Something is just wierd to me

[Kingvegeta]

Hi so i have a ball python its only about a foot and half long bo problems feeding or problems of any real sort but when i get him out i do feel some of his scales kind of lifted i guess its only on his belly he dont have mights or anything but this is just wierd to me this is my second ball and im did a little herp studying in school but i dont remember reading anything that may cause this any info would be great if it matters i did get it from petsmart which may have been a bad choice but i take it as savingnhim instead of buying him

[DJC Reptiles]

First off don’t buy animals from petsmart, although it can be tempting to buy a neat looking snake, or save it, buying animals from petsmart only causes them to get more. If your rubbing your snake the wrong way, the scales can lift, or perhaps your snake is getting ready to shed. I’ve never heard or experienced this problem before so keep me updated if you can.

[craigafrechette]

Unfortunately, "saving" an animal from a big box pet store only puts profit in the corporations pocket considering how ridiculously they jack up the prices. It also creates room to buy and mistreat another animal. You're always better off going with a reputable breeder and buying a healthy animal.

As for the scales, it could be due to undernourishment and/or dehydration, both very common with big box store animals. There may be an upcoming shed that is also contributing to the loose scales.

[EL Ziggy]

I agree that the raised scales could be the beginning of a shed cycle. I also prefer buying my critters from reputable breeders but I won't speak ill of all the big chain stores. I got my first king from Petsmart and he was awesome. I also bought a couple of BPs many moons ago in my mid 20's from chain stores that were great pets.

[Aaron_S]

First off don’t buy animals from petsmart, although it can be tempting to buy a neat looking snake, or save it, buying animals from petsmart only causes them to get more. If your rubbing your snake the wrong way, the scales can lift, or perhaps your snake is getting ready to shed. I’ve never heard or experienced this problem before so keep me updated if you can.

Why not? My normal ball pythons are sold to petsmart. They are quality stock. I know the entire supply chain for snakes in Canada. I don't know if they ship to the states from up here though.

[DJC Reptiles]

Why not? My normal ball pythons are sold to petsmart. They are quality stock. I know the entire supply chain for snakes in Canada. I don't know if they ship to the states from up here though.

Some people have had good experiences with petsmart. I don’t support them because of the conditions I find the animals in whenever I go there. Also, they will jack up the prices in store, but keep them lower online. They do price match, but it is a dirty trick nonetheless. Locations where the animals are kept are also less than favorable. Supplies are okay to buy, but be weary about the prices, it’s much better to buy a animal directly from a reputable breeder.

[Aaron_S]

Some people have had good experiences with petsmart. I don’t support them because of the conditions I find the animals in whenever I go there. Also, they will jack up the prices in store, but keep them lower online. They do price match, but it is a dirty trick nonetheless. Locations where the animals are kept are also less than favorable. Supplies are okay to buy, but be weary about the prices, it’s much better to buy a animal directly from a reputable breeder.

That's fair.

I just know PetSmart in Canada buys from wholesalers who buy their stock from breeders. So I know they are quality animals to start with. After they leave the wholesaler I don't know what happens.

[phenyx]

I bought my BP from a PetSmart here in Florida. When I saw her, she by herself was in a clean, enclosure with a hide, water, heat, light, substrate, and stuff to climb on. The reptile person there was able to tell me how long she'd been in the store (10 days), that she'd refused her feeding the day before and that she had taken a feed 8 days prior. (The regular sales guy who sold me my set up was another story.)

On the other hand, I bought my BRB at a reptile show from a breeder. He was stuffed into a tiny, bare, display box labeled "male" with 2 or 3 other baby snakes. I'm not even sure he's really a male. The guys working the booth didn't know anything about my particular baby. They didn't know when or what he was last fed. All they could tell me was "he's 2-4 months old". I called the company a couple days later and was told "all our babies are started on pinkies every 4-5 days" but they still couldn't tell me how old he was.

(It turns out this particular breeder (The Gourmet Rodent) is a wholesale breeder who supplies big box chains so there's a really good chance they also bred my BP. If you see them at ReptiCon, I don't recommend buying from them just due to the lack of specific information.)

My point is you can get good or bad information/handling from any point-of-sale.