corn snake selling price

Question
QUESTION: Hi i might need to sell my corn snake soon because i wont be able to afford mice for him. He/she is a 3 foot long amelanistic corn snake. Ive had him/her for a year and a half and he/she has never bitten me and is a great eater. what should i ask for him?

ANSWER: Rita, that's really hard to say.  Needing to sell it because you can't afford to feed it is very different from wanting to sell it for what it is worth.  I'm curious what you're paying for mice!  It really shouldn't cost more than $10 a month to feed an adult corn.  If you really can't afford to feed it, you need to sell it for whatever you can get from a person who will give it a good home.  However, the current market for adult amelanistics is probably $40-80.  That would be reptile show pricing, not pet store pricing.  In a store they might ask as much as $150, of course they would be sitting on the snake for a very long time.  

You'll also have to consider how to sell it.  As cash seems to be a problem, running an ad or posting on a reptiles for sale site is probably not an option, so you're stuck w/ Craigslist type spots which don't always attract the customers you're looking for. Digital pictures will help sell it and help you get the most you can for it.  In fact, I am in need of a few more amels myself, so if you can send me a pic @ bnr.com@prodigy.net and I'll make you an offer.  Hope this helps!

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QUESTION: thank you very much for your reply. I am only 16 and i don't have a job and my parents are taking away my allowance so i wont have any money soon. thats why i might need to get rid of it soon. im going to stretch my money as far as i can so i can keep him for as long as possible. I've just gotten so attached. he eats 4-5 fuzzies a week, he's not beg enough to eat adult mice yet. that costs me about 20$ a month. The store i get mice from only has pinkies fuzzies and adult mice so i can't get hoppers or anything. thats why i get so many fuzzies. Ill try to get some pictures to you soon if you are still interested.

ANSWER: If your snake is 3 feet long it can eat adult mice.  One adult mouse a week will suffice.  So about $5 a month.  Perhaps you should look for a way to earn some money.  Washing cars, cutting grass, pulling weeds, etc.  Surely, you can earn $5-10 per month and keep your snake.  Or maybe quit ticking off your parents and keep your allowance!  LOL  Good luck!

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QUESTION: i am currently looking for a job so that why i said maybe, ill work on getting you those pictures. my snakes head is about the size of my thumb, or a little less. surely he can't swallow a whole mouse! it would kill him first! and my parents didn't take my allowance away because they are mad at me they are trying to force me to find a job. thanks for all your *cough* friendly advice.

Answer
Rita, I have been keeping and breeding corn snakes for at least 15 years, and I'll say it again, if your snake is 3 feet long not only could he, but he SHOULD BE eating adult mice.  I once saw a 2 1/2 foot wild corn crawl into my rat breeding tub, kill and consume a full grown rat!  Now granted, the snake literally could not move afterward, but it ate it.  I kept it in my snake room for about a week while it digested the rat, then let it go.  If your snake's head is the size of your thumb his body should be much bigger.  You judge prey size based on the body not the head.  Buy an adult mouse this week and try it out.  At three feet and up I feed small rats or 2 adult mice at a time.  Your snake can do it!