My '09 Royal!!!

Hi guys, just joined today :)
This is my SECOND snake!
An '09Royal/Ball Python female called Ruby! AND I LOVE HER TO BITS!!!

Ok hope this works...

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Even in shed she enjoyed the lovely weather!!
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Her munching down a tasty Fuzzy :P
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Pics of my corn snake in the Corn section in a minute :)
Joe.
And lastly her enjoying me dry her off after a refreshing bath lol
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hello joe lol

kingkoopa14 wrote:hello joe lol

Hello Jay!!!
Go into the chat yokey thing lol

i used to have one she was a big step from the corns they sound big when you have never had one lol
unfortunately my experience was a bad one and i dont think i will get another

hudsy13 wrote:i used to have one she was a big step from the corns they sound big when you have never had one lol
unfortunately my experience was a bad one and i dont think i will get another

Sorry to hear mate.....non feeder??
They can be very fussy but i'm blessed with a pig!!

very hungry non feedder did everything apart from swollow the rat until like 6 six months after purchsed asked la pets in portadown for a refunded but they said no and just keep trying i was well p***** off

I hate that.....reptile shops aren't great to be honest....Im sorry your first was a nonfeeder :( Im getting a 2010 from ben in reptile haven in dublin hopefully he eats for me!

im never bying from pet shops as they dont seem trust worthy
thats why i get most of my snakes from private dealers

Only way to go!

reptile shops arent all bad some of us are just trying to make a living doing what wee love to do and the fact is most of these private dealers work very close with most rep shops. sorry i get a bit p....doff when keepers come on to these fourms and slag off all rep shops by the way reptile shops do not make any money on livestock at all (trust me) we make it on drygoods and foodstuffs which im sure you have bought from a reptile shop at some stage

I have to take Ady's side here....now let's not get confused I'm not a pet shop or owner thereof.

Profit margins on livestock really is minimal, products and food supporting the livestock is every shops staple...no question there.

Private breeders and/or pet shops can both offer animals that are difficult to start off feeding...it's part of the territory I'm afraid, you'll notice I didn't say non feeder....no healthy snake is really a non feeder....I mean have you ever heard of a healthy animal starving itself to death, just because?? No of course you haven't. Part of your husbandry skills involve identifying difficulties in your animals (you've done that in this particular case) and providing a solution. Some snakes can be reluctant feeders, however, once you've figured out their own particular requirement you should really have little further problem.

There are a whole bunch of different methods you may attempt to elicit a feeding response in your snake.

Of course, one of the easiest ways to satisfy yourself is at the outset, reserve the animal and ask to be present at feeding time, if you're happy, purchase. Ask to take a look at feeding records, most folk employ these and it'll give you a sense of how regular the snake feeds, what it favours and how it's fed.

Do your research prior to purchase, ask the right questions and don't jump in blindly if you're dissatisfied with answers.

Pet Shops? Private breeders?...to be honest it's just too easy to blame the source from whence it came, the animal owner should also be totally knowledgeable/responsible and understand wholly what he/she is taking on and as such factors as largely in the animal's ongoing condition and welfare as the source!!

If anyone needs advice on the purchase and procurement of snakes and other reptiles, shout out, there are plenty of experienced hobbyists and professionals on the forum that'll give folk a steer if required.

well said tony

Well said!
So far my experience with petshops has been quite bad...but ive only seen the few, when i say bad i mean the lack of understanding they have about the animals they keep and the standard of info they give newbies to the reptile keeping game isnt great, but as i said ive only been to a few reptileshops so i am not stereotyping all of them, sorry for confusion reptile ni

Joe one thing you said stands out there

when i say bad i mean the lack of understanding they have about the animals they keep and the standard of info they give

This doesn't only apply to reptile shops but to pretty much any pet shop I have ever visited over the years, with a few exceptions. Some of the advice I've been offered or heard being handed out is nothing short of shocking. For an example, one was to a woman buying a rabbit and she was told in order to stop this female becoming aggressive as soon as she hit 6 months old she needed to be bred, this would also guarantee cancer wouldn't set in for at least 3 yrs. Another was to feed a hatchling corn every 10-14 days or there abouts and it could be kept at room temps just fine, no heat needed.

