Corn snakes...

Ruanej90

I'm looking to buy a corn snake (younger the better) from a breeder rather than a petshop...their prices are ok but still..i have heard bad things about petshop reptiles, things like their stressed so they wont eat, bad health stuff like that so im wondering if ye can point me in the direction of a reputable breeder or a hobbyist who may sell one... i live in galway but tbh if i'm getting a healthy snake it's worth the drive i've looked in he usual places like google, gumtree and donedeal and buyandsell but no luck. also im not looking to get a morph either just a normal corn snake.

fay25

I'm a bit late seeing this - as i've only just signed up to the boards!
I have some adult normal corns for sale, my babies are morphs.
I would be very careful about buying privately when it's your first snake - you simply won't know what to look for, maturally enough.
Most petshops in Ireland are horrific when it comes to reptiles. However, I can recommend a trip to Reptile Haven in Dublin. I know it's a bit out of your way, but it would be well worth it if you're considering starting at reptiles in any form. Ben has decades of experience, a wealth of knowledge, and it's definitely the best reptile shop in the country.
Good luck!

Ruanej90

fay25 wrote: »

I'm a bit late seeing this - as i've only just signed up to the boards!
I have some adult normal corns for sale, my babies are morphs.
I would be very careful about buying privately when it's your first snake - you simply won't know what to look for, maturally enough.
Most petshops in Ireland are horrific when it comes to reptiles. However, I can recommend a trip to Reptile Haven in Dublin. I know it's a bit out of your way, but it would be well worth it if you're considering starting at reptiles in any form. Ben has decades of experience, a wealth of knowledge, and it's definitely the best reptile shop in the country.
Good luck!

Thanks! Pet shop ones are really bad! i sent a personal message

SCI

I'd agree Ben's a good bet but a responsible breeder would give good advise too.

fay25

They sure would (like me and you, simon!)

The prob is complete newcomers to the herp world don't know the difference bet a responsible breeder and someone who'll take advantage of your lack of experience. And there are a shocking number of them out there I've discovered over the last few years!

Go to the site I told you about, myself and sci are both there and plenty of others

thecivvie

There maybe some breeders here but also try Reptile-Community.com as well, great Irish based reptile forum. There are others as well.

Apart from ben's I avoid most petshops

I do hope to breed from my females this year

Ruanej90

Thanks for the help guys, i joined reptile-community and i'll ask around there!.

thecivvie

Great, may see you there Also trying to arrange a bulk buy of frozen mice, need around 6 people in Galway, have 3 so far

Ruanej90

Sure from who will i get 'em from ?? (frozen mice)

thecivvie

Petshop in Quay street has the best petshop ones, otherwise ask on the RC forums, but for 1, not sure if bulk is a saving, unless you plan on getting more

aboutimeilogin!

Ruanej90 wrote: »

I'm looking to buy a corn snake (younger the better) from a breeder rather than a petshop...their prices are ok but still..i have heard bad things about petshop reptiles, things like their stressed so they wont eat, bad health stuff like that so im wondering if ye can point me in the direction of a reputable breeder or a hobbyist who may sell one... i live in galway but tbh if i'm getting a healthy snake it's worth the drive i've looked in he usual places like google, gumtree and donedeal and buyandsell but no luck. also im not looking to get a morph either just a normal corn snake.

most petshops here will be supplied by local breeders so ask a shop to get one in for you and ask them to reserve it as son as it comes in. also ask to see it when they are feeding it so you can see the set-up and feeding method.
a petshop with many reptiles will save a lot of cash by skipping feeds for reptiles and this is commonly done.
bare this in mind when window shopping and seeing the same animals every week.
20 reptiles missing a 1euro feed a week is not a lot but saves a shop 1000euro a year!!
rep-community is a good place to chat and learn from other people rather than shops/web adds.
take yer time and get the result you want.
snakes have been part of my life for over 20 years all down to good research
before buying my first and last!!
hope you get a good result from boards.ie and all the people here.

SCI

aboutimeilogin! wrote: »

most petshops here will be supplied by local breeders so ask a shop to get one in for you and ask them to reserve it as son as it comes in. also ask to see it when they are feeding it so you can see the set-up and feeding method.
a petshop with many reptiles will save a lot of cash by skipping feeds for reptiles and this is commonly done.
bare this in mind when window shopping and seeing the same animals every week.
20 reptiles missing a 1euro feed a week is not a lot but saves a shop 1000euro a year!!
rep-community is a good place to chat and learn from other people rather than shops/web adds.
take yer time and get the result you want.
snakes have been part of my life for over 20 years all down to good research
before buying my first and last!!
hope you get a good result from boards.ie and all the people here.

