What I meant is I prefer a breeder as apposed to a pet store. Breeders usually understand temperment better, needs and will usually answer questions. This is from my experience of breeding Angora Bunnies and Guinea Pigs. I'm assuming it is the same with these critters.

I would agree that buying from a breeder is the best way to go. I'm sure if you looked around on-line, you'd be able to find someone who breeds cornsnakes or Leopard Geckos or Bearded Dragons.
But you'll find them most easily at a pet shop. You just have to look for one that has clean cages and healthy looking animals.
Don't count on the pet shop people knowing a lot about the care needs though. When you decide which animal you want, just do your homework, get a book on it, check the internet and print out everything you can find and put it in a nice folder so you can grab it any time you need to look something up. (Well, that's what I do!) And ask questions here

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Andrea

Breeders are the best way to go in my opinion, a lot of pet shops hire people with salesmanship but don't require as much knowledge about the animals themselves. Petco is a great example of a pet shop that hires people who know nothing of the animals they are working with. If I were to buy another reptile any time soon I would look for a breeder.

It's great that your son takes such good care of reptiles that you're helping him expand. I wish my parents were more like that when I was young.

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0.1.0 Brazilian Rainbow boa (Sakura)
1.1.0 Leopard geckos (Tasuki, Sango)
2.0.0 Ball pythons (Tsume, Kenshin)

Once in a while the light bulb comes on in my brain... Don't know why I didn't think of it earlier but Sean's grandmother is a docent at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids. She is going to ask the Herp people there if they could put me in contact with some breeders here in MI.

hey welcome to HC! glad you joined us. i definitely would agree that corns are the best to go with for starters. that was my first snake. and of course I couldn't stop at just one. now I have three snakes lol.

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yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear

LOL! Ok I misunderstood! I thought you were saying that you did not want to buy from a breeder!
You might also check out the possibility of any herpshows in your area. Many of my animals have been purchased there.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

There is herp society but they already had their fall show.. There is a Reptile Exposition next month, I'm assuming it is the same thing.

Yes a Reptile Expo is what I was referring to. Kind of like a supermarket of Herps! You can see many species that you normally do not see in pet shops and most of the time they are offered by the people that bred them. A good place to shop, or just hang out and visit with like minded folks!
Never met a breeder yet that didn't love to "talk shop!"

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!