Boa or Ball Python?

[Crazy4Herps]

If you are new to snakes (?), I would say definitely don't get both right away. Dip your toes in the water first; it takes a while to get used to any new pet and figure out husbandry, feedings, etc (no matter how much you've read, it takes some time and experimenting to get the hang of it). And with two snakes, especially two drastically different snakes, it would be twice as difficult, and if you make a mistake (not saying that you will, but it happens to the best of us), both snakes are affected.

I would recommend finding a local expo or shop that has both and handling both of them, to get a feel for what you want. They both make excellent pets but are very different.

It really depends on what you're looking for. I personally prefer boas because they have big personalities, whereas ball pythons are mostly passive. With a boa there is a good chance you're going to get bit every now and again. Which is not a big deal because baby bites don't hurt at all and they grow out of the 'bitey phase' pretty quickly. However, if that makes you uncomfortable I would recommend a ball python. I've been bit dozens of times and at this point I don't think twice about it, but I know when I started out in the hobby I was a bit nervous, and I think if I had gotten bitten early on it probably would have affected my initial confidence with snakes. But maybe that's just me. Boas are wonderful, sweet, loving snakes that really bond with you (okay, that's debatable, but I know my two girls love me ), but it's common for them to go through a nippy phase when they're young.

Then of course, with their larger size (even though CA's aren't so big), boas do cost more to house and feed and mine are higher maintenance than any ball python I've had (they're attention hogs and they like to make a mess), so that's something to consider as well.

But anyways. They both make excellent pets, and I'm sure whichever you decide on you will love very much.