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I'm having a tough decision :(

A

Ahmad Rahim

Corns, corns n more corns
So heres the story, I bought my corn snake on the 16th of this month, and I'm stuck between the decision of whether to keep the little guy, or return him tomorrow (Sunday), which is the last day that I can return him, and get a ball python. Now the two biggest and basically the only reasons I want to switch to ball python, is because,

1) Ball pythons are much bigger, which in my opinion is way...cooler?
2) I've noticed this myself, and people have told me that corn snakes are very hyper, and are always on the go, while on the other hand, ball python are much more relaxed, and will just chill with you.

It's a really hard decision and I don't know what to do, tomorrow is also the last day that i can return the snake. Any advise from you guys?
 
Ball pythons have very different care requirements and are "sensitive" snakes that tend to go on hunger strikes if you so much as blink at them too often.
 
BP's are prone to go off feeding for 6 to 8 months for little to no reason around breeding season even if you aren't breeding. They can be exceptionally picky eaters and if feeding on live can be very hard to switch to F/T. Also, if they are feeding on rats they are much harder to switch over to mice and vice versa. BP's tend to be very head shy in my limited experience owning one and my many chats with people who breed them. From what I have gathered from the breeder I used to work with, this trait is very hard to train out of them even with regular handling.

I do agree that the bigger snakes can be a little more desireable for some folks but the husbandry and personality traits of corn snakes make them a great first snake to learn on and simply easier to care for. Usually when you have a corn snake that is a problem feeder it is easier to fix then a BP. I have also run into several people with BP's that are problem shedders but only a couple that have complained of this with their corn snakes. My BP's first (and only shed) for me was a problem shed and I had to have my wife take her swimming with her to get most of it off. :rofl:

These of course are general statements and you may get a BP that never has any problems or gives you any headaches. :)

I am by no means biased. If you look at my signature I have two boids and two colubrids. I love both worlds and they both bring something enjoyable to the table but they also have their little quirks.
 
Myself, I prefer corn snakes. They often get longer than ball pythons, though they are more slender. I also like to watch them wander around their cages. Different snakes are for different people, certainly, and I'm fostering a little ball python that I adore right now. Look at pictures online: do you prefer the stockier body with the short tail, or the more slender and long-tailed snakes? And DO YOUR RESEARCH on the husbandry. They're both easy snakes to care for, but they are a bit different.

Frankly, if you're not in love with your snake after a week, if you can actually consider "returning" him, he may not be for you. And on the cuddle-snake front, I am told that plenty of corns do grow up to be perfectly happy as jewelry, but yeah, they're certainly going to be more hyper when they're young. My own cuddle-snake is a carpet python, a species not particularly known for that, but he gets it from his mom. (Not me, his actual mom.) It's largely down to the temprament of the particular snake. I've even met ball pythons with a healthy, wandering curiosity. Though, it is true, less often.
 
I had Corns for a few years before buying a pair of BPs. The BPs went back to the shop after many months of only feeding intermittently. I'm sure it was normal for BPs, but after having such reliable feeders in the Corns, it made me constantly paranoid that I wasn't keeping them correctly.

I was also advised to keep handling of the BPs to a minimum, in order to make them relaxed and more likely to eat - they may not be the "handlable" snake that you're looking for.

BTW, the male BP turned out to be a habitual biter once he settled in and trust me, geting bitten by a BP is a bit of a different prospect to being nipped by a Corn. I couldn't pin down what had triggered this behaviour, as I kept and treated the male and female exactly the same.

There are no guarantees with any snake basically.
 
I personally like how the corn snakes are slender. I have also heard of more "horror" stories happening with the pythons and beefy snakes, as I call them.

I have a four month old, so any new pets coming into the house are decided on by what is less likely to kill him later on. He won't be going near them, for a VERY long time. I'm a new first time mom, and I am still very much in mommy mode.

Anyways, I know more and have more experience with BP's..but I like the look of the corn. I also like it that they eat small prey, come in a variety of colors, and most of the ones I have been around calm down with age.

I have to agree, if you have had your snake for a week or so, and still are not sure. Then you should take him back. I picked my snake out online, and still don't have it (holding off on shipping for cool weather and my other one to be decided on)..but I ask about it everyday and I can't wait to get her!

Good Luck!
 
There is no way to predict what your hatchling cornsnake will be like as an adult. Most of mine are happy to sit around my neck or in my lap and watch TV, but a few are more active.

If you don't "love" your snake after a week, though, take it back. No sense resenting it for not being a ball python.
 
Nanci, Is that kind of like the parents that dress their boy in all pink because they wish they'd had a girl? lol

I do agree with everyone else on the uncertainty thing. If you're not happy with the animal or are just not sure, take it back and get a BP. Try that out for a while and find the niche that is right for you. Its kind of like being a cat person instead of a dog person. Get what makes YOU happy. :)
 
I had an ADULT ball python go off feed and die because of it...

