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Help choosing a snake

A

abadawi

New member
Hey guys! Whats up? I'm new here and I needed some of your help. I really want to buy a snake. But I'm still not sure what I want to buy. I'm either getting a corn snake, a king snake or a python. I'd really appreciate it if you guys can help me make this decision. Tell me the advantages and disadvantages of each. Whats the difference in their feeding, housing, cleaning, handling etc.? Thanks alot guys.

Ahmed
 
Welcome to the site!!!!!!!! There is a lot of information here. Be sure to read the FAQ section in the forums. They answer a lot of questions.
There are a lot of great people here. Everybody is always willing to help.

A lot of people on this site have all three. I have a corn and a ball python. I never had any problems with the corn but the ball does give me a hard time about eating.
 
I have had all 3 at some point. I had desert kings, a calif king and a grey banded king. The grey band was a sweety but the other 2 species were aggressive feeders (not always a bad thing) and were not good with being held. The cal king was rather nippy.

Ball pythons are nice but sometimes go on hunger strikes. Plus some have trouble shedding in the winter.

Corns have turned out to be my snake of choice. They tend to be easy to keep, sweet natured and easy to breed. They don't get too big but do achieve a decent size. In my opinion they are also prettier than kings or pythons and come in a huge assortment of color morphs.
 
A corn is probably the best starter snake. I have corns and kings. Their care is almost identical, but kings have a rep for being a little higher strung than the typical corn. My kings aren't too bad. Corns are my favorite looking of all snakes, so I'm biased toward them. :)
 
i agree

i would have to agree!! corns are the best starter snake, so i am told, and as stated before they're so many different colours or patterns to choose from. Another good thing is you dont need to worry about lightning as much as you would with some of the other types. I would warn you.. ITS SO ADDICTIVE. hope you enjoy it as much as i have
 
Thanks alot! I had another question though. Should I get a baby corn or a corn thats about a year old? Thanks for your help.
 
abadawi said:
Thanks alot! I had another question though. Should I get a baby corn or a corn thats about a year old? Thanks for your help.
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That is probably your choice.. I got a yearling as my first corn and since then have gotten younger snakes. Eventually your snake will get the size of yearling and so on. I personally have all three listed and a few more species.
My first snake actually was a Bull snake. She is one of my favorites, she will have her 1 year birthday next month. I wonder if I should bake a cake?
As for the Balls, it depends if you want to get a thick snake. They will get to be a nice girthy size compared to the other 2. Plus they will need a bit of larger cage as it grows older.
And since you are looking at your first snake, I say stay away from Kings until you have some experience under your belt.
As in choosing your snake, for me its like cats and dogs. Get the animal that takes to you. Have the animal choose the owner and not vice versa (if this makes sense). That way you will get a snake that will fit you.
 
abadawi said:
Thanks alot! I had another question though. Should I get a baby corn or a corn thats about a year old? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

I always recommend that new keepers get yearlings because they are already know to be feeding. Even confermed feeding hachlings can develop feeding problems over time, this problem is farless likely with a yearling. Yearlings also are less delicate and more used to handling (big bonus for new keepers).

In my opinion you are less likely to encounter problems with a yearling.

Hope that helps. :cheers:
 
mmm.

i wouldn't choose one just on size alone. my first was a hatchling snow, i chose him cos i liked his colours and how tame he seemed to be. also i think it might be an idea to get a hatchling as i did, because my confidence grew as the snake got bigger, and it'll mean the snake will get used to you also from a small age.
 
p.s

just make sure you get it from a decent, experienced keeper, and make sure they have shed already and are eating fine.
 
We have all three. You need to keep in mind the size of the cage that you have room for and also food requirements. Our adult corns are probably the cheapest to feed, followed by the kings, then the ball pythons. Adult balls will cost you lots of money in rats and can be tricky to eat F/T. Corn snakes probably have the best temperment followed by the ball pythons, then the kings. Hope this helps.
 
westexherps said:
We have all three. You need to keep in mind the size of the cage that you have room for and also food requirements. Our adult corns are probably the cheapest to feed, followed by the kings, then the ball pythons. Adult balls will cost you lots of money in rats and can be tricky to eat F/T. Corn snakes probably have the best temperment followed by the ball pythons, then the kings. Hope this helps.
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That might be true, but when the ball python does bite, it will hurt a LOT more then a corn or a king snake
 
cornsnakekid92 said:
That might be true, but when the ball python does bite, it will hurt a LOT more then a corn or a king snake
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Actually, my girlfriend has been biten by both and she said the King has a nastier bite than the Ball python. She said when the King bites it really digs its teeth in and holds for dear life.
 
BPs' husbandry is a little trickier than a corn snake and some have a tendency to be problem feeders, but IMO ball pythons are cooler.
 
I would say go for a younger snake, simply because any pets I have I buy as young as is safely possible. I like to get to know my pets and build up a good relationship with them, and I think thats easier to do from a younger age.
Just my .02
 
tricksterpup said:
Actually, my girlfriend has been biten by both and she said the King has a nastier bite than the Ball python. She said when the King bites it really digs its teeth in and holds for dear life.
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This sounds like a feeding response bite. Kings don't bite this way all the time, generally when they are hungry, smell food, etc. A defensive bite generally hurts less because they tag and let go before you can blink. I think if a BP grabbed and held on like that, it would hurt more than the king ;) I have been bitten a few times and each and every time it was my fault and not the snakes. With every species, there is a risk of a bite and this must be accepted when taking on the responsibility of caring for them.
 
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