Corn snake vs ball python

[Zincubus]

I keep 20+ species of snakes. NO ball Pythons. I used to keep them going way back to when imports were the only availability.
For a first snake I never would recommend a BP. Now odds are you wont have an issue with a BP but for a first snake especially compared to a corn snake the odds are much higher. With proper care with corns you probably have a 1 % chance of an issue with a well started to adult. With BP's you probably have a 10 % chance of an issue with any age BP.
BP's can go off feed at any time. They can go from FT to live only for no reason. They will lay on a unregulated heat source or wrap around a heat lamp and stay till severely burned. BP's will lay in their water dishes till developing water blisters. BP's develop URI's mush easier than colubrids. Even BP's will eat another BP if kept together (never ok with any snake). Boy I probably have dozens of stories running through my head right now about problem BP's haha.
So many long time Herpetologists now categorize BP's as an intermediate level snake.

Wow !!

A fair bit of scaremongering there bud ....

You cant label them as poor feeders / quite likely to go on hunger strike and in the same sentence suggest that they're likely to eat a fellow Royal python if they're housed together !!

I've seen many reasons for not cohabiting Royal / Ball pythons but e risk of eating one another was never mentioned

 

[daddio207]

Wow !!

A fair bit of scaremongering there bud ....

You cant label them as poor feeders / quite likely to go on hunger strike and in the same sentence suggest that they're likely to eat a fellow Royal python if they're housed together !!

I've seen many reasons for not cohabiting Royal / Ball pythons but e risk of eating one another was never mentioned

Haha NOT scaremongering bud.....
Your answer is fair enough due to my use of the incorrect word
I need to renew my membership so I can edit again LOL. I meant to say "can" instead of "will" (even though the odds are very small).

After keeping them for decades from the time the only BP available was a normal import to recently where now our partner breeder keeps all of them I've seen just about all of it including a BP eating a cage bud. It happened once years ago with imports and had 2 reptile friends that it also happened too.

As I stated, about 10 % of all we've kept had issues including non feeders. That means, if my math is correct , 90 % had no issues. Right now out of the 12 BP's my partner (daughter & husband) has 1 is not eating, 1 will only eat live (did eat FT prior), 1 has had scale rot due to laying in his water dish ($400 vet bill). No issues with the 20+ corns in my collection.
SO the question was , corn or BP ? Comparably corns will always be a better choice.

 

[Zincubus]

Haha NOT scaremongering bud.....
Your answer is fair enough due to my use of the incorrect word
I need to renew my membership so I can edit again LOL. I meant to say "can" instead of "will" (even though the odds are very small).

After keeping them for decades from the time the only BP available was a normal import to recently where now our partner breeder keeps all of them I've seen just about all of it including a BP eating a cage bud. It happened once years ago with imports and had 2 reptile friends that it also happened too.

As I stated, about 10 % of all we've kept had issues including non feeders. That means, if my math is correct , 90 % had no issues. Right now out of the 12 BP's my partner (daughter & husband) has 1 is not eating, 1 will only eat live (did eat FT prior), 1 has had scale rot due to laying in his water dish ($400 vet bill). No issues with the 20+ corns in my collection.
SO the question was , corn or BP ? Comparably corns will always be a better choice.

Fair enough ...

Although if he wanted something hellishly cute looking to sit still on his lap for an hour then the best option is a Royal as Corns never stop wriggling and exploring ..

 

[sachen]

Thanks for the responses. I will have to go to an expo and see whats available. They both seem so great.

 

[sachen]

Thanks for the responses. I will have to go to an expo and see whats available. They both seem so great.

 

[Zincubus]

Good luck .. Have a handle of both types ..!!

We had friends round to have a hold of our Kings and Corns but on the way out they had five minutes holding a Royal as we were saying goodbyes .. A few days later they rang and said they'd bought a Royal !!

 

[Chip]

Well, you've come to the wrong site if you wanted people to point you towards a ball python here, but I must say I concur with the corn vote. I've kept a lot of herps for all of my adult life. I've had some balls that were great pets, great feeders, and pretty much perfect snakes, but that describes maybe a dozen over the last twenty years vs. hundreds and hundreds of corns that never missed a meal, had a great attitude, avoided health problems, etc. In short, I agree with Daddio to a t, except for the 10% problem part. It feels like at least twice that percentage for me, at least as going off of f/t feed was concerned. I also now only keep snakes that eat mice. Rats are something I never want to breed, kill, or deal with in any way again (though I wouldn't exclude one as a pet at some point). For me though, the real draw to corns are the mutations, and colors available on their genetic pallette. There is just so much there, and so much more that can be created. With balls, it's pretty much black, brown, tan, and white. Even their amels are orangey rather than bright red where black would be. Snakes are specimens to be admired for me, more so than pets. Colubrids just do bright colors better than other snakes. Add ease of care, tractability, and willingness to eat, and it's hard to make an argument for another snake for a first pet. Good luck, and let us know what you decide on.