Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok i have a few questions. my girlfriend agreed to get me a milk for xmas and i want a mexican, sinaloan, or nelson's. i have found them at online breeders for 35 bucks, but the shipping is another 35. there is one pet store where i live, toledo ohio, that has one yearling sinaloan for 70 bucks. now i know that getting the one at the pet store ensures a live delivery but i don't want to pay $70 for a $35 snake. there is a show in columbus at the end of january. would it be in my best interest to wait for that show and hope i can get one cheaper? i've never been to a show but i know these are pretty common. how reliable is the shipping from online breeders? and how much could i expect to pay for one at a show. i know this is petty but i am a poor college student and every little bit helps. thanks for any advice.

Wait until the reptile show. There is a link to it with the date and directions on the kingsnake.com home page. You can see what you are getting. I got a Pueblan milk there this summer for $35 and a Florida king for $25. Both are healthy and excellent feeders. Hope this helps.

Good luck,
Todd

$70 for a yearling from the pet store is not bad. A yearling should be about 24 inches if fed regularly. If you buy a hatchling for $35 your likely to spend $35 on food for the year. So are you really ahead? Also, there's no question about the pet store snakes feeding habits. When I do buy hatchlings at shows, I like to see them feed. I pay for the food item which is usually very easy to find at the show. Just read the forums, there are plenty of new hobbyist asking for help with feeding. Another option is to be willing to buy an older snake at the show. You may find a yearling for $50 or closer to 2 years old for around $75.
If you haven't figured it out by now, what I'm saying is just don't look at the bottom line!
Cheap snakes are not always your best purchase.
John Q