Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am debating on which I should get for my 5 year old for Christmas. I have been directed both ways by pet stores, some saying go corn snake and others says go ball python. They tell me the corn snakes arent as nippy but the ball pythons are more docile. Please advise! Thanks!

I would go with a ball for a small child they are not fast movers and very docile. I got my daughter her first ball at 3 she is now almost five. Her ball never tries to get away and wraps around her wrist and just hangs with her.I always supervise of course. I do not know much about corns, except all the ones I held the move quicker than a ball.Best of luck let us know what you decide..
-----
1.0 Het for pied
0.1 Het for Pied
1.5 normal balls
1.1 bearded dragons
1.3 kids
1.0 husband
To many little critters list

Corns are pretty fast movers indeed. Your kid might have trouble keeping it in his hands. I would also reccomend a ball python out of those two. Just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into though. Ball Pythons get pretty big. I know of a rescue that has 4 they have rescued from people that couldn't keep them any longer for some reason or another.

Maybe you should look into something else? A rosy boa maybe? They don't get too big and The ones I've met are only as fast as a ball python. They're pretty docile too.

I'm not sure if you're a herper or not... Ball pythons are excellent snakes for starters. Just know that when your kid moves out, he may very well still have that snake, and it'll be much much bigger. I just don't want to see another larger snake lose its home.

Also, with whatever snake you choose, make sure you watch your kid when he's holding it. Some kids can be pretty rough even when they don't mean to. My boyfriend has to help his 3 year old nephew hold his cornsnake. His nephew will sometimes try to squeeze it to hold it still and we have to remind him to use his hands like a treadmill.

Good luck!

I have two baby balls and a corn that is about a year and half old. All three are very docile and very good eaters. However, the corn, while still pretty small, is bit more difficult to handle because he is always exploring and trying to move around and get away. The balls on the other hand, are often content to just sit around in my hands, and when they do feel a bit more active are still much slower than the corn, which would probably be better for a child. Hope this helps.
-----
0.1 Normal Cornsnake
1.0 Sumatran Short Tail Python
1.1 Ball Pythons

i just made this big long post, when to actually post and my wireless connection decided to drop on me, so i lost it all. in short though, i agree with the others about getting a ball for a few reasons. males usually top out at about 3 feet and can live fine in a 20-30 gallon tank, which is the same size a corn would need. balls are naturally nocturnal, and therefore dont need uvb lights which can cost upwards of $20 per bulb, which usually scares away new herpers. corns however do need uvb, even though some will argue otherwise. whatever you do decide to get, make sure you buy captive bred and if you get a ball, ask if they have a feed card that has the past feedings. also ask if it is eating mice or rats, live of f/t, and ask what size prey it has been on and how often they have been feeding. there is nothing worse than taking your new snake home and learning the hard(not to mention stressful) way that it will ONLY eat hopper mice or something on those lines. good luck and keep us posted!
-----
*Third Dimension Reptiles*~"a new dimension in exploration"

1.1 green iguanas
1.0 sudan plated lizard
1.0 bearded dragon
0.1 leopard gecko
1.1 golden geckos
1.1 green anoles
0.1 cuban knight anole
1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
0.0.2 gold treefrogs
0.0.1 leopard frog
1.1 normal ball pythons
1.0 het. albino ball python
0.1 gulf hammock ratsnake
0.1 eastern kingsnake
1.0 albino striped california kingsnake
0.1 hedgehog
2.3 rats
0.1 husky
55 gal. freshwater aquarium

First time I ever heard corn snakes need UVB lights. Corn snakes are active mostly at about dusk and near dawn, were most animals requiring uvb are active during the day. However there is some amount of UVB still around during dusk and dawn hours but giving the angle of the sun, the exposure on the ground would be very low so I don't really see cornsnakes getting much if any exposure to UVB rays.

On to the subject of the thread, I personally don't think a child under 8 should have a pet snake, supervised or otherwise. Young children can accidently hurt or drop a snake (and risk either injuring the snake in the fall or trying to catch it, or loosing it in the case of faster moving snakes, such as corn snakes). Ball pythons can move pretty quick when they decide to, though for the most part they move in a slow deliberate manner.

Personal views aside, I have to agree a ball python would be a better pet for a young child, as these snakes are slower moving for the most part, more 'girthier' which makes them a bit easier for children to hang onto than corn snakes.

However, corn snakes can be very docile and not move much while in hand as well. Baby corn snakes can be more nippy and tend to try and slither away if they do not feel comfortable in somebody's hands or feel threatened. But with regular handling they do calm down quite well and explore fairly slowly when held.

For children, they shouldn't be allowed to hold snakes for a long period of time as their attention spans are short. If anything distracts them they could wind up carrying the snake to some part of the house and putting it down, and forget about it (hence supervision is very important). Also, even when supervised if the adult is distracted (and yes, we do get distracted and forget we can't leave children unsupervised for a short period of time without something happening), and you may come back to the child doing something else and the snake nowhere in sight, or a crying child who lost the snake, was bit or the snake injured.

