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.

[Slim]

Let's hear your rebuttal

Ball pythons are the divas of the Herp Community and are therefore entitled to be temperamental. They aren't fasting, they're watching their weight. While I agree that most first time BP keepers get it almost all wrong, almost all of the time, but if it weren't for that, then BP.net would just get boring...

Who can forget the 200 gallon petri dish with 14 species of herp all in one tank...you just can't make that stuff up!

[Rob]

Ball pythons are the divas of the Herp Community and are therefore entitled to be temperamental. They aren't fasting, they're watching their weight

Lmao! How can I argue with that.

[BallPythonLove]

Thank you all for giving your opinion on which is better. I still don't know which one to pick
I might be leaning more towards the boa, but I just don't know. I have a big choice ahead of me.

[BallPythonLove]

Would a Carpet Python be good as well? Or is that for later?

[jason221]

Who can forget the 200 gallon petri dish with 14 species of herp all in one tank...you just can't make that stuff up!

Link? I haven't seen that before.

[Slim]

Link? I haven't seen that before.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ght=petri+dish

[CLSpider]

I suppose I'll throw in my two cents.
I own both and like others have said, their personalities are so different! I only have one smaller female boa now (about 3') and she LOVES exploring, is curious about everything, is always trying to go on my head, and never refuses food...EVER. She does strike at me while she's deep in shed though, so I've learned to just leave her alone at that time. Otherwise she is awesome!
I have right around 40 ball pythons now (and 20 more in the incubator). They're much more relaxed, I suppose you could say. Most of mine will just kinda sit there. Others like to "explore". And then there's the whole eating issue...being that they don't sometimes. Other than that, the bps are awesome and I can't get enough of them.
I definitely want more of both boas and ball pythons. So which ever you decide to get, they're both a great choice!

[I-KandyReptiles]

Pp


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[gofrwrd]

Boas will only get really big if you feed them big. You can keep even a female at 5 feet if you really want to. That wouldnt be any fun though, would it? Balls are cool too. Instead of a CA Boa try a Sonoran they stay even smaller and are fantastic.