Introducing Atlanis

My wife and son went to the Westchester County Center today for the Reptile Expo.  She took him as a surprise because he's a big fan of snakes and lizards.  He's been asking me to buy him a snake for more than a year now.  I've taken him to a couple pet stores to price Garter snakes but for some reason I couldn't pull the trigger on one.

About a month ago, we happened into a Petco store and I noticed a write up on the tank of a Ball Python.  It mentioned that the Ball Python is a popular purchase for beginners.  My interest was piqued by the mention that they are very docile snakes and easy to handle.  I considered a purchase that day until I saw the price of putting everything together for the snakes comfort.  The snake itself was $69.99.  The kit that included heating, the tank, substrate, etc. was $149.99.  Of course, all of that plus tax and I again opted against a purchase.

So today, about an hour after my family arrived at the reptile expo, I got a message from my wife.  She says to me, "Our son wants a snake so badly.  He's crying now."  My initial response was that crying is not the way to get what you want.  It still played on my heartstrings a little and I asked for more details about the purchase.  I had to know how to keep the snake healthy, how to keep ourselves healthy, how to feed it, how big it would get, how much accessories cost, etc.  After all was said and done, my son bought a 3 month old female Ball Python.

It was a great deal for everything as the total of the snake and it's habitat was around $94.00.  My son paid for the snake himself with his allowance and will be working off about half of the purchase price by doing chores.  He named her Atlanis.  One T.