I could rant on here for ages about stores in general but I think the point is you will always get 'professionals' who get it sooo wrong its mind boggling but because it's come from a store owner or staff member it must be true, some people who will then simply pass on the incorrect info they have received, after all if the pet store staff told you why would you doubt it.

It is those stores that make it harder for the decent folk out there and I think your experience is all too common across the board of animal keeping especially exotics which makes it that little bit harder for the Adys and Bens out there.

Sorry should have said 'This doesn't only apply to reptile shops but to pretty much any franchise pet shop I have ever visited over the years, with a few exceptions.

Understanding and knowledge of subject matter is quite a different issue to a reluctant feeder and I'm sure many have had a quiet word with folk when contrary advice has been given and witnessed...I know I have.

Look, when all said and done [and ranting aside] it is what it is, if we lived in an ideal world, all would be perfect, right? Of course it's not perfect. So as a budding hobbyist arm yourself with the knowledge you require, do your research.... internet, reference books, magazines, articles, forums, other keepers etc etc. Learn from mistakes, gain experience, pass that experience on to other like minded souls.....get yourself in the driving seat and take responsible charge.

At the end of the day there are a million dodgy car salesmen with little or no knowledge of the workings of an internal combustion engine, now you're not going to blindly pay cash and drive a car off their forecourt on the strength of their say so are you?? I'm not!!

As mentioned before, if anyone needs advice and I do mean any advice on the purchase and procurement or specific husbandry requirements of snakes and other exotics that the forum deals with, shout out, there are plenty of experienced hobbyists and professionals on the forum that'll give folk a steer if required.

I wasn't happy with a royal i got from my local pet shop recently. I ordered a Capive bred 2009 royal and when it came in it was a well grown adult maybe a 2008-2007 wild caught full of ticks and mites which could have messed up my collection but as i quantined the snake everything was ok. Now I knew it wasn't my local pet shops fault cause they was only going by the price list to the wholesaler which should have said WILD CAUGHT instead or CAPTIVE BRED on the price list then I would have known before hand. Anyways i got on to the wholesaler myself and in the end I was given a replacement which iam very happy with. My local pet shop is my source of food for my snakes and they are a great shop if i need anything its there. There are some good shops and some bad its down to you the buyer at the end of the day to make sure you make the right choice before buying. If my snake was in the shop then i could have seen its condition and see it feeding but because it had to be ordered in I was none of the wiser. If you think the snakes going to be a problem have a look around or talk to someone who can help you in finding a good snake to buy. Never be scared to ask questions it pays to do so

Good common sense advice!

Tony W wrote:Good common sense advice!

alittle common sense goes along way liking the logo tony

ive just had a bad expierience with them
but i hear i you have a pretty good reputation

hudsy13 wrote:ive just had a bad expierience with them
but i hear i you have a pretty good reputation

dont let royals put you off just cause you had a bad experinece with one they make a cracking snake to own. just take your time in finding a nice docile snake thats a good feeder. out of all the snakes out there i would say royals are one of the best starter snakes out there just because of them being docile. dont get me wrong you do find the odd snappy one (ive had one) just take your time look around go and see a couple then make your choice. royals are a nice size snake to manage they dont get too big and pretty much there easy going. i like big snakes like burms and retics but i wouldn't own one because of the size they get it would be abit to much for me to manage (plus i have kids) but royals are like little puppys

naw im past the small snake stage now and fell deeply in love with boas
hers a question
whats the difference between a female burm and a male retic

hudsy13 wrote:naw im past the small snake stage now and fell deeply in love with boas
hers a question
whats the difference between a female burm and a male retic

not to sure on that one as i dont own any. but iam sure retics grow bigger that burms

i know that a female retic would be bigest
but i want too know the difference between a female burm and a male retic

probs not much Hudsy ii mean both are giant monsters lol :P