Ball Python vs. Corn Snake - First Time Keeper

[Midnightrdr456]

i have a cali king too, that i had since i was in 2nd grade. Mine is only about 4 feet though and very thin. I find it hard to believe they can eat rattlesnakes (though i know it is true). But the rattle snakes i have seen have always been ALOT bigger than my king.

Maybe i just got a runt.

King, Corn, Ball are all great choices.

 

[BugToxin]

The kings I've seen are quite attractive (like the one in the picture here :drool: ). I like the looks of these better than the corns, but the corns seem more popular. I wonder why? I'll still probably get the ball first though. I like the fatness of the adults, and the python head shape. We are getting another reptile show here in late Janruary, so I may wait untill then so I will have lots of choices.

 

[Midnightrdr456]

yea just dont get a ball from a pet store. Kings and Corns from pet stores arent good either but dont lead to anywhere near as many problems as balls from pet stores.

 

[arrowhd]

Good point

Buying reptiles from a pet store is always questionable depending on the store. Some are great, others well not so much. Take a look at how the animals are cared for and ask questions. A good store will have clean cages, well fed livestock and knowledgeable staff. I bought my kingsnake from a local dealer. This is always a great alternative. They usually have a better selection and price. Either way good luck with your purchase.

 

[Midnightrdr456]

only reason i say get a ball from a breeder always is balls from petstores seem to more often have feeding problems

 

[TNeal]

I have kept several snake species and loved them all. For a newbie to the snake lovers club I would suggest either a milk or a corn snake. Both of these are easy to keep in most instances.

The ptoblem with ball pythons is that, as mentioned before, they can go off feeding. And even when feeding they can be very fussy about taking non-living items. I had a ball that refused all non-living prey and would only eat live mice. A practice I don't recommend for the health of the snake. I once had a ball that went 8 months without eating. Scared me to death. But he did eventually start eating.

Whatever you do, don't start with the harder to keep, more exotic species. Stick with the animals that are proven good pets for beginners. This will save you money and great dissapointment if the more exotic fails to make it.

A good first experience is essential to staying in this wonderful hobby.

I hope this helps,

Tom

 

[BugToxin]

What about a Hogg Island Boa?

Ok, so Im still doing research. I was pretty dead set on a ball python, but then I found some information on the hogg island boa. The adult size of this snake looks about the same as that of a ball python, yet most of the care sheets I have found suggest a larger enclosure (like 60 gal size). For you experienced snake people, what is the size difference here? Is the hogg island boa too good to be true? Would this be a good choice?

 

[BugToxin]

I got him. One handling question thoguh.

Well, I made a decision and got a baby ball python. I did a little more research on the Corn Island Boa and discovered that they can get a little larger than I would like. Someday I may get one of these, but not today. Besides, my baby ball is the cutest little snake on the planet!!! I'll try to post some pictures later once he's had a chance to settle in and come out of his hide.

One thing though for those of you with some snake experience. My little boy took a tiny swipe at the petstore owner as he was ringing me up. The petstore owner (a personal friend) offered to let me pick another snake, but I decided to take this one anyway. I figured that the little guy had just arrived that day, had been transfered from a sack/box to a strange cage, then held by me for about 20 minutes as I discussed bugs and stuff, then held by the petsore owner for a bit, so he probably had a good excuse to be crabby.

My question is will he get a lot more docile with more handling? Should I worry about his little tantrum? I want him to be as docile as possible and a pet that can be held frequently. I've been told to wait a week before handling him at all by nearly everybody I ask so this is what I intend to do. I also know not to handle for a few days after feeding, but once I start handling him how much time should I spend with him? Should I hold him 15 minutes a day or 15 minutes a week? More or less? Does it matter? Let me know what you think.

 

[green_bottle_04]

Well, I made a decision and got a baby ball python. I did a little more research on the Corn Island Boa and discovered that they can get a little larger than I would like. Someday I may get one of these, but not today. Besides, my baby ball is the cutest little snake on the planet!!! I'll try to post some pictures later once he's had a chance to settle in and come out of his hide.

One thing though for those of you with some snake experience. My little boy took a tiny swipe at the petstore owner as he was ringing me up. The petstore owner (a personal friend) offered to let me pick another snake, but I decided to take this one anyway. I figured that the little guy had just arrived that day, had been transfered from a sack/box to a strange cage, then held by me for about 20 minutes as I discussed bugs and stuff, then held by the petsore owner for a bit, so he probably had a good excuse to be crabby.

My question is will he get a lot more docile with more handling? Should I worry about his little tantrum? I want him to be as docile as possible and a pet that can be held frequently. I've been told to wait a week before handling him at all by nearly everybody I ask so this is what I intend to do. I also know not to handle for a few days after feeding, but once I start handling him how much time should I spend with him? Should I hold him 15 minutes a day or 15 minutes a week? More or less? Does it matter? Let me know what you think.

i agree with what you have already been told. leave him be for a week or so. also remember that snakes tend to be a little more nippy as babies. but balls for the most part are very docile and shy snakes. id hold him 3 times a week or so for about 15 minutes at a time.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

My question is will he get a lot more docile with more handling...but once I start handling him how much time should I spend with him? Should I hold him 15 minutes a day or 15 minutes a week?

If it's due to stress and "oh god I'm a tiny baby don't eat me," then absolutely yes he'll calm down with time. He also might have just been hungry, though there's always the possibility that even a docile snake species might produce an asshole now and then.

