Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im looking for a snake to get my newphew started into herps, for the time being ill be the caregiver, my plan is to keep it with me at first get it used to being handles and so on, and slowly teach him to handle it and take care of it before letting him take it home. i've kept a number of snakes but never a ball python, but of course it came up while looking, i've mostly kepts corns, milks and kings, with a rescues reticulated thrown in. My question is how to ball pythons compare to corns as far as being a good starter snake, they seem to run around the same prices for the common types, seem to have about the same housing requirments as far as enclosure size.

neither are hard to care for. I'd say a corn will likely be more fun for a kid and they tend to eat better than ball pythons in my experience.
I'd pick the kid up a 15 dollar normal corn and let him have fun with it.
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Jason

thanks, i was leaning towards a corn aswell, mostly because its what i know, beleive it or not thou normal corns are actually very hard to come by in my area, 7 pets stores ( 3 chains) and i've only seen 1 normal corn for sale that i can remeber their, the types they you do see thend to run around the same price as a baby ball which is why i was considering it, considering maybe a baird's, i've had one for a long time was one of the first snakes i got, love the things, practically as easy as a corn.

If you decide on a ball python, buy captive bred from a reputable breeder. The wild caught/captive hatched animals found in pet stores (especially before the holidays) often will not feed, have heavy parasite loads, and can be a challenge even for experienced keepers.

My husband purchased a pretty wild caught female for me at Christmas ten years ago. After she was treated for parasites, it was 9 months before she would eat only dark colored live mice. After six years of worry about food sources, parasite transmittal, etc., she decided that frozen-thawed rats were acceptable food items. Go figure.
I still have her. However, I wouldn't want a first time young keeper's first experience with a pet snake to be similar.

For what it's worth.
Best of luck with your choice.

you worried for six years cause the snake wouldn't take a FT rat?
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Jason

They had to have a supply of live dark colored mice. Alot of pet stores only sell white