Kingsnake vs Ball Python?

So I want a Ball Python but I don't wanna worry about keeping the humidity up constantly cause I tend to obsess over things like that. Would a kingsnake be a better option? If so, I've don't TONS of research on both. I love research! Is it tue you don't need to worry about humidity at all with kingsnakes? And I'm wondering what the smallest kingsnake is that's commonly kept? California? How big do they get? Can they be fed large mice their whole life? It would be cheaper too. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Last thing, what kingsnake has the best temperament/handling?

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Originally Posted by Crowley136

So I want a Ball Python but I don't wanna worry about keeping the humidity up constantly cause I tend to obsess over things like that. Would a kingsnake be a better option? If so, I've don't TONS of research on both. I love research! Is it tue you don't need to worry about humidity at all with kingsnakes? And I'm wondering what the smallest kingsnake is that's commonly kept? California? How big do they get? Can they be fed large mice their whole life? It would be cheaper too. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Last thing, what kingsnake has the best temperament/handling?

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Even my "Desert" King needed higher humidity than we have in the house. His sheds improved when I switched him to a planted tank. He does not care to be held, but I keep because he is beautiful. Going on three? years old, and about 34" long. Slender. He eats a mouse or small rat weekly, but refuses meals most of the winter.

I used a rack and tubs and never worried about humidity. Caging takes care of that. Personally find ball pythons more mellow but just pick the species you really want and set up the caging for it. Investing in the enclosure saves a lot of time and effort later.

Get a woma, they are like a kingsnake trapped in a pythons body.

It all comes down to which ever one you're more interested in taking car of for 20+ years. The Humidity thing really isn't that big of a deal to do for the ball pythons. I just mist mine once, sometimes twice a day when in shed and keep his terrarium covered most the way. That takes care of the humidity "problem". I know ball pythons are great first or second time snakes because they are very laid back and slow moving. California kings i believe are a little more crazy and squirmy?

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Originally Posted by enginee837

Get a woma, they are like a kingsnake trapped in a pythons body.

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What a great description of a Woma .. I once said mine was Retic in a Corn snake body..


There's really nothing similar about these two apart from being snakes !

If you want something placid , docile , slow moving and great to handle it's gotta be a Royal / Ball python - they are nocturnal and so you won't see them during the day ... Kings are basically the opposite .

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i don't often worry about humidity for my Colubrids. i have 2 Milks, 1 King and 2 Corns (and an African House Snake). i live in Seattle where the weather is mild and it rains often. my natural household temps and humidity works for them. the natural temps/humidity where u live may differ. except for one time, they've always had perfect 1 piece sheds and i keep them on shredded aspen. my Anerythristic Milksnake had a multipiece shed once where the lower third was stuck. it was quickly fixed with extra misting.


Not sure which King is the smallest, but males will be smaller than females when full grown. my big ones are about 2years old, a lil over 2feet long currently and probably as thick as a good size thumb. they eat adult mice currently. they're garbage disposals so they will eat hoppers, adults mice and rats when they're big enough. i will have to weigh which will be more cost efficient when they get big enough. Interesting note on feeding: i can put prey right up to my Corns and they will swallow it directly from my tongs. My King will snatch and yank the mouse. My Milks will snatch and wrap.


my King and Corns were all very bitey as babies. my King is a year younger and she stills rattles her tail, hisses and occasionally strike. my Milks never acted this way. Anyway my biggest Corn has grown out of this behavior and i expect my King to do the same. Colubrids are not like Pythons. they are always on the move and squirmy while handling. also u have to keep an eye on them and be close by if u leave them on the floor. they can quickly slither away and get lost. in their cages, they are more active than Pythons but actually pretty chill in the cages. they will not be like BP's that u can chill and watch TV with. u will have your hands full. Anyway these are my experience. Hope u find it helpful.

:gj:

if u wanna read more details, check out the Cali King care sheet here: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...a-californiae)
(or Corn one here: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ttata-guttata)

Humidity isn't really a factor for kings and most can feed on jumbo mice their entire lives. My kings usually topped out at 4-5 ft long and they're a lot more slender than BPs. As others have said some kings can be a little nippy as babies but most calm down pretty quickly.

