Reptile & Amphibian Forums

power to kill and eat a 4 foot ball python? Even tho the python is thicker then the king is the king snake still stronger?

A 4 ft ball has the girth of my calf,where a 4 ft king is as big around as a half dollar

is the python stronger?

I'd be inclined to not give it an oppurtunity to happen. The King doesn't have to eat it, only be able to kill it to be a needless tragedy.

A good friend who's been working with Easterns for a long time once related a story to me of another hobbyist that was cleaning cages and in his hurry, threw a Chain king and a much larger Boa into a garbage can temporarily while cleaning and came back to find the Eastern had killed the Boa. I don't remember the sizes of the animals in the story but the point was that the King was not thought to have been a threat in relation to the size of the larger Boa. Kings particularly Easterns, can get that feeding crazy frenzy thing happening where some of them don't care how big the potential prey is. I had a small 3' one that for years would try to chase me around my parents house as a kid trying to attack to eat! They can be little Tigers! ( her name was 'Crazy Mary" LOL )

I'm guessing your asking this because you have intentions of keeping these 2 together at some point. I have to say that is a bad idea. Not only do they have different requirements with regard to temperature, there is also a whole host of other possibilities that can lead to problems with one or both animals.

I doubt a four foot king would be able to eat a four foot ball, but I don't have a doubt that it has the potential to kill that ball. I wish I could find some old pics on the web that showed a very small cal. king, or it may have been a desert king, killing a coachwhip that was over three times its' size. Steve

Yes, the kingsnake would have the power to kill it but NO WAY be able to eat it. With a very hungry king the scenario would probably play out like this, they smell each other, ball python does what its name suggest,(coil in a ball with head in the center) Kingsnake tries relentlessly to kill and eat but to no avail. This sounds like the show ultimate warrior(I think it's called that) were they put a ninja against a spartan! LOL!

so the ball python will ball up and then the king snake is helpeless to kill it ?

I can't say that. It depends on if the king struck and constricted before the ball python went into defense mode. How old are you? This sounds like a question I'd ask when I was 7. No offence but what's with the curiosity? I hope you not going to try it just to see who would win. If you are, you've got some problems that two snakes battling isn't going to resolve.

its just a curious question relax and stop jumping to conclusions if i was going to do it dont u think i would of just done it rather then asking this question *ROLLs eyes*

Do you have any snakes?

yes a ball python

i wondered how much power it had it does not seem like a very strong snake even tho its so thick and fat i wondered if kings had some special power in constriction since they take such large prey i dont think a ball python would be able to take anything bigger then a small rat

In a way, isn't this sort of impossible to answer to begin with. It's like judging fighters on a "pound for pound" basis. Sure, a lightweight may have more skills and be a stronger puncher for his size, but if a heavyweight hit him it'd be lights out. And maybe not if the lightweight hit the heavyweight.

In relation to size, the kingsnake may have a stronger constriction strength (pound for pound), but I'd have to say I'm not sure that that makes it stronger than a ball python of equal size. So, if the question is which one is actually stronger, I'd give it to the ball. But that doesn't mean the kingsnake couldn't kill it. Because a ball wouldn't be able to use that same strength in defense. It's a bit of a fun debate if asked for the right reason I suppose.
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Brian Suter

www.serpenteer.com

All constrictors including Ball pythons have incredible strength. A 4 foot ball has the strength to render you unconscious If wrapped around your neck and it wanted to. Years ago I put a baby cal king in with 3 boas (smallest was 3 feet) and they all freaked out trying to get away from the baby king.

why did u do that

and how did the boas know the king was a predator, were they common boas

usually boas and pythons have no reaction to snakes i saw a 12 foot burmese python let a 8 foot indigo snake slither right over it in florida wilds

i am shocked they had the brains to know what a king snake is

I was cleaning the cages and I threw them together. They can smell a king and want to either leave QUICKLY or go into defense mode if they can't get away.

but it doesnt make sense i mean none of these snakes are found with king snakes

i think they were scared of something else not the king snake

Do what you want. Stick a kingsnake in with your ball python and see what happens. Yes they were common boas and I put the king in their cage before I cleaned their cage so the king was the only thing to fear. Put a hungry king in with your Ball python and watch the FUN! This is the stupidest post EVER! Just so you know.

This is the stupidest post EVER!

I feel that way about a lot of posts.

You have now been indoctrinated into the forums.

Congratulations!

LOL!
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www.Bluerosy.com

ur the one mixing ball pythons and king snakes yet u say the post is stupid if u thought it was stupid u would of never of done it in the first place hypocrite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They weren't ball pythons, they were boas and as I stated, the smallest boa was 3'. The kingsnake was about 11". I responded to your post originally because it sounded like a question a little kid would ask. Next time, post this question on the ball python forum since you have a ball python (I'm sure 29.99 at petco).

N/p

I rarely post here but I have to say something. I'm pretty sure that the original poster has NO intentions of putting these two snakes together. His question is legitimate in trying to understanding these animals and is something that I've wondered myself from time to time, among many other things.

Kingboa, unless this guy has some sort of history, I really think you're being too hard on Poision1981, especially since you've admitted to putting a king snake in the same container as boas. I'm sure there were no ill intentions with this thread. Sure, the question may have been somewhat juvenile but it's an age old question and one that has every place in this forum, or any other.

I don't think I was being to hard on him/her, I was just answering the questions. I remember asking my older sister what would win, a lion or a tiger but I was 6 YEARS OLD! Then the thread just got more retarded. I did not place boas and an 11" kingsnake in a container, it was a 6'x4' cage for 2 minutes so I could take the newspaper out of the kingsnakes cage. If he/she really cared about the snake they would have bought a book at petco when OR BEFORE they bought the snake (29.99 at petco) to care for the snake properly. To ask a question like "who would win, my 3 week old kitten or my full grown macaw parrot" is just stupid.