Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm fairly new to snakes and need some help with this. I've only held two snakes in my life! Ball Python and Corn snakes. I have a Corn and thinking about a Ball Python now. I like the way the Balls just hang out with you and don't go running all over the place like Corns. I love my Corn snake dearly and she's super sweet. I thought I would like the flip side of the coin. Are there other snakes I should consider that'll just wrap around and hang out?

For a hang around sit-and-watch-TV-with-you lap snake, I would go with a Ball. I love my corn, too, but the BP was my first snake. They are just so mellow, with such good personalities. I call them the Labrador Retreiver of the snake world. Be aware, though, that people say they are "picky" eaters, etc. They can go off feed in the winter months, usually after they hit maturity, but if you take this as a normal part of their behavior and monitor their weight appropriately during their fast (provided they were healthy and eating to begin with) you will be fine. I love my Ball Pythons.
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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

My Kenyan sand boas are great "hang out" snakes. They are super docile and gentle (and beautiful, too). The only downside to them is that you don't get to watch them in their terrarium because they stay under the sand most of the time. My friends that are scared of my snakes can tolerate the sand boas because of their mellow nature. My Western hognoses are mellow as well.

1.1 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake
0.1 Albino Burmese Python
1.1 Western Hognose Snakes (although their sex is in question now)

and to me their husbandry is likely to give you loads less fits than a Ball Python. The main reason everyone has BPs is because they are cheap. They are NOT 'easy' snakes. I would say try a kenyan sand boa. They are the mellowest, 'hang around' snakes I can think of and they don't have the complications of long, unpredictable fasting and humidity troubles. While getting a CBB ball will alleviate some of that it is just not like a snake that eats reliably, like your corn.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Sand boas have predicatble hunger strikes... especially males .
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Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!

I currently keep or have kept every species suggested so far, and frankly I disagree.

Kenyans - generally docile, but a few are really snappy and don't grow out of it! Males can be difficult feeders, as mentioned above. And if you keep them under proper conditions, you rarely see them.
Western Hognosed Snakes - take a read down the Hognose forum and look at all the posts about "my hog won't eat" or "my hog hasn't eaten in 3 months". Doesn't happen to everyone, but it does happen sometimes.
Ball Pythons - not a good beginner snake for more reasons than I could go into here (and I currently have a pair and have kept them since the late 70s). And again, under proper conditions, expect to never see your BP.

I suggest two things -

If you want a pet to sit in your lap, get a cat. Snakes don't enjoy your company and probably have limited awareness of you as a living organisms anyway.

If you insist that this is what you want in a snake, get a Rosy Boa. Dog tame, easy to keep, fat and lazy snakes.
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Chris Harrison

Thanks for all the help everyone! It's always best to talk with people that actually own and can speak from experience, and I'm glad I asked. Thanks for the suggestion Chris, but I really don't want another cat! LOL.. I have one and she pretty much is happy to be in the same room as me but forget about her being a lap cat! Cat's love you when they want to love you. I just want an easy going snake even if it's dumb as a stick! I happen to think they are a bit smarter than most give them credit for. I will take a closer look at the Rosy Boas.

Thanks,
Enchant

The easiest going snake one could imagine is a tame blood python, in my opinion. The key word is tame, which is a little tough because they're pretty shy snakes. But at any rate they get a lot of bulk on them and have very specific humidity requirements. But mine IS a terrific feeder. But that's just for the record. I've never owned a rosy however! Chris pretty much has me talked into trying one out though.
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Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!

>>The easiest going snake one could imagine is a tame blood python, in my opinion. The key word is tame, which is a little tough because they're pretty shy snakes. But at any rate they get a lot of bulk on them and have very specific humidity requirements. But mine IS a terrific feeder. But that's just for the record. I've never owned a rosy however! Chris pretty much has me talked into trying one out though.
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>>Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!

My Python curtus/Sumatran Short Tailed Python is VERY tame. He will look earnestly for food but has never struck mistakenly at me. He EATS, though not in shed. He comes out all the time and is fine for laying on my arm and pokin' around but not racing off. And he has a great BULK. Some of his care is more than beginner stage but heck...he is better than the damn BPs.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

I personally have never had a problem with my ball python. As long as you are aware of it's fasting capabilities, there is nothing to worry about. I think people stress out too much about their ball not eating. These snakes have been known to go well over a year without a meal. I think we become more stressed than the snake. Humidity isn't a problem either. 60 percent is ample humidity, which is pretty much what a fairly large open water bowl will give off. My Ball is pretty forgiving of the husbandry mistakes I've made with him, and he is thriving! I also disagree about the price. I've never seen a more expensive snake than a Ball. Normals are cheap, yes, but so are Kenyans and some Rosies.

>>Sand boas have predicatble hunger strikes... especially males .
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>>Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!

Oh AGREED. No snake is gonna be perfect but I think these are better choices than a BP. AND "Predictable" is what I think. With BPs I think there is a lot less in the predictable part and just more frustration.
I am with Chris that BPs just really aren't great first snakes. While yes, if you know all the correct conditions for an animal than yes, their husbandry is easy. But a BP seems more challenging. I have an easier time with my SST. And boy he doesn't go on hunger strikes!
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron