Ball or Blood?

[dkatz4]

Not for nothing, but if you know/like boas, why not go for Central American/Mexican or island locale? Big boa fun in a little boa package.

[JodanOrNoDan]

If the temperament of the animal is of the most importance to you, make that your primary shopping point and let whoever you are buying from know this is your primary concern. Most balls are super mellow. Boys tend to be more mellow than girls but don't get as big. Some balls while they may not bite, want nothing to do with handling and will attempt to escape which can be a handful for a child. There are a few that can be down right wicked. I have a couple that my kids are not allowed to touch. It does not hurt to get bit by a ball, but it will scare the crap out of a young child.

My best handling ball is actually a huge older normal female. She "likes" to be out and will tolerate a lot of BS from the kids, barbies riding on her back etc. All of my males except one my kids can play with. That one has an attitude and will go off food if the wind blows in a different direction.

First snake should be the one the family falls in love with. You cannot care what it looks like. If the family likes it there will be more...... and more....... and more.....

[dboeren]

I remember hearing that the Hogg Island ones stay relatively small, don't know much about the Mexican/Central American forms but I can look into that.

[ladywhipple02]

I think this is my favorite Ball I've seen so far:

Amazing choice and one of my faves as well!

We're a BP forum, but a lot of folks on here have a boa or two as well. As far as personality goes, I've found boas to be more interactive. They typically aren't as shy as a BP, and can be a lot of fun for kids to grow with. Of course they do get large - some of them VERY large. Island boas are typically the smaller versions - Crawl Cay and Caulker Cay boas being some of the smallest http://www.cuttingedgeherp.com/islandcayboas.html

If you're going for pretty colors though... stick with the BPs. They can also be friendly and make great pets, and come in VAST numbers of different patterns and shades, they just tend to be a little more shy.

[JodanOrNoDan]

I'm seeing a lot of people mention boas. I don't own any, but have interacted with quite a few. Same thing goes for boas that I said earlier about balls. Most are great, some can be hell on wheels. Primary difference between boas and balls with kids can be size depending on the particular animal and the fact that if I was to be nailed I would much rather take a bite from a ball than a boa.

[dboeren]

We're a BP forum, but a lot of folks on here have a boa or two as well. As far as personality goes, I've found boas to be more interactive. They typically aren't as shy as a BP, and can be a lot of fun for kids to grow with. Of course they do get large - some of them VERY large. Island boas are typically the smaller versions - Crawl Cay and Caulker Cay boas being some of the smallest http://www.cuttingedgeherp.com/islandcayboas.html

If I did a boa an Island type would be best. Maybe I can see some in person at Repticon this weekend.

If you're going for pretty colors though... stick with the BPs. They can also be friendly and make great pets, and come in VAST numbers of different patterns and shades, they just tend to be a little more shy.

Yeah, for variety of colors and patterns the Balls and Corns have it pretty much wrapped up. Corns are illegal here in Georgia though.

On the other hand, there are also some species that are very attractive in their natural color/pattern too. Some King/Milk snakes are very boldly colored, Blood Pythons of course look really cool especially as their red develops, and some of the Carpet varieties too.

[ladywhipple02]

Not to say boas don't have their own beauty too. I'm a huge fan of those big, bright red tails myself. If you get a good one, those colors will stick with the animal all their lives. I miss having one a bunch, and that will be my next acquisition. I just don't have the room right now.

[Prognathodon]

I'd go blood, but my son is in his 20s . My husband was rather in my blood's face the other night with his new camera (pictures coming soon) and she puffed up and hissed a little bit, but no striking. Not sure how she'd be with kids. She came from RepTillis, and I'd be very happy to buy from him again. He even remembered our transaction when I saw him at NARBC months later. Picking an animal up in person would be icing on the cake.


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[Aedryan Methyus]

Hi dboeren,
I keep Bloods (2 Sumatrans + 1 Matrix Het T+), Balls and Boas. I am new to Bloods, but I have 3 (soon to be 6 of them). If I were looking to just get 1 snake to keep as a family pet and possibly do a small breeding project at some point and I wanted to choose a species with the most personality that is the easiest to care for and the most fun to handle, I would have to say a Boa would definitely be the way to go. Personality-wise, Boas are much more sociable, animated, inquisitive and attentive than the other two species, generally. Though, due to the fact that they are curious and love to explore, they can be a bit flighty at times, but for the most part they will wrap their whole body around you and hang out all day long. Boas will rarely ever pass up a meal and rarely have shedding problems.

Don't get me wrong, I am just about as crazy about Bloods as I am Boas and they can be just as fun to hang out with as Boas. It's just a little different... Bloods are definitely a "lap snake" or you can sorta cradle them in your arms. At most, they will partially wrap the very end of their little short tails around your hand or something from time to time if you're holding them up in the air and they don't feel 100% secure. Personality-wise, once my Sumatrans got settled in (after about 2 weeks), their temperament was like night and day. For the first two weeks, they were nasty and bitey as hell! I claim full responsibility for that, though. I should have just left them completely alone. Within a couple of weeks they became a couple of adorable little angels and never even strike anymore. I sit with each of them for about 30 minutes a day. They are almost as animated, inquisitive and attentive as my Boa. I sit in a chair in my snake room with them and they love to crawl around on me and explore. They seem to be looking at everything in the room and sometimes they will just sit and stare straight up at my face. My Matrix is another story... She is a 2015 (my Sumatrans are 2016's), so she is a little older and was rarely (if ever) handled. I still have yet to actually hold her myself, because she is so schizo acting. She will sit in her tub completely motionless (and tensed up) and let me stroke her with my hook, but the moment she sees a hand heading for the tub she starts throwing her whole body around. She even threw herself completely out of the tub and on to the floor once! Honestly, I am a bit intimidated by her and i'm pretty sure she knows that at this point, which isn't going to help matters. So, i'm still taking it real slow with her just trying to get her used to seeing me and being touched everyday before I push the issue of holding her anymore. I think the less negative experiences you have the better. Care-wise, Bloods simply need more humidity and slightly lower temperatures than Balls and Boas. Higher humidity is easily achieved with a large water bowl and daily misting. Bloods are generally vivacious eaters as well, but are notorious for having shedding issues. Though, mine haven't yet... If you are seriously considering a Blood, I highly recommend starting out with a baby, so you can give it proper handling from the youngest age possible. The bigger breeders have way too many animals to give any one of them enough handling to keep them tame in my opinion. If you get an older one like my Matrix that hasn't ever been handled, you will most likely be starting right out with problems. You wouldn't believe the power these guys pack into their strikes even as babies!

Ball Pythons... The way I look at it is, Ball Pythons are the Poodles of the snake world, whereas Blood Pythons are the Pit Bulls. Personality-wise, Balls are very timid and shy as babies, but in my experience they really aren't as adults, at least with regular handling. They really don't even curl up into a ball anymore as adults. When handling adult Balls they are sorta a cross between a Boa and a Blood. Sometimes they will partially coil around your arm like a Boa, but for the most part, they seem to prefer to sit with support under them like a Blood and they are a lot more laid back than Boas. Out of these three species, I have to say Ball Pythons are the least animated and have the least personality and attentiveness (perhaps, the most boring in my opinion) of the three. Care-wise, their requirements are essentially the same as a Boa, as far as temperatures and humidity, but they will require (and prefer) much less space as they grow and become adults. Some Balls can be very picky eaters, but don't normally have shedding issues...

I'm sorry this turned into such a long post, but I hope it helps give you a little insight and helps you in you decision. As much as I have grown to love Bloods and Short Tails, if I could only choose one snake, I think I would have to go with a Boa. But, I could never choose only one, so I want them all!!! lol

[dboeren]

Thanks for the personality comparison, that's very helpful. Yes, I'd like to start with a CB baby of whatever species so they can be raised up accustomed to handling.

I guess the lower personality is part of what people are talking about when they refer to Balls as "pet rocks"

I'v been reading a bit more about Carpet Pythons and they look like a possibility as well and sound like another more interactive snake like boas.

Going to the show and getting to see/handle examples of each type will probably be what helps the most to decide.