My first snake Corn orBP or milk?

My subject says it all

its really up to you. ball pythons are good beginner snakes, although they are finicky eaters. i heard that corns are nippy, but i have no experiance with them. i never heard anything about milk snakes. just research a bit on them all and see what you would like. welcome to the site by the way if i missed ya.

thanx

Yeah..personally i'd choose a Ball Python...although i saw an albino corn snake at Petco and was tempted to buy..but as rex said, for a beginner snake, i'd choose a ball.

i really want a bp cause at the petstore t was so calm compared 2 the other snakes

DONT BUY FROM A PETSTORE!!! all sorts of problems come with them usually. especially if you get it from PETCO. sry after today i am totally anti petco.

lol...can't blame you rex! a dead bp would piss me off as well.

lol

where to buy them other than iternet

try to find an established breeder. if not and you have to buy from a petstore, although breeders are really reliable online, make sure that 1.temps are right, humidity relativly close, has at least 1 hide, clean water, no shed/feces/urates laying around and hold it before you purchase it. backbone shouldnt be showing.

wats a het

oh i forgot to add, with most breeders, at least alex hue (alexhuereptiles.com. i bought my BCI from him hes a great breeder) you can call them to order it.

are shows good

is shipping much? sry bout the questions

yea as long as it looks healthy and stuff. het is a genetic term. not quite sure wut it means though. its short for heterozygous i think

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is shipping much? sry bout the questions

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its no problem. ask any questions you need to know. shipping at alexhue reptiles is $35, which aint bad at all, considering it covers all materials (box, snake sack, heat packs, cold packs, etc)

ill go check it out now

dude it was like 125$! you no anyone else?

Unless there's an adult in your house who is willing to help you make sure that your temps and humidity are properly monitored and controlled, I would say a corn or milk is a much better choice than a bp, and a crested gecko is a better choice than either of those. They don't require heat or a specific humidity level, but should be fed daily or nearly daily.

I have a daughter who is 12, and I would not want her to have a ball python without my being in the house and interested in them too, because shedding and feeding can be difficult and they can get respiratory infections more easily than native species like corns and milks.

Also, if you can go to a show, that's usually going to be a much better place to buy reptiles than at a pet store. If you have a pet store nearby that specializes in reptiles, that's probably a pretty good place, too. If you can tell us what city you are in or near (please don't post your address), we might be able to tell you a pet store in driving distance or a show coming up where you could buy your pet.

around baltimore

You're in luck! September 18-19 is the Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show and there's also the All-Maryland show October 2. We have a couple of members in your area who might know of good stores as well.

het means its carring genes for a morph such as albino, pie, clown
and so on

I agree with Marla, if you don't have much snake experience, I'd rather go with a Corn. They're a much hardier species and aren't as sensitive to temp/humidity changes. They're also cheaper than BPs for the most part, which means more money saved to put into your housing and emergency vet fund.
You sound a bit younger, Kid; if you're planning on going to college, I would *definitely* suggest a smaller snake like a Corn. A lot easier to keep a 3' snake than a 6' snake in a dorm room. They're also cheaper to feed, which comes in handy when you're a broke college student like me. ;) I'd suggest doing at least 4-5 months of research before buying the snake though. I waited 10 years to get my first Ball and there's still stuff I don't know about them and am learning every day.
Welcome to the site!

I would say that a corn would be great, however, if you have demonstrated enough motivation to learn the care required of your chosen pet (as you have by posting here) I would say Ball Python. I used to feel very differently but I feel that the gerth of a Ball python is much more satisfying than the length of a corn or milk. I'm glad that I personally chose a Ball as a first pet simply because his pattern and size are much more pleasing to me than those of a corn or milk that I have seen. If you for some reason feel that a less girthy more lengthy colubrid is more your style than I say go corn or milk (corn). Basically what it boils down to is as far as starter snakes Ball Pythons are a bit more difficult to care for than the other snakes generally considered "beginner." So while a corn would be easier if you are willing to study, read and learn about BP's than you could go with that.

yeah now that i think of it, a ball is kinda more hard becuase of the temps and some special things they need. I mean, its not HARD to keep one but you do have to know what you are doing,ya know ?Corns dont need as much heat,they prolly wont go on hunger strikes and they are hardier and come in alot of differnt colors and morphs that dont cost as much as a house does !!

^ Agreed, you can get a Corn morph for under $100 in most cases. And I love me some bubblegum Corns.

i got my candy cane for 40 (which isnt expensive at all)

well, my dad and i just started.
his first was a ball, and so far we have had no probems, very slow moving calm snakes.

me on the other hand have a milk snake, very cool.
IMO Milks are easyer to take care of, but they are a little fiesty. ahah

In my opinion, none of them. BPs are known to be shy, finnicky eaters, and have humidity requirements. And too many people own Corns and Milks LoL (same thing goes for BPs). Milks are also amongst the best escape artists in the herp hobby.

I think you should go with a Hognose (be sure to get the Western kind and one that's a FEMALE. I made the mistake of getting a male [which they hardly ever get past 18 inches in length] but I'm too attached to him to trade him back).
Females on the other hand, are almost guaranteed to exceed 24 inches but still grow bulkier than a 4 foot Corn snake. Heard about the "venom"? It's nothing to worry about! One reason is that it only causes some swelling in the bitten limb (which clears in a few days afterwards). The other is because Hognose snakes DO NOT BITE (unless it's a food response. To avoid this, don't put the food in front of it with your bare hand). Overall they're really cool snakes (when it comes to their nice colors, patterns [they seriously have 3 different patterns going down their body and even an ink-black belly], and defensive habits... you'll love what they do) and are great for beginners. If you get one, be sure to know that the noise you'll hear nearby isn't somebody opening a can of soda...
EDIT: Oh, you got some already. Just consider my info alright?

Hey just to add to what everyone is saying....I have both an albino corn and a ball python! Both are good starter snakes! I find the corn is hardier you don't have to worry as much about them, they are active and love to explore, very fun to handle! My corn is not nippy at all you can pick him up whenever you want! The ball is very laid back if you are going to buy a young one they can be a little more aggressive, but with time settle in just fine! Some people find corns good starter snakes because they are less threatning, you wont be as nervous holding a baby corn as you would a ball (the size of their heads are very different). Also I found my corns adapted much quicker, but I love both of them! Besides that if you buy a corn chances are it wont be long until you buy a ball LOL!!!
Either way have fun! :)

Well I have been thrown into this snake keeping. A friend of mine had to go away to work for 2 months, so I got his 7mth old male BP, and a 7 mth old albino corn to look after. The corn is called Cyril, but have renamed him Houdini, talk about fast!!(has made for escape more than once)

Both are nice natured. I warm more towards the BP if I'm honest, cant relate to the corn so much. Corn is a bit more social though, the only time his mood changes is during shed where he just lies low.

I don't know if the corns slow down when older??? Both would be good choices from my limited experience. I find myself watching/ interacting with the Ball more,he has a lot of character

My local reptile shop has a beautiful childrens python in, could be another option

Scott

I can't believe no one has recommended a Cali King!

ha...a 4 year old thread resurrected. :gj: I'd still choose a ball (and I did)