in boas but it makes sense to me that a female of breeding size is worth way more than a pretty common male any day. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the great advice. I kind of feel the same way about this whole thing. I just want to get something of equal value in this trade. If you have any suggestions please send them on over. I'm still not sure I'm even going to give up on this fine snake, she really is a beauty.

Do what YOU want to do. But if you still wanted to trade for some ball pythons you should ask what else they have and see if maybe you can't get a more valuable snake... or... you can go for a couple different bp's if you wanted to do that.