Ball Python or Kingsnake?

[g124v17y]

Hi everyone!

I have a striped corn snake named spot that I just got, and I already want another one. I am probably not going to get another for a while, but in any case, I have a couple of questions.

Corn snakes, Ball pythons, and kingsnakes are all pretty much the same when it comes to care right?

They all eat mice?

Can you handle them all like you can a corn snake?

I have heard that ball pythons can be tempermental when it comes to feeding... is this true?

Can you handle kingsnakes and ball pythons like you can a corn snake?

Do kingsnakes or ball pythons have fangs or venom? or are they like corn snakes and jsut have teeth.

Sorry for the amount of questions, but ball pythons seem boring to me, (even though they were my first choice snake) and I really want a speckled kingsnake now. So I just want to know if taking care of them is the same, and if they are all handleable like corn snakes are.

THANKS! :crazy02:

 

[carolinacorn69]

Balls are a little more specialised id say. They arent boring thoug, I think theyre awesome.
But, id say go for a King, or another Corn, plenty of varieties out there.
Kings are pretty much exactly the same care as Corns.
All snakes should be kept alone but this is especially true for Kings as they eat other snakes. They do fine on mice though. They get around the same size as Corns and are just as tameable. They also have a great feeding response.
Go for the King id say.

 

[g124v17y]

Hmm. sounds great! I mean I really want a speckled king snake, cause they look amazing.

And I didn't mean that ball pythons are boring, I just meant that their color scheme isn't incredible. I mean they look awesome, ecspecially their heads with that square jaw, but I haven't seen many cool colors or morphs of them. And the ones that I have are REALLY expensive.

Anyway, I think I'm going to get a speckeld king.

Thank you!

 

[clipclopclip]

Well, you should check out the NERD (New England Reptile Distributers) website. Do a search on google....look at their gallery of Balls.....

You will wonder why you thought they didn't have color lol! There are some AMAZING ball morphs..lots of them!!! They are kind of expensive, which is why you don't see them in pet stores.

Even if you don't want a ball, you will get a kick out of NERD's gallery!

 

[Ohana]

I am a colubrid fan so I would say go with another corn or go with a king.

Good luck making your decision

 

[carolinacorn69]

Yeah, go for the King, they are great.
To answer one of your questions, Balls and Kings are not venomous. They are constrictors like Corns.

 

[tricksterpup]

Hi everyone!

Do kingsnakes or ball pythons have fangs or venom? or are they like corn snakes and jsut have teeth.
:

This isn't a bad question mind you but if you need to ask this you really need to do your research on these snakes before you buy any more. I recommend not looking on the internet for information but reading some books. Forums are just a supplement on reading. Read as much as you can find on them. A care sheet here or there doesn't give you the correct information you need.
The Ball python Manual.

or Ball pythons in Captivity

And finally King Snakes and Milk Snakes in Captivity.

All of these are good books and should give you the base husbandry information you need. They should be under $10 at any petco or petsmart. You many need to look around for them but should find them. Heck, go to a used book store and you may find them there as well.