Fair price for Northern BTS

[Craigo]

My egyptian euromastyx recently died, just after Christmas. He was about 14 years old and lived a good life. But he never tamed down, and his tail was a dangerous whip. Now I've got a big, empty cage ready for a new occupant.

I'm interested in purchasing a Northern BTS, but obviously this is not the season for babies. I've just recently began my research and have found some available Northerns, however the prices seem pretty high ($450/ea). Although they have beautiful markings, the price still seams steep compared to what I've seen advertised at some breeder sites. They appear to be yearlings, but I don't know much about them other than they are advertised as C/B in perfect health. Can you tell me what a realistic price range is for C/B Northerns that are between 1 and 2 years old?

I've studied the caresheet on this site, so I will be cautious dealing with the seller.

Thank you,
Craigo

[Fatal_S]

1) I'm moving this to the general discussion forum.

2) I might see $300 for a proven breeder female in the USA, but that's pretty much it for US northerns. Babies are about $125-$150, adults $200-$300.

[Coomassie]

It really depends where you are but $200ish seems to be the good rate. All Northerns SHOULD be cbb since they are Aussie skinks. You will find better prices at a reptile expo than most other places (plus you won't have to pay shipping). Petstores are generally more expensive and the quality of animal usually isn't as good.

[Craigo]

Thanks for your replies. I had a couple of text exchanges with the owner and learned that they are between 2 and 3 years of age. One is advertised as proven male breeder, and some of the others are probable female. Looks like he's making them available to someone looking to jump start a breeding program. However, based on what you've told me and other research I've done, his asking prices are still quite high. Since I'm not looking to start a breeding program at this time, I'll wait until this year's babies are born and reserve one early.

In the meantime, I've got a couple of modifications to make to the "euromastyx palace" as my wife calls it, to make it more suitable for a BTS.

Thanks again,
Craigo