Of course the above may be not a concern with many children but not all children have the same patience, attention span, gentleness etc as others. Also, a year from now, they may have absolutely no interest in the snake. Thus I think the best thing is pick the snake you like, as you will be the primary care giver anyway, so you might as well get something you know you will enjoy for the entire lifespan of the snake (20 years or more).

Just my 2 cents worth, not trying to nay say anybody who has or wants to get snakes for young children, it is just something i wouldn't personally recommend. But then again there are a few children I have met that I feel would be responsible enough and careful enough not to misplace a pet snake or hurt it accidently. I have also met young children who I wouldn't trust a rubber snake with, much less a live one.
-----
PHLdyPayne

I got 40 of each plus 100 babies from all...

get the corn......
.
.
...
-----
.
and I am still waiting for that "magical" check......
mail isn't that slow.....come on man....write it out.....!50

I'm gonna go against the grain here and say don't get your kid a snake for Christmas. Ball pythons are notoriously picky eaters and the hustle and bustle of the holidays along with excited children is waaay to much stress for a snake. Wait until things calm down a bit.

I have taken in ball pythons from people who got their kids ball pythons and after awhile the kids grow bored of them. The snakes hide all day and come out when the kids are sleeping. Not to mention the kid won't be able to handle it for more than a few minutes or the snake will stress and refuse to eat. A corn snake, kingsnake or the smaller boa's would probably be a better choice.

Have you also thought about where you will purchase rodents for the snake to eat?? pet stores are often out of certain sizes of food except mice. An adult Ball will eat 3-4 adult mice a week. Your looking at between $4-9 a week for live food. Frozen food is cheaper, but most of the stuff the pet stores carry is Nasty!! You could order frozen online, but then their is pretty big shipping fee for overnight or 2 day service.

A few more things to think about;
Will you be able to get an enclosure, heat pad, water dish, substrate, thermometer etc...
Will you be able to take the snake to the vet in case it gets sick? upper respiratory and parasites can kill a snake quickly.

Is your child prepared to feed a snake. Some kids are upset about the idea of feeding snakes.

Short story, I had my tray of rodents out defrosting. My nephew is curious wants to see them. I explain they are humanely killed and that snakes must eat. They are meat, just like cow's, chickens etc... He sees the pinkies. He yells at me "why did you kill the babies?" He was very upset that the "babies" were killed for food. He is 4 and his daddy is a hunter. He had no problem with hunting or eating animals, except for the babies.
-----
2.1 Albino BP
0.4 100% Het Albino
2.1 100% het Caramel Albino BP
1.0 100% Het Clown
1.0 50% het clown
2.12 Normal BP
0.0.2 Western Hognose
alot of cornsnakes
0.1.0 Dumeril Boa
3.6 Bearded Dragons
1.0.2 Sulcatta tortoise
3.3 Russian Tortoise
1.0 Cockatiel
0.1 Rottweiler
0.2 Boston Terriers
0.1 White Boxer
0.1 Paint Mare
bunch of geckos
0.1 Cat
0.1 Teenage daughter
1.0 Husband who puts up with all my critters.

Everybody has made good points. Both are beautiful and good pets. One point I have not heard yet is what happens if(when)your little snake handler gets bit? Sometimes snakes mistake a hand in front of them as food. How many of you have never been bit? Your snakes body language will tell you alot. If I were going to have my 5 year old get bit it would be by a corn snake. We have 6 corn snakes and 54 Ball Pythons. A young corn can't even break the skin. A baby Ball can give a scare to a little or big handler. Don't get me wrong Ball Pythons might break the skin but thats about it. Watch out for the dogs and cats. They'll hurt you

Great point!! I've got scratchs on my hands from the darn cat. But as of today, no fresh snake bites. But they will happen. One of my friends is afraid of getting bit. I keep telling her it's not a matter of "if" you get bit, it's when. I'm trying to get her used to the idea that she will get bit, she will bleed a bit, she will not die or be maimed in any way. Of course this is only true with corns, balls etc... Whole 'nother story with retics. etc...
-----
2.1 Albino BP
0.4 100% Het Albino
2.1 100% het Caramel Albino BP
1.0 100% Het Clown
1.0 50% het clown
2.12 Normal BP
0.0.2 Western Hognose
alot of cornsnakes
0.1.0 Dumeril Boa
3.6 Bearded Dragons
1.0.2 Sulcatta tortoise
3.3 Russian Tortoise
1.0 Cockatiel
0.1 Rottweiler
0.2 Boston Terriers
0.1 White Boxer
0.1 Paint Mare
bunch of geckos
0.1 Cat
0.1 Teenage daughter
1.0 Husband who puts up with all my critters.

I know that I may be way out of line, and I also know that I may be making an incorrect presumption, but I would recommend a bearded dragon to someone new to herps over a snake. They are very active, easy to feed, have nice personalities, and don’t mind frequent handling. Oh, just so you know, this is advice coming from a ball lover.

Thank you for all your feedback, that was very kind of you. We have read through all your posts and will now decide what we want to do. Thanks again!