Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've fallen in love with these guys and decided I wanted to get one in the future - but then I realized I have no idea what I might be looking at cost wise or where I might find some.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.
-----
0.0.1 Ball Python
1.0.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"

I've seen them for as low as $250. They come in a few different shades so look at some pictures first to get an idea of what you want. I've got one pinkish one and one greyish one with a bit of extra yellow.
-----
Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

The lowest I've paid for a CB Mandarin was 250- but she's kind of a runt and was a slow feeder for almost a year. The most I've paid was 600.00 for a 2-3 year old male snake who is a real beauty. Average price is 300-500 depending on age and looks.
Lora

Previous posts outlined costs pretty well, but I'd be careful getting the really cheap ones. Imported snakes often go for less than half price of a CB snake, but have tons of problems. It's best to invest. Usually the $250 to $300 range offers snakes that have poor color or pattern and no locality info. Reputable breeders seek to enhance these conditions and that's where it pays to shop around. There are several different localities and some can be quite different and/or have variations in prices. You can get a nice s.e. Chinese or Sichuan mandarina for as low as $400, but I'd be careful who I was dealing with.

There are many breeders of mandarina that visit this forum. Not all are businesses either. Some, like me, are just hobbyists, and may only have one pair of these snakes. But there are times when they have babies they'd be willing to part with. I have one left from this year's clutch, but won't be selling it. I'll keep it until next summer at least. I also picked up a pair of Sichuan mandarina from a friend this summer. They are an awesome color/pattern phase and, so far, seem like a somewhat different snake in behavior and morphology. They are supposed to get larger than the more common forms too. If you go this route be careful to get a reputable dealer who knows exactly what he's got.

Good luck in your search. Mandarina is one of the most awesome of all the Asian ratsnakes.

TC

I've seen IMPORTS for $45 dollars, but you don't want to mess with those. I think most of the CB ones available are going to be healthy, so it's up to you how much you want to spend on looks. I kind of wish now I had localities but it didn't really occur to me back when I got mine.
-----
Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

"I think most of the CB ones available are going to be healthy, so it's up to you how much you want to spend on looks."

This is true, so let me clarify. I'm one that would look very critically when making a major investment, or to start a breeding program. So, I would look at color/pattern, the breeder's expertise, and the locality. There aren't very many locality snakes, but it's something I think we should look at in the future. Sorry I'm so fussy, but it's just one of my high interest areas, LOL. If the buyer doesn't care about ever breeding their snakes, my previous statements don't matter much.

PS: I failed to note that lone males are often sold for less than the normal prices.

TC

I didn't even know enough about 'em to be fussy when I got mine, but I never think being picky is a bad thing. Not that mine aren't nice, they're just a tad too different from each other.
-----
Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

I think I know what you mean. I got a Thai Bamboo Rat (coxi) this summer I thought was great, but it has a broken stripe down the back. Then I got a mate for it this fall with a perfect stripe. Now I'm hoping all the babies will have the perfect stripe, although both snakes are great, and any babies at all will be fantastic, hahaha. I guess we just have to have something to strive for. I will tell you, watching that first baby Mandarin hatch out was fabulous

Luck....TC.

Thank you for the information. Do you have any pics (or can you point me to some on the web) that illustrate the differences in appearance between localities?

Thanks again.
-----
0.0.1 Ball Python
1.0.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"

I can't show you any pics right now, as I'm in AZ checking out new locations for field trips next summer, but there's a good selection in the gallery at (ratsnakes.com). I believe they have both Chinese and Sichuan Mandarins, but I'm not sure which is which. I'll try to get some pics of my Sichuans in a couple weeks. TC.

-----
1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer "Kira"