Ball or corn? - Page 2

Alicewave · 07-15-03, 09:25 AM

It sounds like you could handle either choice. If you're worried about time being an issue go with the corn. If not, just pick the one you like better.

fanmaninacan · 07-15-03, 09:29 AM

Hey
Simple,
Ball pytons are good..

To me corns dont look great

Balls are very nice snakes..
Even better a boa.....LoL......A male wont get more that 6 feet.

T.P

SCReptiles · 07-15-03, 09:32 AM

As a first snake, corn all the way. The balls require special heating and humidity for optimum health. The corns are more hardy.

Alicewave · 07-15-03, 09:32 AM

You might also like a Rosy Boa. They are very small and even easier to care for than BPs and Corns. (no humidity requirements)

reptiledude21 · 07-15-03, 09:43 AM

ya you should go for both if you can afford it.

Linds · 07-15-03, 10:56 AM

Dark_Angel,
Ball Pythons, though a strong snake, are not a large nor heavy animal. They weigh a few pounds and are usually between 3-4.5 feet in adult length. Most corns are longer than balls do. Both are considered small snakes. If you are looking for something that tolerates handling, I would suggest going with the corn. Balls get stressed very easy and do not tolerate excessive handling very well. Alicewaves suggestion of a rosy boa is also a great one. They are amongst some of my favourite snakes. They come in all sorts of colours and patterns and are super easy to care for, as well as they tolerate handling very well. They are in my opinion, the best starter snake. Corns are quite active (as with any colubrid), rosies however are relatively slow-moving animals for the most part. Good luck with your decision

Quote:

Originally posted by marisa
Con- Yes Balls can be picky feeders BUT you can eliminate this con by simply purchasing only CB pythons from good breeders.

Hmmmmm... I think someone forgot to tell my CBB male that... he hasn't eaten in 9 months...lol

My females miss a meal from time to time and go on their fasts as well. My yearling female is also a CBB girl

Both of the CBB were from very reputable sources.

Invictus · 07-15-03, 11:10 AM

I agree with the statements about Rosys. Kenyan Sand Boas are also a wonderful choice if you want a snake that requires no humidity and no attention. Problem with the fossorial snakes (fossorial = likes to be buried under substrate) is that they can get really stressed out momentarily when you are getting them out of their enclosures. Once they are in your hands, you cannot get those things to be aggressive at all.

But for the corn/bp debate, I have personal biases. I'm not a big fan of ball pythons. I think they look like slugs when they are full grown. Added to which, even captive bred BPs will sometimes go for months without feeding. I'm a huge corn enthusiast. I have 3 now, and I'm getting 10 more over the course of the next few months. They are, IMHO, the best starter snake, and even a great snake for experienced keepers. But yes, they are hyper, and they poop like crazy.

So, pick what works for you. I'm sure you'll find both species to be very rewarding.

Lisa · 07-15-03, 12:20 PM

About the escape artist thing. All snakes are escape artists.

jncoclub · 07-15-03, 12:52 PM

Balls all the way!
To me they look better. Corns look like colorful worms to me, ball pythons look more like burley snakes. Plus, I kind of dig the puppydog pout face that they seem to have. Mine has a great personality. At times she’ll just chill in your lap, other times you have to just put them down because she feels like exploring. Mine stopped eating for about 5 months. If you know in advance that it could stop eating ‘just because’, then hey- see it as a way to save some money on food. Good thing you are oding your research first. Ask your self- do you think one is better looking than another? Any one necessarily ‘easier’ to take care of? How much time /effort/love do you want to put into it? If you get your set up right for the snake the first time, then feeding and cleaning the tank seem to be the only determining factors. One poops more (corns), and one poops bigger (ball). You’re call.

Dark_Angel_x322 · 07-15-03, 01:25 PM

ok well I tallied the comments and left out ones that didn't get a one way or other vote. Some I counted as 2 because the person like both. So after going through I have 11 votes for corns and 7 votes for ball. After reading the comments I think I will get the corn first and the ball later on, maybe at the Oct expo here. I do like the look of a ball better but I want a snake I can handle everyday if I want or can leave it alone for a few days if I have a really busy schedule. The weird feeding habits of a ball doesn't really seem that bad to me now that I know they do it just cuz they feel like it. The reason I am choosing the corn is that I won't have to worry about the feeding issues as much right away and the corns seem like they have a lot less cons to them. I want to progress in the world of snakes rather than getting the harder keeper then going down to an easier one. Baby steps are easier than jumps and there is a lot less chance of failure. So in other words I think the "virtually unkillable" corn snake would be better than the shy BP as a first snake.

Thanks for your help!

One more question... Does anyone know a good corn breeder in the southwest chicago area? I plan on getting a corn from kathy love at the Oct expo but i don't think I can wait that long to get my first.

ReptiZone · 07-15-03, 01:27 PM

i think that balls are better because it get louce it is eazer to find it latter. korn snakes are just too small

Bryce Masuk · 07-15-03, 06:15 PM

The reason most people dont know there ball is stressed is because they just lay there and do nothing while most other snakes would hiss or strike they dont they are Overly shy I got a ball as my first snake they are easy as pie to take care of You wont have a problem if you truely want a ball
Others you should look at are
childrens/spotted pythons
Kingsnakes
Ratsnakes
Milksnakes
You could wont have a problem with any of them to be honest my fav's out of all beginer snakes is LEUCISTIC/TEXAS RAT SNAKE
http://www.szgdocent.org/cc/c-leucst.htm
Although they can be pretty nippy but they can be tamed over time

Mike177 · 07-15-03, 06:57 PM

realy eather/or. I think you are very capeable of careing for eather and realy they boath dont mind handleing a bit. it is realy a personal call. i had a ball for my first snake and i did fine. just buy a book about ball pythons and one about corns and read them boath. if you buy from a good breeder (like what was already said)chances are you wont have any problems. it is just personal prefreance eather way u will be happy with you desition. also with corns (not that i am suggesting it) u can keep them at room temp there whole life and they will do fine (dont take that the wrong way)

Mike,

BoidKeeper · 07-15-03, 11:29 PM

I say for your first snake go Rosy Boa! You get the best of both worlds! The size of a colubrid with the pleasure of owning a boid! I have both balls and corns and I say that if it's your first snake you can't go wrong with a corn they are just so much more for giving. So much so that when a parent(I'm a teacher) ask me what they should get their child for a first reptile I always say a corn!

jncoclub · 07-16-03, 08:28 AM

I don't know any breeders in the southwest Chicago area, but I did grow up in Riverwoods (northeast of the city near Deerfield, Bannockburn, Vernon Hills, Highland Park, Northbrook area)- I would love to know of any reptile shops you know of or come across for when I go home to visit my family. I didn't get into herps until I moved to FL over a year ago- but my IL backyard was all woods with swamps- I bet I had a reptile haven and didn't even know it!