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ball python vs. corn

M

melanie

New member
Hi! I'm new to the forum. I am a ball python owner and will be getting a corn very shortly. I'm just wondering, for those of you who have or have had both, how do they compare personality-wise?
 
I have herd that balls don't eat or breed as well as corns. this is not my opinion because I have never had balls, but that is what I have herd.
 
The bps tend to be more mellow than the corns. They'll just chill forever where as my corns always seem to have a mission to go somewhere. But both are great snakes.
 
I love my Balls... pythons that is LOL!
I wouldn't give up my boy, Spike for anything. He is just so chill and awesome to hang out with (er.. like watch TV and stuff) while corns get annoying because they're always moving and stuff, but that's just me. I'm getting out of BPs because I want to stick with corns for breeding but BPs win my vote any time.
 
i have one corn and one ball. Whereas the corn snake is awake all day, slithering around, burrowing underground and generally being nosey, the ball python is asleep. And at night, the corn will rest and the ball python will come out and have his fun and slither around his vivarum.
Also the ball python is alot calmer and tamer. They really are docile and extremey friendly. The corns are too, just if you wake them or disturb when they want to be alone, they may strike.
 
I'd say they are both great snakes!

That said, If I am in a bad mood my ball python Meerah is the first snake I'll take out. I guess I trust her more with my fingers. Then again, corns have their own personalities and are funky and spunky! I have one very docile one and one spunky one and both have bitten me haha.

Usually if you get bitten by a corn (especially a baby) it hardy hurts, and it is the handler's fault.

Corns move a lot faster than BPs, but are also better feeders in my experience. Corns and ball pythons both hide during the day, but I see my corns out and about more often than my balls.
 
This is interesting. I wouldn't mind hearing some more opinions from owners of both.
 
I have one BP and 6 corns with plans on getting 1 or 2 spider balls this breeding season. I love them both. BPs can get annoying because of their habit of fasting sometimes. But they are great to hold. Mine is not shy and wants to explore just as much as my corns ...just at a slower pace. All but one of my corns are hatchlings. Some are really mellow like my Snow corn Zombie. He will just hang out with you all day and never flinches or moves away from being picked up. My 1 1/2 year old okeetee girl Sega on the other hand is go-go-go. She had calmed down a LOT since she has now been handled on a regular basis however, she will probably always want to go-go-go. All of my corns are superb little eating machines even though my bloodred Hannibal is shy about eating in front of you. I have never been bitten. Hannibal has tried to tag me a few times because he is still scared when you first pick him up. He will grow out of that though. Both species are nocturnal however the corns are more active. Corns are also great because even the middle-upper end morphs are relatively affordable compared to BPs. Corns also come in some amazingly bright colors and quite a few different patterns. Corns also a lot easier to provide the right temp and humidity for.
 
Great responses, people! I love my ball, Tank. He's really mellow and kinda shy but still really curious. He's been off feed for about 3 months now and it's not really bothering me much yet because he's not losing any weight and he still shows the same behavior he always has. But it would be nice to have a snake that you don't really have to worry about feeding! I held a few corns in my local petstore over the weekend... They are definitely squirmier than I thought! Haha! But I loved it! I've always liked their beauty but when I held them I knew I HAD to get one! :D
 
i dont have a ball.. but a close friend does. i held him for the first time the other day. he was pretty cool and i liked him. but like you guys said pretty lazy. my corns are pretty active once they realize your not putting them back in there cage or not taking them out to feed them. but for my corns i always here them moving around at night. so im pretty sure the balls will do the same thing.

and im going to agree with zoology major.. i really havent had any problems with my corns shedding or the temp.. they are pretty easy to keep. where my friend, he is in his dorm which he said the humidity sucks in the dorms, has some problems with his guy shedding and such.
 
I think it's like comparing apples and oranges... They're both fruit but there the similarity ends.. I got a pair of royals (was going to put balls, but I knew you lot would s) and a trio of corns. They are just so different.. Even a difference between the balls (female is out going and easy to feed, male is shy, has bitten and won't eat for months on end) Same with the corns. Our male has his moments when he goes off food as does one of the females. The other female eats everything and bites unlike the other two...
 
i agree.. totally different snakes with totally different habits.

both on the other hand i think we all agree are great snakes. and every snake is different. ive not had one problem with feeding all my guys so it varies from snake to snake!
 
ZoologyMajor said:
...Corns also a lot easier to provide the right temp and humidity for.
Click to expand...

How so?

I'm particularly interested in this thread because I may consider getting a Ball Python one day. Hubby had one when he was much younger and he liked it. Plus my step son has been wanting a snake and he keeps talking about wanting a Ball Python. So getting this great info straight from the horse's mouth so-to-speak is great!
 
well corns are kinda of a hardy snake, they can live in a varient temperature and have a easier rang of humidity.

the balls i believe, correct me if im wrong need higher temperatures, i think 85ish on the warm side, and the humidity has to be higher i think around like 50 or 60 or even higher since they are a jungle snake. im not positive on that one but i believe that is what my friend was telling me last week.
 
Balls 92-95 on the warm side and mid 80s on the cool side. Humidity about 55-60% My ball is in a 32 qt tub atm. I am planning on building a larger rack for her and any other new additions i happen to get. I will use the large under bed storage size bins and I will have every shelf individually rigged with dual zone heating. That way no matter what I get in the future I can put them all in one rack.
 
Ah, okay. Well, I guess the main problem I'd have with keeping a Ball Python then would be keeping the cool side warm enough. When we are just running our furnance heat our house stays 68-70 degrees which is exactly what the cool side of Flash's viv has been staying at.

Eh, I should probably just stick with trying to talk hubby into letting me have two more corn snakes, heh. I was contemplating talking him into letting his son (my step son) get a Ball Python that I would take care of when the step son isn't around to take care of him, hehe.
 
SnakesRule1234 said:
You got the cool side right but the warm side shouldn't go up to 95. Most people do 80 - 85 F air temp. with a basking spot of around 90 F.
Click to expand...

It is different with every source I have looked at... I try to keep mine around 92-93 range. I have asked several BP breeders as well. They all said 92-93 is best if you can keep it in that narrow of a margin... otherwise 90-95. This is for UTH temps for racks with no basking bulb as the bulbs aren't required as long as you have the temp correct.
 
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