Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Question:
I was in a local Petco and saw a what was listed as a pueblan milk that really intriqued me. So much that I returned there last night to see if still available. This particular animal had a very broad white nuchal band extending behind its head at least twice as broad as normal. Its belly appeared mostly plain with some black washed circular pattern running down the belly. At first I was like "integrade??" but not so sure. Is any one familiar with this particular morph of pueblan and can verify its lineage as not mixed?? A VERY similar animal is posted on kingsnake.com. The "purity" of the animal is not necessarily an issue, more of a "for knowledge sake" in the event I do acqure such an animal and plan to breed. The fact that a pet store chain snake could catch my eye to that degree is truly a rarity!!! LOL!!

Now here is the rant:
The employee at Petco goes to show me the animal. Low and behold the cage he suspects that particular snake to be in is empty. He could swear they had three at one time, but two were housed together and one ate the other during feeding time. But he suspects he still has two. Turns out they only had two, and indeed one was housed with the other for unknown reasons and was killed, eaten, and then regurged with the pinky the other snake ate!!! Of course the eaten snake was the one I was interested in!!

Moral of the story:
Sometimes even oddball looking snakes at Petco catch my attention and I am tempted to buy them LOL!! Maybe its demise was a sign from the Herp gods LOL!!

Did it look like the one below?

When Pueblans have a wide neck band, they're called "sockheads."

You can do a Google image search for "sockhead pueblan" and see more.

Tim

P.S. - Don't buy regurgitated snakes!

Third Eye

Tim, it sure did. I only viewed the snake in the cage and didnt have it removed to handle or inspect closer when I first saw it. I usually NEVER buy from stores and wait til the next local herp show, or buy online. Still, this one impressed me enough to take a second look a few days later regardless if it was an integrade/hybrid or not. I was thinking about just getting it for a WTF snake to keep as a pet based on beauty alone!! Do your sockheads show reduced belly patterns? I did notice this particular snake had no red or banding in the belly pattern, just a series of washed out looking black circular markings down the belly.

When I see cool things in pet stores, I buy them too. I realize it isn't necessarily the best source, but sometimes you gotta grab something while it's there. So I really don't see anything wrong with pet store animals.

There's someone selling sockheads in the classifieds right now. He's got belly pics of his snakes in the ads. They're pretty similar to the sockheads I was working with.

Tim

I know the ad you are referring to and the animal I saw looked exactly like that. I was even amazed to see the same belly pattern I was referring to. The more I think about it the more I am aggravated the snake was eaten!! It would have cost me about the same as purchasing online and paying shipment. Nice sized animal as well. Ah well, goes that way sometimes.

(I'm VERY sorry to hear about your snake, and of the irresponsibility of the pet store employees. One more victory for Stupidity.)

I've had unbelievable luck in the Portland/Vancouver area. At times, I could hardly believe the quality & value of animals I encountered, especially when I was looking for a snake.

Tigard Petco (1998) had a very spirited Cal King; one of my best snakes ever.

Hayden Meadows Petco (2005) had an impressive, spirited Mojave phase Cal King that I raised from a hatchling.

Rose City Reptiles (2008) had an adult Carlsbad Wide-banded morph Cal King with a crescent symbol on its head, and golden/tan bands. He eats & handles like a charm.

Hillsboro Petco (2008) had an impressively colored Desert King, and a smoky Western Black King.

House Of Reptiles (2009) in Tigard had two adult Black Milks, one of each gender. When I got the male, they provided his feeding record across 2 years! They have exceptional selection, quality & species familiarity.

Sometimes you get not only what you were hoping for, you get even better!!

It's demise is a direct result of pure stupidity...not the herp Gods....LOL

...it's the direct reason that we can still breed millions of hatchlings a year , and still have a buyer for them....

.....better luck next time....

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......JY

In most cases the old adage applies "you get what you pay for". Its not hard to figure out where PETCO gets their snakes, the bigger suppliers have contracts with the bigger breeders and its all about $$. They will buy cal kings and such in hundred lots at maybe $4-5ea and sell em for $79.99. The snakes go through about 3-4 sets of hands before getting to your store, no matter what anyone says there is no way to know the lineage or purity...no matter what PETCO employee says. Now often people get into snakes by frequenting their local PETCO and taking the plunge...the TANK, the DRIFTWOOD, and all the crap that a snake "needs". After keeping snakes a while and reading the better books(not available at PETCO)you find your collection growing....and now you are HERE....Right?
So, you read these crazy threads about purity, locality, etc and you want to add another to your collection. Before going back to PETCO go over to the classifieds or the commercial breeding section on this site. Many of us started from the same beginnings and I dont have to tell you but a breeders' snakes are alot better kept than PETCO's(READ -HEALTHIER!). You get personal service, you get the right answer the first time, and you are now patronizing the very people you ask questions from. Your education can grow exponentially. Yes, shipping costs arent cheap, but the initial cost of the snake is the last thing you are thinking about when you deal with the critter on a daily basis for years! Remember an animal should never be an impulse buy.....until your collection is so big the gf/wife wont notice the additions and you go to a show and find something you never knew you needed....

Jeff, I am well beyond "Here" LOL. This was a potential fluke buy based on the visual quality of the animal. I know the Petco folks wouldnt know ANYTHING about the animal above and beyond if and what its feeding on (if that). I doubt a majority of the jobbers posting on this website even know the lineage of the animals they sell. The question was whether or not the animal I described is an actual Pueblan (doesnt sound out of the ordinary for the abherant patterns observed for that species), or more likely an integrade/hybrid. If I would have purchased it, I probably would have treated it as a "Nice Pet/Not a Breeder" animal LOL!!

I will agree sometimes you can find hidden gems at pet stores or even shows if you know your stuff. I found a real nice adult female Celaenops labeled as a HONDO! No locale info, but a really nice snake!

Gotta love those midwestern U.S. "Hondos"..LOL!

Some of the labels ya see on stuff is just insane!..HAHAHAA!

I saw a nice knoblochi labeled as a Honduran in a pet store a few years back..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

How come my Hondo isn't getting as large as you guys'? I don't understand it....
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Todd Hughes

I always check out the shops around town when I go for other supplies. You never know what shows up. Of course, you cant verify things like locality, but sometimes you see animals like sand boas or corn morphs that are nice, accurately identified, and decently priced. I am REAL leary of buying from them though. Most of my stuff has come local or trusted breeders I know. I dont have anything locality specific at the moment. Still, you want to feel as if the genetics you have in the corns, etc. are pretty solid.