Most reptiles will be supplied to shops though wholesalers, in my experiences most shop treat them badly and any breeder worth anything wouldn't supply them. A reptile only shop is the way to go,it's there bread and butter. Most specialize in reptiles as they know what there doing,not because they sell and are the latest thing.

FAYESY

Ok I have to say I really object to threads like this = do not tar all pet shops with the same brush!

I own a small pet shop in the middle of a tiny village - we have an even smaller pet farm where you can see my exotic animals etc. I sell a wide variety of animals - I feed & treat all reptiles & animals as if they were my own! People like you are killing small businesses & pet shops - I keep monkeys & exotics but do not sell them! I do not sell the latest fad crazes if I did I might actually be able to pay my blooming mortgage! I have ethics & will not buy in monkeys just so I can sell them to idiots!

I am not using this post to advertise my shop or my location. This is my first public post admitting I am a pet shop owner - kinda makes me feel dirty given the abuse on here almost like I am attending an aa meeting!

TEMPLAR KNIGHT

FAYESY wrote: »

Ok I have to say I really object to threads like this = do not tar all pet shops with the same brush!

I own a small pet shop in the middle of a tiny village - we have an even smaller pet farm where you can see my exotic animals etc. I sell a wide variety of animals - I feed & treat all reptiles & animals as if they were my own! People like you are killing small businesses & pet shops - I keep monkeys & exotics but do not sell them! I do not sell the latest fad crazes if I did I might actually be able to pay my blooming mortgage! I have ethics & will not buy in monkeys just so I can sell them to idiots!

I am not using this post to advertise my shop or my location. This is my first public post admitting I am a pet shop owner - kinda makes me feel dirty given the abuse on here almost like I am attending an aa meeting!

fair play to you, i wish most places were like this!

Ruanej90

SCI wrote: »

Most reptiles will be supplied to shops though wholesalers, in my experiences most shop treat them badly and any breeder worth anything wouldn't supply them. A reptile only shop is the way to go,it's there bread and butter. Most specialize in reptiles as they know what there doing,not because they sell and are the latest thing.

I don't know of any reptile-only shops in Galway, Just PetWorld cos when i go into the city it's the only place i go to because of how easy it is to get there for me, i might have a look round eyre square and maybe civvie could shed light on a reptile-only shop
To FAYESY, not trying to tarnish your business or dis-respect, but the bigger Petstores that have shops nationwide to tend to be very bad at caring for their exotic animals..

SCI

FAYESY wrote: »

Ok I have to say I really object to threads like this = do not tar all pet shops with the same brush!

I own a small pet shop in the middle of a tiny village - we have an even smaller pet farm where you can see my exotic animals etc. I sell a wide variety of animals - I feed & treat all reptiles & animals as if they were my own! People like you are killing small businesses & pet shops - I keep monkeys & exotics but do not sell them! I do not sell the latest fad crazes if I did I might actually be able to pay my blooming mortgage! I have ethics & will not buy in monkeys just so I can sell them to idiots!

I am not using this post to advertise my shop or my location. This is my first public post admitting I am a pet shop owner - kinda makes me feel dirty given the abuse on here almost like I am attending an aa meeting!

That why I said MOST not all.
I could back up what I'm saying with a short run around the country with a camera.Who are people like me? The people I'm talking about are wrecking reptile keeping. I've been in pet shops trying to feed tortoise dog food, beardys with no heat, corns and garters snakes in the same tank being fed crickets!!I could go on. These people don't deserve to have a business,I've never been to your shop FAYESY,if it's run that way then the comment wasn't directed at you. But it's true most general pet shops don't have a clue about reptiles.

FAYESY

I did open my shop because of the idiots I encountered when I was buying a hamster - I had to visit 3 shops before I could buy hamster food! I have seen other shops that sell a stunning 3 foot viv with all accessories etc for a good price & you get a free nile monitor! Totally wrong & stupid - but a great money maker! No wonder my business is going out of business I am too damn honest! I have a lot of reptiles here that I have been feeding for the last year - Some will stay the rest if I sell them I will have lost a heap of money on them - just the way my business is going!

I would love to have a big swanky fancy shop with a heap of space & a lot of staff - but my store would care for the animals not sell them with little or no info. The pet manias of the world are a huge company - they buy in heaps of supplies so can undercut most small family run businesses. My shop is tiny & filled with my pets as well as what we sell.