Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm interested in getting a corn snake or possibly a king, and I'd like to be able to see the snake in person before buying, rather than buying online. Can anyone recommend either a good shop or breeder in northern California (I live near Sacramento but could travel to the bay area as well.) Failing that, are there any particular breeders that deal online that people have had good experiences with? I'm not really adverse to buying a snake online, but given the choice I'd rather just go and pick one up.

I've done some searching for local businesses and the only ones I've found so far are East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley, Pets to Go/Upscale Reptiles in Elk Grove and Great Valley Serpentarium in Lodi. Does anyone have any experiences with any of those places?

This will be my first snake, so any advice or suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks a lot,
Scott

East Bay Vivarium and Great Valley Serp. are fine places to go. I understand wanting to see the animal in person, but don't fear buying off of the internet. Most advertisers on the classifieds on kingsnake.com are reputable, especially the private breeders.

You're asking for a corn or king.. it isn't rocket science to produce those, and there are 100s on the classifieds. I've gotten outstanding animals from no-name breeders, so not every source has to be the biggest most well-known names.

In time you'll learn the warning signs of potentially bad sellers. One is when they claim the snake is gorgeous and unique but they don't have pics available. Anyone worth their salt will be able to get a picture to you one way or another.
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Mark