Captive bred (CB) reptiles are born in captivity.  Purchasing a well established CB reptile from a breeder will guarantee that you will be off to a great start.  When purchasing a reptile from a breeder, most of the time you will recieve the exact hatch date of your animal, shed, weight and feeding records and even learn exactly who the parents are that created your new baby.  Captive bred reptiles usually live longer than wild caught reptiles, become better feeders and breeders and acclimate to captivity naturally. 

Wild caught (WC) reptiles are taken from their natural habitat.  The majority of wild caught reptiles sitting in pet stores suffer from stress, dehydration, emaciation and internal and/or external parasites.  It is impossible to determine the history of such an animal so the buyer is never fully informed about what is being purchased.  It may be impossible for WC reptiles to successfully acclimate to captivity even after the initial required veterinarian visit.

Ball pythons live an average 20-30 years.  Wouldn't it be wise to purchase a quality animal when making such a long term investment?