If the Kingsnake is bigger and hungry, the Kingsnake wins. :)

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Originally Posted by Crowley136

Is it tue you don't need to worry about humidity at all with kingsnakes? And I'm wondering what the smallest kingsnake is that's commonly kept?

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Not true. If your house is very dry, you're going to at least need to offer a damp retreat during sheds. The smallest depends on what you consider a king snake. There are generally more options in the Lampropeltis genus if you don't mind tapping into "milk snake" faction. Barring that, a couple of smaller common name "kings" are the scarlet(L. elapsoides) and grey banded(L. alterna). Between those two, I'd recommend alterna for the easier keeper and better handler in general.

Honestly, get the snake you want and adjust the husbandry accordingly. You're going to have this animal for 15+ years if you go with a King and 25 or more if you go BP. The husbandry requirements really aren't much more work to achieve for a BP, especially once you've got it sorted out and make seasonal adjustments depending on where you live. The difference may be that a King is more forgiving to sub par husbandry while a BP may refuse food if husbandry is off more than just a bit.

There are pros and cons to both species and it's really going to come down to what YOU want. I have kept both BPs and King's and currently have a BP and a Cal King. As long as I'm in the snake keeping hobby I will continue to keep both species.

I will share some of the differences and similarities with you, but keep in mind this is based on my experience and my animals.

Size: BPs will be much more full-bodied while Kings are more slender. Males of both species will stay smaller. My Cal King is an adult and just over 4 feet long and weighed 676 grams as of last weigh-in. Male BPs rarely exceed 4 feet but will be considerably heavier than King's.

Handling: BPs are super easy to handle from juveniles through adults. They are slow moving and pretty chill. They will usually just casually explore while out. Kings can be much more difficult to handle, especially when young and small. They can be quick and flighty and are pretty much always on the go, which results in a lot of hand over hand handling as opposed to a BP just slowly crushing your hands, neck, lap, etc... Kings will slow down and acclimate to handling with age but are still more active than a BP.

Aggression/Biting: I've been bitten by both. As they say, hang around a barber shop long enough and you're bound to get a haircut. Keep snakes and you're bound to get tagged eventually. Kings can be nippy when young, but will typically outgrow it with age and regular handling. Both species can be nippy when young, but Kings are notoriously nippy. Even as adults, Kings bites are less painful than a papercut.

Feeding: Kings are garbage disposals. I'm pretty sure my King would eat a slice of pizza if I dangled it from tongs (as long as it had meat on it, hahaha). Obviously I'm joking for effect, but seriously, Kings are garbage disposals. And yes, Kings can feed on adult mice their entire lives. My King gets the refusals from the BP and has eaten refusals from others as well. BPs can be notoriously finicky when it comes to eating. Security, husbandry, mating season, etc... can all cause a BP to refuse. Males often go on a food strike when they hit 1000 grams.

To answer some of your specific questions, I don't know which species of Kings stay smaller, just that males stay smaller than females.

As for which handle best, I've never really noticed much difference, but the biggest jerk of a snake I ever met was a banana King. The thing bit me about 6 or 7 times in a span of about 5 minutes. Only broke skin once though.

No, it's not true that you don't have to worry about humidity with Kings. It's just more common for the natural humidity where people live to be a proper humidity for Kings, so misting or additional steps are not required.

Other thoughts:
-Kings, especially when young and small, are exceptional escape artists and can fit through surprisingly small holes.
-I've raised Kings from juveniles and loved watching them grow, but, I will never get a juvenile King again. I will, however, get sub-adult and adult Kings again as I am able to grow my collection. Adults are just so much easier to handle and I personally no longer enjoy the hand-over-hand aspect of handling juvenile Kings.
-BPs are great snakes from hatchlings through adulthood and I will be adding BPs as well.


Sorry that this reply is so long, hope it helped!!!