Start off small, and learn to read his mood (as much as humans can read a snake, anyway). One thing you DON'T want to do is be hesitant or have your hand hover awkwardly over him, because this is the scariest thing in the world and makes you look like a predator. Don't remove him from inside a hide if you can help it, you want them to feel safe in there and they won't associate it with security if things keep "finding" them all the time. But if he's out and about, usually in the evenings, go ahead and scoop him up, just grab him around that pudgy midsection.

At first I only did it for a couple minutes a day, barring the day of and days following feeding, once he'd settled in. Then you can go a bit longer as you feel comfortable, also keep in mind the temperature of the room itself--if it's less than 75, you probably don't want to keep him out too long. Good ways to bond (they don't really bond, but they can tell people apart by smell) include wearing a long-sleeved shirt tucked into your pants so you don't get any escapes down there, and letting him hide in there while you read/watch tv/play video games.

It's best to do this without a bunch of other people around, because that's just scarier. Plus you don't want the additional fear factor of strangers who will inevitably want to paw at him--I once went off on some idiot who snuck up behind me and started touching the snake around my neck without asking my permission. Scared the snake, it flinched hard, and I told the guy it would have served him right if he'd been bitten in the face. Rorschach wouldn't hurt a fly, but the guy didn't know that. If you have friends you trust to interact with the snake, make sure they have good handling etiquette, know what to do, and aren't going to start going HOOOO SCARY and flinging the snake around or some stupid crap like that. That's a good way to get a terrified and/or bitey animal.

My concern is that you got him from a petstore, and that always gives me a sinking feeling in my gut to hear that. Was it a big chain petstore or a smaller one? Did they give ANY indication whether this was a wild-caught/captive-hatched or a captive bred animal? Are you sure he's eating--and if so, is he eating prekilled prey yet or still on live? Any signs of old skin stuck to it? Is the skin wrinkly at all? Are the eyes a nice shiny clear black or do they have a hazy, glazed look? Are the eyes perfectly round or are they indented at all? Have you examined it for mites or ticks? Can you make out the line of the backbone at ALL or is he nice and round? Is there any sign of discharge from mouth or nose, can you ever hear his breathing at all?

Gah, I worry about these guys. They always get such nasty abuse in petshops, and most of those WC/CH babies have never eaten a single meal in their lives and will never start, you can't help them. I'd take him to the vet after he's pooped for you, OP, so you can get a fecal check for parasites and a general looking-over. Just be warned that vet trips are totally traumatic and he might need to be left alone for a week or two afterward.

Best of luck, these are great snakes even when they drive us nuts.

 

[BugToxin]

Was it a big chain petstore or a smaller one? Did they give ANY indication whether this was a wild-caught/captive-hatched or a captive bred animal?

Hey MS,
No need to worry about the source on this one. He came from my friends exotic petstore, and is definately captive bred. Checked him out for all the things you mentioned too before buying and he looks really healthy. I'm obviously a major noob when it comes to snakes, but my friend who sold me this cute baby boy is an expert who has been in the busines for some time now.

Anyway, good advice on the handling stuff. I'm one of those older bug/snake people and I don't have any friends that are as stupd/irresponsible as what you mentioned. Unfortunately though, I suspect that it is fairly common to have people like that around exotic pets in other households so it is still good advice. I just want to make sure that I'm handling my BP in a way that is most likely to produce a pet that is safe and pleasant to interact with (hardly ever bites ). I do have a giant dog, and will keep him out of the room when handling the baby snake. Fifteen minutes at a time, three times a week to start sounds good as well so I will start with that. Hopefully the little swipe he made was an environmental rather than a personality issue and I will raise him up to be an upstanding member of snake society.

Thanks Again.

 

[Midnightrdr456]

i would give it about a week or so to settle in and have its first meal, then let it digest a little. Then I would start handling it, basically just as stress free as possible.

Balls are gorgeous snakes, most likely Im going to get a nice ball morph once i save up money.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I do have a giant dog, and will keep him out of the room when handling the baby snake.

Sounds like you're well on your way. I just also want to note that he WILL be able to smell the dog, and you'll want to wash your hands extra good before you handle him, so your hands won't smell like dog. It probably won't be a problem, but he might be afraid of it, much like a human that smells like a rodent tends to get mistaken for a rodent.

I'd keep the dog out of the snake's room period unless it's supervised, personally. You never know when a big dog might decide to investigate something, and you'll have to be twice as vigilant as anyone else against the possibility of your snake escaping its enclosure. I don't want to think what the dog would do if he found the snakey first. Balls are complete sissies even against something as small as a rat, and that's even when they're ADULT snakes. Eek, indeed.

You could even pre-emptively start escape-proofing the snake's room in general, if you want to be extra safe about it. Get a rubber liner or something put along the bottom of the door so that there is NO space to get into the rest of the house, tape some screen over any low air vents, that kind of thing. That way if the snake DOES somehow get out (and I think they all do, mine even had his one token escape last year), it won't be able to leave the room and will be much easier to find.

I got lucky, mine just ended up in my bed before I even knew he was out.

 

[arrowhd]

Most snakes will let you know if they are willing to be handled or not. Just avoid it when he is hungry, recently been fed, or opaque. I personaly don't handle my California kingsnake really frequently. Maybe once or twice a month. This is just my own preference. Remember, reptiles aren't like a pet dog that requires a high level of socialization. They learn to tolerate our handling of them. I think you will enjoy your ball python for many years to come. Just remember, respect him and he will respect you.