Corn snake or Ball python

[Bogertophis]

Beginning snake owners come in all ages...are we talking about a kid or an adult? It matters because while any kind of snake requires secure caging, young corn snakes
can skip town thru the tiniest of gaps, & also they're much quicker in motion, so being harder to handle, a younger person is far more likely to drop them, which can even
be fatal but is NEVER good for the snake. To be honest, I don't recommend pet snakes for young kids, especially not if they're the sole caretaker. Care & feeding of a corn
snake is MUCH easier, while ball pythons can drive most adults crazy with their feeding idiosyncrasies, not to mention the cost of food you end up wasting when your BP
refuses...so if the beginning owner is younger & trying to pay for everything out of their allowance, that's a real downside. Corn snakes, if not over-handled, are usually
very good eaters even as hatchlings, & reliable eaters when older.

Personally I'd vote for a corn snake: even though BPs are usually docile & stay a nice size, corn snakes are docile too, need far less heat or special humidity and they eat
reliably. BUT, for a first time owner, it would be best NOT to get a hatchling...maybe get one that's 6 mos. or better yet, a yearling. Mostly because nearly every first
time snake owner can't resist handling their new snake, & hatchling corn snakes are not made for handling...they take patience because they're so tiny, so they're best for
a patient adult owner. And keep in mind that while hatchling BPs are bigger & easier to hold, you can easily put them off feeding too.