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King snake vs Ratsnake vs Ball Python

ken347

ken347

Corn Addict In Training
alright so here is the story i got my corn snake around a year ago and i love him. Ive always wanted more snakes and since im soon to be having a new job that pays more i can afford more. my problem is at first i wanted a ball python but then i saw a baby rat snake in the pet store and instantly wanted one cause he looked amazing but i recently went back and saw a fully grown king snake and i again feel a strong connection to it. so my question is, what are the similarities, differences, pros, and cons of each also i know a lot about each ones husbandry but if you wanna add anything i might not know or might just pop in your head please feel free too. thank you in advance.
 
Buy both? You have a new, better paying job now. This reasoning is why I stay broke:)
You can always sell one if you decide one or the other is not for you.
 
Well, balls are "pretty" to most people but can come with a price tag and some annoyances. They're not always great feeders like corns, their chances of going off-feed or being problem eaters are much higher than most colubrids. They also need a higher humidity level.

Kings are great, my vote goes for getting one of these especially if it's older. The only down side is their feeding response is so strong they can decide they want to eat you, or themselves, if they get so much as a whiff of something tasty haha. They won't really eat themselves... well, I mean, they have been known to in the past but they most likely won't. It's just I've seen kings and milks bite themselves during feeding hah. Most species are calm enough but they aren't always puppy dog tame. Some are bitey, others are flighty. But some have great personalities. (all the ones I've met were great) What species is it?

Rat snakes are great, what species are we talking about here? They can be flighty/bitey as well though.
 
well speaking of picky eaters the first three months i had my corn snake he refused to eat now he has the mouse down in seconds. but i know alot about corn snakes not really about king snakes. the rat snake was just a normal one it was black and grey. the kingsnake was like a not orange but not brown either he was in the middle and had brown on him it wasnt stripes though just markings sorry if im making this complicated
 
closest i can find to it

snakekkkk_zps4ec56430.jpg
 
I'm dying to get a Mexican black kingsnake! I've heard Kingsnakes and ratsnakes can be more likely to musk/bite. I could care less about the biting, but the musking deters me a bit...But I'm still planning on getting one!

Someone also said Kingsnakes are often more 'aware' than cornsnakes, which is a huge plus.
I know nothing about BP's but they are obviously bigger, bulkier and a bit more needy care-wise(and $ wise) than a corn/rat/kingsnake. I love the look of them, they are calmer and might 'hang-out' with you on the couch vs a smaller snake that will likely try to take off.

Get them all! .....and post lots of pictures :)
 
i have yet to be bitten by a snake lol and the mexican black kingsnakes are beautiful
 
I just got a baby California Kingsnake. He's a hilarious, awesome, adorable little monster/demon.

Yes, he will pee/musk/poop every time we take him out of his cage. He'll also pop his vent open and raise his tail any time we move too fast, just a threat he's willing to do it again.

He's very much more "aware" than the corns. He looks us in the eyes, and he knows we're responsible for movement, etc. He knows when we can see him.

An adult is probably already tamed down and won't give you a lot of the "fun" that Louis does, but yes, they are a bit bitey at feed time. Our little monster actually flicked his tongue, smelled that it was my roommate, and gave him a test bite anyways just to make sure during the last feeding.

WestCoast_Redneck said:
I'm dying to get a Mexican black kingsnake! I've heard Kingsnakes and ratsnakes can be more likely to musk/bite. I could care less about the biting, but the musking deters me a bit...But I'm still planning on getting one!

Someone also said Kingsnakes are often more 'aware' than cornsnakes, which is a huge plus.
I know nothing about BP's but they are obviously bigger, bulkier and a bit more needy care-wise(and $ wise) than a corn/rat/kingsnake. I love the look of them, they are calmer and might 'hang-out' with you on the couch vs a smaller snake that will likely try to take off.

Get them all! .....and post lots of pictures :)
Click to expand...
 
I have a black rat snake! He's just a baby now, so a little defensive, but he's never bitten me. He's basically "all bark, no bite". Once he's out, he's pretty calm, and I love him! His name is Ari, and he is so much more aware than corns.
 
I own/have owned all three. I like the idea of ball pythons, but have never had good luck with ball pythons, they would refuse to eat, and the one that we did have that ate, passed away completely unexpectedly on us :( So I'm done with ball pythons, and am content to look at pictures of them lol. Our one that did eat was great to handle for the most part, but he tagged my husband once and he had a mean bite to him.

I have one grey rat snake female, about 3 years old. In tank she's aggressive, flattens her head, rattles her tail, hisses and strikes. BUT we got her as an adult and she was like that. She has calmed down a wee bit to the point that you can handle her with just a bit of muskiness and minor strikage.

I love my kings. They're a little funny as babies- one of mine musked every time he was picked up but never bit, another of mine would casually omnom you, and the other one is more or less good once out of tank, just has a wicked feeding response. She's broken out of multiple feeding bins if we take too long to feed/put away. Once my kings hit adults they calmed right down. The musky one and casual biter one are perfect out of tank and easy to pick up in tank.

I do find my kings to be a little more persistent in escape than my corns. There's the one that escapes her feeding bins, the casual biter has escaped housing bins, and the musky one has escaped multiple housing bins and a tank or two lol.
I have a striped california (Valik), an aberrant striped california (Xain), and an albino striped banana california (Sydney). Definifely a few of my favourites in my collection.
 
I'm envious of everyone's kings/rats. I'm very persistent to have a black kingsnake. Or a cali king....Or a thai bamboo ratsnake.......Hmmmm I better invest in a rack ;)
 
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