Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted this like a week ago, but got only two responses. I want an irian jaya carpet python. But once I started thinking about it, I really like corn snakes too. This will be my first snake. Could I get some pros and cons of both species? And why I should pick one over the other?

i have raised both ijcp, and about 3 corns, the cool thing about both is the color change they go through. ij's is a bit more drastic than a corns but they still do.

they both make good captives, stay under 6ft, generally i know of a couple of corns over 6ft, and one ij over 7 ft. they both are good feeders you have a bit more options with corns as far as colors go. but a really pretty ij is hard to beat, check out spitfire or anthony carponetto for fine examples of what really nice ij's look like. i had a corn for about 3 yrs and carpets for double that or more. just one thing you might want to think about a bite from a 5 ft corn vs a 5 ft carpet there is no comparison a carpet will hurt more and a corn will probly not even break the skin.

good luck hope this helps

oh on a side note if you go for a carpet pick the nippiest one you can find cause it will eat everytime and don't worry most 95% or better calm down by a yr even if you don't handle them at all.
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1.1 coastals
1.0 brooks king
0.1 aru scrub

First snake? Corn snake, hands down. They are beautiful and easy to keep. Also, a heck of a lot less expensive. If you select a baby ('08) corn, just make sure it has eaten a few meals before you purchase. However, there should be a lot of 07's available and that would be a good solution. Corns are just about the most bullet-proof snake you can get.

>>I posted this like a week ago, but got only two responses. I want an irian jaya carpet python. But once I started thinking about it, I really like corn snakes too. This will be my first snake. Could I get some pros and cons of both species? And why I should pick one over the other?

Honestly, one of the posters said it best, Corn Snakes are Bomb Proof. I love both corns and balls for starter snakes. Corns are a bit easier, more colorful, more variety for a cheaper price tag. Corns are a native US species and more tolerant of a beginners screw up with temps. They are more forgiving I spose would be the best way to explain it. We all have growing pains when we first start, and something a little more temperate based is always a great place to start with learning proper heating and humidity requirements.

That being said, IJs are BEAUTIFUL. I picked up a baby this year. That little sucker is a typical IJ baby. He tries to bite me regularly and often. Of course currently his mouth is too small to wrap around me, however he still tries. While you can go far easier on a corn snakes enclosure, I notice my IJ is not happy when his climbing stuffs are removed for cleaning. So you need to look at caging differences as well and what you have the space to offer.
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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

Okay, thanks ya'll. But could you guys show me some pictures of your carpets and corn snakes in comparison with something else such as yourselves to get a good picture of the lengths (tape measure things don't give a good idea of the snake)? Some pictures of your cages would be nice. Thanks again.

Another quick question. I happened to come across something talking about this in boas and pythons on the internet. Is "inclusion body disease" something I need to worry about since I only am getting one snake? And how can I avoid purchasing a snake with this disease?

It's not common enough to worry about.
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1.0 Blackheaded pythons
2.4 Woma
3.2 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
1.3 Bloods
2.2 IJ Carpets
2.0 Coastal Carpets
1.3 Macklotts
1.2 F2 Carpondros
2.0 Jungle Carpet
1.0 Jag IJCP
0.1 Carpondro
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow boas
1.1 Striped Bolivian Boas
0.1 child, CB
0.1 wife, WC

I recenttly had to deal with this issue myself. There are no gaurantees, but true IBD is not all that common. I'd avoid any collection that had known mites or tick problems. The virus MAY be spread by parasites.

Matthew