Petco morph?

Orange Ghost · 01-18-13, 11:14 AM

Alright I'm not usually one of those people that thinks any normal is a possible morph but at petco in my town they have 3 ball pythons. One of them seems a little odd. He's got very light brown blushing, a cleanish belly, and kind of a green tinted eye. As much as I hate supporting petco I kind of want to go back and buy him. For only 40$ it might be worth the gamble. I have a few blurry pictures let me know what you think

Will0W783 · 01-18-13, 12:13 PM

It looks like a normal to me, but a nice example. There is a fair amount of pattern/color variation among normal ball pythons..much more than people tend to realize.
BTW, the snake in the first picture looks significantly underweight. Shame on the store!

Orange Ghost · 01-18-13, 12:22 PM

Yeah they are all in bad shape. His green eyes are just what got me thinkin.

Will0W783 · 01-18-13, 12:30 PM

They are pretty green eyes, but I've seen those in normals. He/she is a very pretty normal though..if Petco's prices weren't ridiculous I'd say snatch him up and rehab him.

KORBIN5895 · 01-18-13, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will0W783

They are pretty green eyes, but I've seen those in normals. He/she is a very pretty normal though..if Petco's prices weren't ridiculous I'd say snatch him up and rehab him.

So they can put another one in the same conditions?

Orange Ghost · 01-18-13, 12:45 PM

Yeah they are in pretty ****** conditions. There is poop all over the tank and their bedding is dirt and for some reason there is tons of mealworms crawling around in there. I used to want to work there just so I could help out all the reptiles they have there

EmbraceCalamity · 01-18-13, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orange Ghost

Yeah they are in pretty ****** conditions. There is poop all over the tank and their bedding is dirt and for some reason there is tons of mealworms crawling around in there. I used to want to work there just so I could help out all the reptiles they have there

Maybe try telling them you're interested in the snake, but the conditions are so deplorable that you don't want another snake put in the same ones? You'd be surprised how much threatening a sale can sway their opinions.

~Maggot

MoreliAddict · 01-18-13, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orange Ghost

Yeah they are in pretty ****** conditions. There is poop all over the tank and their bedding is dirt and for some reason there is tons of mealworms crawling around in there. I used to want to work there just so I could help out all the reptiles they have there

Well if they think Ball Pythons can thrive off meal worms, that would explain why their snakes are underweight..

Loucifer · 01-18-13, 02:00 PM

We have a Petco nearby that has a reptile guy who actually takes good care of all their lil dudes! He has 9 ball Pythons of his own. I recall him saying something about owning a Carpet, as well. Still, I don't believe I'd ever purchase one from them. Just saying.
My next snake, down the road, will be either a Children's or a nice Normal. Normals, imo, don't get the attention they deserve. So many variances, how could anyone ignore them??

Orange Ghost · 01-18-13, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loucifer

We have a Petco nearby that has a reptile guy who actually takes good care of all their lil dudes! He has 9 ball Pythons of his own. I recall him saying something about owning a Carpet, as well. Still, I don't believe I'd ever purchase one from them. Just saying.
My next snake, down the road, will be either a Children's or a nice Normal. Normals, imo, don't get the attention they deserve. So many variances, how could anyone ignore them??

Couldn't agree more. This is my male normal that I will probably never breed but I could never get rid of him cause he's just so awesome looking

Loucifer · 01-18-13, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orange Ghost

Couldn't agree more. This is my male normal that I will probably never breed but I could never get rid of him cause he's just so awesome looking

Very good looking boy you have there!

Falconeer999 · 01-18-13, 02:20 PM

I got my hypo melanistic Florida kingsnake from PetCo. It was young, probably there no more than a couple days, but in good condition. Of course they had him mislabeled as a "Speckled Kingsnake". The PetCo near me does a better job taking care of their reptiles than the PetSmart, though both are a bit lacking.

mykee · 01-18-13, 02:38 PM

Definitely a normal, and a very normal looking normal at that.

limey · 01-18-13, 04:25 PM

Yep, it's a normal. Nothing incredibly fancy about it, that's just natural variation. You get variation like that in all species, just as you do in humans. Some specimens are better looking than others.

As much as I respect Willow and her expertise and opinion, I would have to advise against buying a snake from Petco - I don't rate them at all. You said it yourself, the conditions are deplorable and organisations this large are more interested in profit than the welfare of their animals.

Go with a private breeder or somebody you know.

GUITARZAN509 · 01-19-13, 03:09 PM

In the close up pic it kinda looks like a pastel ?