If any thing, return the corn and do some research on other snakes, then buy a yearling from a breeder.
 
I don't know why but so many times I read this and wonder if I have just been really lucky wity ball pythons but mine are my easiest feeders!
I have 6 Corns, and 6 Ball Pythons currently (plus a Blood Python, A Jungle Carpet Python and a Western Hognose),and my Balls are all my easiest feeders (save for my newest Ball who I have had a few weeks and he hasn't eaten his first meal HERE yet but he's huge for a yearling).
I have a few corns that will refuse a meal here and there, one for weeks at a time sometimes (not sure if breeding season? possibly..but I've had him or her about 4 - 5 years ). I had one Ball Python that was on live (and was a baby) and took a few tries and missed meals , like 3, to get used to Tongs and F/T (I feed all my snakes weekly/with the exception of baby corns being fed bi-weekly, so missing a few meals means just a few weeks). I even had one rescue Ball Python that I got when it was 6-7 yrs, never had live, and it DOVE onto a f/t rat the first try( but it was only used to being fed once a month maybe so was really hungry).
Humidity etc IS a bit more work for them. Especially my rescued BP as it never had water barely even, so it takes more humidity I think for this one to shed properly. But that's easier achieved with a plastic covered tank OR by using a tub.
Obviously, though, I love both. Some of my baby corns/younger corns are still little evil things.. but I'm sure they may grow out of it. My oldest corn though never bit even as a baby. I have one corn that if out is pretty calm but still mobile.. and some that are totally hyper, whereas my rescue ball python will hang around my neck for hours at a local bar/grill deck we visit..
 
And price wise, you can find normals for that low FROM good breeders, occassionally, who just have them as a by-product for trying to produce something from some het parents, but be really careful either way who you get a snake from. But, Ball Python morphs are MUCH MUCH more expensive than corns.. so you can spend less and get more options in the Corn world.. but sounds like you're already settled on the actual snakes.
 
My little corn was a tad "hyper" when he was first brought home, but would calm down after I held him for a few minutes. Now at 4 yrs old he's more relaxed and will just curl around my arm and let me hold him for a long time... especially if he's chilly and I've just washed my hands in nice warm water. :) He is really a sweet, easy to care for snake... except for his little health issue going on right now.
 
My old corn snake (sadly escaped and my cat found him) literally sat in the hood of my hoodie ALL day with his head on my shoulder. I could do whatever I wanted with that snake and he just sat there. My other male corn is shaping up to be exactly like him.
I also have a ball python. I love him to death, but I don't see him very much since he likes to hide. He's very hissy but has not bitten me (he got an old roommate though). He is also EXTREMELY head shy, so I cannot ever take him to meet little kids because I am afraid that he will get scared and since the movement is so fast they might think he wants to bite. I have three other balls in my care ATM and they are not as head shy, but they're so lazy. I actually prefer to hold my corns because they're more relaxing and can go through my hands. The ball just sits there. He does like to go outside though, which is nice since he is slow I can put him in the grass and watch him. The nice thing about male ball pythons is that they go off feed anywhere from 3 to 8 months. So it lowers the cost of food, and as long as they don't lose weight it is normal. HOWEVER you still have to offer them food weekly!
I personally like Shelby Craig's answer in getting the ball too. I enjoy having multiple snakes, and I enjoy having both ball python and corn. However, when I expand my collection it will be one more ball and dozens more corns.
 
ShenziSixaxis said:
Which was probably a parasite ridden import for that little money, or an unplanned breeding.
Click to expand...

Nope, NORMAL ball pythons are only worth that amount of money. I bought mine from a breeder for $20 as well. I know both his parents and the rest of the clutch. If you get into pastels they should only be $60-$80 as hatchlings from a breeder. Other morphs are obviously more costly. If you import baby balls they're only $8 each.
 
I've never seen BPs, even babies being sold for less than 50 bucks, even normals. I also tend to see pastels as at least 80 bucks or higher. Guess it seriously depends on where you get them.
 
ShenziSixaxis said:
I've never seen BPs, even babies being sold for less than 50 bucks, even normals. I also tend to see pastels as at least 80 bucks or higher. Guess it seriously depends on where you get them.
Click to expand...

Ever been to a reptile show? I've seen tanks full of them in the $15-$20 range. By-products of morph creation.
 
ShenziSixaxis said:
I've never seen BPs, even babies being sold for less than 50 bucks, even normals. I also tend to see pastels as at least 80 bucks or higher. Guess it seriously depends on where you get them.
Click to expand...

I only ever see pet stores wanting that price- and THOSE are parasite ridden.
 
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