Corn Snake or Ball Python

Ball Python or Cornsnake

I would like to get a snake either corn or ball but I dont know wich kind I should get. Tell me what you guys think?

I personally prefer Cornsnakes just for their ease of care and steady feeding habits. Not that Ball Pythons are difficult its just the fact that Humidity needs to be monitored a bit more and they eat larger meals as adults. Plus with Cornsnakes you have a better chance of getting them on F/T where the majority of Ball Pythons require Live Food.

How large of a snake do you want? What colors/morph do you want?

I've had them both, and by far, I like bps the most. To start answering your questions:

-cage size
Babies do fine in a 10 gallon, but will need to be upgraded. A 20 gallon long would do fine for a bp, just be sure to give it plenty of "hiding spots" as they are generally pretty reclusive and like to nap in tight spots.

-food (I know its mice and rats but I would like to know places to buy them, sizes ect)
General rule is prey item as big as the center girth of your snake. Now, I go a bit bigger. My babies started eating rat pinks and have gone up from there. They grow pretty fast in the first few years, so expect to upgrade accordingly. Within the first year, your baby bp could be eating rat pups, or maybe even larger. If your baby can eat three or more prey items and not look like he's eaten anything, its a good indicator to upgrade your food size.
I order all my rats from Big Cheese Rodent Factory. Very nice rats, reasonably priced, but shipping is expensive.

-Substrate
You'll get alot of different opinions on this one. I've tied Aspen. All my bps had bad sheds. Eco-Earth works great, but if your baby likes to burrow, he'll get substrate in his mouth, which unless he sneezes and face plants into the dirt, its no big deal, just more of a pain than anything else. Also, its brown, and so is poop, which means you may find it the hard way. ReptiBark works great, but it can be dusty and again, with the invisible poop. All my bps are on newspaper or brown paper. Cheap and easy clean up.

-Acesories
A waterdish big enough to curl up in to and a place to hide is pretty much all they need.

-Heat source
Mine are in a temp controled room, but they need to be around 85 degrees on the cool side and above 90 on the hot side. You can get that with a UTH. They tend to like to bask, too, so a light can be used for a nice "sunny" spot. The biggie with bps is humidity. It is essential to keep that humidity a good 60% or you'll have a sick snake. If you are using a glass tank and are having an issue with humidity, you can cover the top with Glad Press-N-Seal to retain some moisture. After dealing with way too many vet visits for RIs, all mine are in Rubbermaid totes.

-Morphs and prices (Average price is fine and you dont necessarily have to name all of them. Most popular ones are fine)
I have all normals and one pastel. You can expect to pay anywhere between $30 for a normal to thousands of dollars for some of the newer designer morphs. There are a few breeders on here that have some beautiful animals. The big things is you get what you pay for. If you pick up a captive hatched baby for $10 at a show, chances are you'll be making alot of vet trips and will probably loose the animal anyways. Always buy from a respected breeder.

-Any other interesting facts and anything else I forgot that you want to put
Cornsnakes are wonderful animals, but they are constantly moving. They are active hunters as opposed to bps which are ambush hunters. Don't let them fool you, though. BPs can be quite curious and have been known to get into strange predicaments when left to their own volition.

Now that I have written an entire book, hopefully some other owners will chime in and give their views. :main_thumbsup:

I have a bp and a corn that I got at the same time earlier this summer because I couldn't choose between the two, lol. They're both babies, so I have them in 10 gallon tanks. The only real difference in their setups is that I keep the bp's tank at a higher humidity by misting/having a bigger water dish.

I like the corns because they come in so many amazing colors for relatively inexpensive prices. My corn has also NEVER refused a meal (f/t, still on pinkies). He is friendly except when shedding. Definately on the move constantly. Cool snake overall.

My bp is sweet and docile, much slower in general and less likely to take off like a shot. I can drop her in my lap while reading a book and she's content to absorb my body heat. She's very pretty in her own right although she's "just" a normal. Biggest and only downside... she doesn't like f/t. I've gotten her to eat a couple of times since getting her, but she refuses food about once every other week. I haven't broke down and given her live yet because I'm trying to figure out a method that works for getting her to eat f/t (especially since she has eaten f/t in the past).

Those are the most common characterizations I've heard about the two different species, so I guess my babies are just average.

Ultimately you need to decide which you prefer as far as looks and personality goes. Both can be tame, friendly snakes. Both stay fairly small. Both can be housed in a 20 L when full grown. Housing requirements are pretty similar with the exception of higher humidity for the bp's.

Differences: active cs vs. quiet bp, slim body cs vs. chunky body bp, eagerness vs. reluctance to feed, color variations, and price. This is what I'd base your decision on.

Good luch and have fun shopping!

You can get a cornsnake with amazing pattern and colors for a reasonable price, whereas with the BP's the more colorful morphs are big bucks. Even a normal BP is a beautiful animal though. I've seen some eye catching normal ball pythons for sure, and some of the exotic morphs are very impressive.

I'm a king and milk snake guy myself, but I did spot a pair of corns that I kinda want. They're Candy Cane Orange x Motley Banded Amel (F2) or something like that. I may try to get them, we'll see.

Though I like both but one thing that really interests me is the Ball Pythons size. I like how it has a wider diameter!

when in doubt get both.

I might just have to! LOL.
Everyone so far has done a good job helping me. Thanks!




Is there anyone else that has any information

not trying to diss bp but i've heard from SEVERAL poeple that any python does horrible in captivity compaired to boas and coloubirds... im definatly no expert but i was talking to one of my friends who breeds red tail boas and told me not to ever get a python because of several reasons, but i've also heard the opposite so idk... again i like bp and im not trying to say antying bad, thats just what i've heard and witnessed

sushi said:

not trying to diss bp but i've heard from SEVERAL poeple that any python does horrible in captivity compaired to boas and coloubirds... im definatly no expert but i was talking to one of my friends who breeds red tail boas and told me not to ever get a python because of several reasons, but i've also heard the opposite so idk... again i like bp and im not trying to say antying bad, thats just what i've heard and witnessed

Click to expand...

That's odd, BPs are one of the most popular snakes. A lot of people keep them with no problem. Maybe the wild-caught don't do well in captivity, is what your friend meant? :main_huh:

Other than my snake's current hunger strike (and the worried trip to the vet who pronounced her "one of the healthiest ball pythons [he] has seen in a long time"), she's done incredibly well. That is the only bad thing about them IMHO, they are weird about not eating, but in most cases it won't harm the snake, just drive the OWNER crazy.

yeah... i actually talked to some people today about them and read on some forums and i always thought they were cool but have heard bad things so i was worried to get one. but i talked to like 5 diff people today and read alot and actually held one at the pet store cuz i was looking aorund (im always bored lol) and i actually really want one now, lol. im gonna do a little more research first though

Corns!!!