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Honestly, get the snake you want and adjust the husbandry accordingly. You're going to have this animal for 15+ years if you go with a King and 25 or more if you go BP. The husbandry requirements really aren't much more work to achieve for a BP, especially once you've got it sorted out and make seasonal adjustments depending on where you live. The difference may be that a King is more forgiving to sub par husbandry while a BP may refuse food if husbandry is off more than just a bit.

There are pros and cons to both species and it's really going to come down to what YOU want. I have kept both BPs and King's and currently have a BP and a Cal King. As long as I'm in the snake keeping hobby I will continue to keep both species.

I will share some of the differences and similarities with you, but keep in mind this is based on my experience and my animals.

Size: BPs will be much more full-bodied while Kings are more slender. Males of both species will stay smaller. My Cal King is an adult and just over 4 feet long and weighed 676 grams as of last weigh-in. Male BPs rarely exceed 4 feet but will be considerably heavier than King's.

Handling: BPs are super easy to handle from juveniles through adults. They are slow moving and pretty chill. They will usually just casually explore while out. Kings can be much more difficult to handle, especially when young and small. They can be quick and flighty and are pretty much always on the go, which results in a lot of hand over hand handling as opposed to a BP just slowly crushing your hands, neck, lap, etc... Kings will slow down and acclimate to handling with age but are still more active than a BP.

Aggression/Biting: I've been bitten by both. As they say, hang around a barber shop long enough and you're bound to get a haircut. Keep snakes and you're bound to get tagged eventually. Kings can be nippy when young, but will typically outgrow it with age and regular handling. Both species can be nippy when young, but Kings are notoriously nippy. Even as adults, Kings bites are less painful than a papercut.

Feeding: Kings are garbage disposals. I'm pretty sure my King would eat a slice of pizza if I dangled it from tongs (as long as it had meat on it, hahaha). Obviously I'm joking for effect, but seriously, Kings are garbage disposals. And yes, Kings can feed on adult mice their entire lives. My King gets the refusals from the BP and has eaten refusals from others as well. BPs can be notoriously finicky when it comes to eating. Security, husbandry, mating season, etc... can all cause a BP to refuse. Males often go on a food strike when they hit 1000 grams.

To answer some of your specific questions, I don't know which species of Kings stay smaller, just that males stay smaller than females.

As for which handle best, I've never really noticed much difference, but the biggest jerk of a snake I ever met was a banana King. The thing bit me about 6 or 7 times in a span of about 5 minutes. Only broke skin once though.

No, it's not true that you don't have to worry about humidity with Kings. It's just more common for the natural humidity where people live to be a proper humidity for Kings, so misting or additional steps are not required.

Other thoughts:
-Kings, especially when young and small, are exceptional escape artists and can fit through surprisingly small holes.
-I've raised Kings from juveniles and loved watching them grow, but, I will never get a juvenile King again. I will, however, get sub-adult and adult Kings again as I am able to grow my collection. Adults are just so much easier to handle and I personally no longer enjoy the hand-over-hand aspect of handling juvenile Kings.
-BPs are great snakes from hatchlings through adulthood and I will be adding BPs as well.


Sorry that this reply is so long, hope it helped!!!

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Absolutely brilliant post !!


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Absolutely brilliant post !!


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Thanks Zinc!

Mountain kingsnaks are the smallest kings, many topping out at about 3 foot. They're not as readily available as CA or MBK, but are usually available, and are generally more costly. I haven't kept them, so can't advise on keeping them. I have kept CA and MBK. They're easy to handle and more active than BPs. even the larger species aren't really that large, longer but lighter than a BP

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Originally Posted by DennisM

Mountain kingsnaks are the smallest kings, many topping out at about 3 foot. They're not as readily available as CA or MBK, but are usually available, and are generally more costly. I haven't kept them, so can't advise on keeping them. I have kept CA and MBK. They're easy to handle and more active than BPs. even the larger species aren't really that large, longer but lighter than a BP

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Nice work ... I used to have a beaut little Mountain King snake and it was double the price of the other Kings and only half the size ... Very gentle as well ..

Looked just like this one copied off the inter web :)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b10a8c0527.jpg


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