Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok, for those of u who have both corns and balls>>>which ones do u prefer, which are easier to take care of, major differences, if u had to pick one which one and why?/?

I dont really think you could compare the two. I like bp's better, but I don't think I would ever compare them to a corn snake.

I do agree. Balls are much easier to handle even as juveniles, while corns are flighty as babies. On the other hand, when it comes to breeding I think corns are better. They generally produce larger clutches and of those offspring there are potentially more morphs and tons more hets. Corns are less expensive than balls generally too. The care is roughly the same on the difficulty scale. I see more personality in balls though. Hmmm-I'm always looking to buy more of both so for me its even. I couldn't really choose one over another unless I was recommending a new person with children to a new snake purchase. In that event I'd say balls.
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Blizard Leopard Gecko
1.1.1 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red, 1 Orange Amelanistic)
1.1 Ball Python

I've bred corns for the past 9 years now and have 20 breeding sized females, 12 adult males and I'm not sure how many juvies and hatchlings (I try not to count ) Currently I own 26 balls, most juvies or hatchlings, but a few that were old/big enough breed last season so I'm just getting started with balls.

Both have personality. Both are easy to care for but the pythons make less of a mess so are easier that way but are waaaaay pickier eaters and require that I heat thier racks. Both have lots of morphs/combos and are exciting to work with. I'd have to say it's a tie when pros and cons are weighed if you exclude the costs involved.

Cheryl

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.

The biggest thing that keeps me away from Corns and Colubrids in general, is that they they $h!t too much and it smells terrible. I love Pituophis' and everytime I see a really exceptional one, I really want to buy it. Then I remember what it was like when I used to have about 25 various pine snakes. They needed cleaned almost every single day and the whole area they were in smelled disgusting. I think it's because they're more high strung. Must have a higher metabolism or something. That's my theory. And I just recently got rid of my son's Sunglow Motley Corn because he had no interest in handling this skinny little ballistic snake. And it was the same way when it came to smell and cleaning. Balls are SOOOOOO much better in pretty much every way I can think of.

I have both too and like them both in different ways. I do tend to like my BP a bit more, only because I have always loved BP's. I was told to start with a corn snake to see if snakes were "my thing". I would never give up my corn snake, but I have a special place in my heart for BP's.

In a 20 Gallon Cage Match between two adults I would be willing to bet your soul that the Royal Python would take out the overgrown grass plant in a definative submission.

SATAN
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well my friend and i are going to NARBC next week and she insisted that getting a ball python as a first snake for me was better than a corn because balls are not as skinny, flighty, and look more attractive. i think i may get a ball python because i kindof dont like how skinny corns are.

also, someone said on this thread said that balls smell less than corn snake...that makes me want to get a ball just cuz of that.

i think i will get a ball. i ll try to upload a pic if/when i do cuz i am getting a snake for sure, just don t know which.