Posted by:
gardenmum
at Fri Sep 15 08:55:29 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by gardenmum ]
Both corns and balls are just as easy to care for as far as I am concerned. Balls take a little bit higher temps and humidity but I have both in my heated snake room and just supply the balls with a small heat strip to give them a little more warmth if they want it as I keep the room at 82 degrees to accomodate the corns. I have had no trouble at all with the balls and since most are in a closed rack type system instead of open aquariums that loose moisture through the screen top, I have no problems with shedding. The ones that are in aquariums with screen tops need extra moisture for proper shedding.
As far as feeding goes, corns more readily adapt to F/T mouse feeding right from hatching out. I find that some balls will adapt ok to F/T but many have to be fed live and worked with to switch to F/T. Corns easily subsist on F/T mice, adult mice for adult corns. Balls really do best on a rat diet but you do get occasional balls that have to be really convinced to switch over to rats instead of mice. Adult balls will eat a small or medium rat so, of course, is a bit more expensive to feed than a corn. So, if you don't mind feeding live, and, of course, it costs more to feed live, then that is no problem.
As far as temperament goes, both as excellent first time snakes. Both are normally non nippy, but you can get occassional ones in both species that will be. Babies in both are normally a bit more nervous about being held but are calm as adults, although you can get babies in both that are calm from the beginning and I think you get more ball babies that are calmer from the beginnig, basically I think because balls babies when picked up do just as their name implies, they curl into a ball whereas corn babies want to get away.
Balls are much easier to take pictures of as they normally stay put in a ball or semi-ball when set down for the pics but corns normally need to be convinced to sit still long enough for a shot.
Both come in great color/patterns. Of course, corns of neat colors are not as expensive as balls and you can get just about any color in the rainbow for a reasonable cost. BUT even the normal balls have wonderful varients of color and pattern to make anyone pleased with their looks and having them in their collection.
As far as which I would choose. I wouldn't be able to. I love both of them equally in their own right and as long as I own snakes will have both in my collection. I started out with corns 5 years ago and have gotten into balls and find I very much enjoy having them. They are a really bautiful animal.
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I have both..... - gardenmum, Fri Sep 15 08:55:29 2006