Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Greetings, I am new to this forum and new to snakes as pets. My son and I are looking to get a pet snake. We've pretty much narrowed down our choices to a Rainbow Boa or a Ball Python. I'd like know the pro's and con's of each breed. My son is 7, so any snake handling he does will be under my supervision. The cage will be locked with a combination lock to prevent him from "opening it just for a minute" then forgetting to secure it. We want this to be something fun for us, but want to do it right too. Comments? Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Greetings and welcome to the forum.

While I would not want to steer you away from a BRB you do need to understand they do require a more specific habitat and may not be the best for a smaller child to handle. I refer to Ball Pythons as pet rocks due to their super mellow nature and lack of faster motions.

The humidity requirement for a BRB is significantly higher and more critical than most species. Not really a problem for the correct enclosure but also darn near impossibly to maintain in the wrong one.

BRB's will not stay put for long when set down and will not typically coil up in your lap. They are more of a on the move type snake and require constant attention when out of their enclosure to make sure they do not get wrapped into something you don't want them in.

So, if you are willing to provide the correct enclosure and understand / work with the more active nature, BRB's are simply gorgeous. Some of your decision has to be based on your own comfort level. If you are also new to keeping snakes and not comfortable handling them, the snake can and likely will sense that and put them on the defensive, possibly even on the offensive.

Understand, ALL snakes can and will bite, some species more or less than others and even individuals are more or less likely to bite.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count (02/01/2010):
42.61 BRB
27.40 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Thanks to both of you for the input. Yes, I am definitely doing some research. I want this to be something we can have fun with and enjoy. I know with the humidity factor, best not to have a top screen opening that lets the humidity out. Going to to look for a front closure setup, I might even try and construct something on my own. I may try and go to a reptile show (they have one here in Tulsa every couple of months) to see and hold some of each and make a decision from there. I like the coloration of the Rainbows, but some of the Morph Balls are pretty nice too. If you guys think of any other info I might need, please let me know. I really want to get this right, be a good and responsible snake owner and make it into an enjoyable experience. Thats why we're waiting a month or two, taking time to learn the do's and don'ts instead of just running out and getting a snake and a cage and expecting everything to be perfect cause the 16 year old girl at Petsmart said this is how it's supposed to be.

Very glad to hear you're doing your research. IMO BRB's are easy to keep if done right, easy to kill if kept wrong.

P.S. Most of the time the 16 year old girl at pet smart don't know Jack!!
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count (02/01/2010):
42.61 BRB
27.40 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Hey, I like that you are doing your research!!! I was going to chime in, but Dave and Cliff said everthing I would have said before I could get to it.

I will say thix, when and if you make the decisions to bring home a brazilian rainbow boa, you have plenty of options. I just wanted to let you know that if you live in the Tulsa area, I live in SW Missouri and make it down that way every once in a while. I just had a top-notch litter born of 16 awesome babies that will be ready to find new homes here in a few more weeks or a month approximately. If you ever make it up to Springfield or if you would like to check out my babies or my breeding setup please feel free to contact me. (or we can always arrange a meet up down your direction) I know that back when I first got into rainbow boas it would have been really awesome had I been able to see adults in person and choose my babies from a whole iitter.

Just food for thought! Its always fun to hsve other BRB fans in the area!!

-----
Ike Lightner

2.3 BRB Breeders (Dugo, Sultan, Roxy, Brazita, & Lucille)
1.0 BRB striped holdback (Nando) from Roxxy's litter of 25 on 8/23/10
1.2 100% het hypo BRB (Diego, Rasheena & Liddia)
0.1 Hypo BRB (Ireena)
Total collection of breeders and future breeders
4.6 Brazilian Rainbow Boas - Epicrates Cenchria Cenchria

My first snake was a ball python and I currently own a Brazilian rainbow boa as well. Despite the research I did before buying, honestly I did still make some mistakes with my bp. Thankfully she's a hardy snake and bore up well in spite of me. I'm glad that I know more now that I own a brb. My brb is more interesting and generally easier to feed than my bp, but I worry about her when I go away for vacations because of the need for humidity. Make sure you have a friend who can handle opening tanks to refill water bowls and/or mist the tank, and if you're in a warm area keep that a/c on! One thing to consider is that bp's are the longest-lived snakes in captivity, so if you don't want a potential 40-year commitment, don't get a ball python. They each have pro's and con's, but if you a well-started animal from a reputable breeder, you can't go wrong either way I love my pet rock, but my brb knows she's the favorite! Don't know if that helps, but that's two cents from a relative newbie!
-----
~Cynthia

"And in the spring, I shed my skin and it blows away with the changing wind..."