I used to keep snakes in the past (mainly boas and corns) but it's been quite a few years. Anyway, I'm interested in having a snake again and I think I've pretty much got it down to either a Ball or Blood python and I'm hoping you guys can help me decide.

I'm either looking to get one snake, and maybe get a second someday down the line if I decide I want to try a breeding project. Obviously you can do a lot more variety of projects with Balls than Bloods but a lot of the fancier morphs come with bigger price tags and you're looking at two of them of course. Not a deal-killer though and there ARE some less expensive ones that look pretty nice on morphmarket if you browse around.

Bloods look pretty cool even as normals though and even a T- or Ivory isn't that pricy. I could probably even drive down to RepTillis to pick one up in person since we get down to Florida periodically.

If I get a Blood I will go with a male since they are a bit smaller and therefore more wife-acceptable With a Ball it doesn't really matter that much as both genders are not so large. Initially I'll have a tub setup but I also own a 4x2x1 Boaphile cage I can use down the line - leftover from my last Boa Constrictor quite a few years back.

I've been doing a lot of reading and watching videos about Bloods and I know that their reputation for aggression is misleading and outdated - they seem to be pretty mellow snakes although there may be some hissing/huffing. However, I've also heard some claims that because they don't climb they need to be more supported and don't wrap around you like a boa or corn so you have to be careful they don't make a quick move and fall which undermines their trust. Is that accurate?

How long do they like to be handled? In my experience a boa or corn is fine to hang out quite a while. Is a Blood sort of a "lap snake" that will chill out with you watching TV or will they want to go back in their tub after a few minutes?

I have a 6 year old son, is a Blood pretty cool with children (supervised)? As in I'd be holding the snake but he can pet it, and I can tell him to touch it away from the head.

Is it pretty easy to keep the humidity at their preferred level? I'm planning to do some tests with my Boaphile cage and monitor the humidity with a water bowl and/or some misting for a few days to see how well it holds stable.

I'll be attending Atlanta Repticon this weekend to gather more information and hopefully get to see some Bloods in person as well as some Ball morphs but I'm not looking to rush into things and plan to purchase later on.

Thanks for your help!