Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys,

I came here looking for a few answers, I know this place is popular with snake enthusiasts and I hope to become one soon

I've been wanting a snake for several years now but haven't seriously considered it until recently. My fiance and I went down to our small local/family owned shop and looked at their cal king (about 3 yrs old, male) and also a young female ball python (a beautiful pastel!!!) and we're torn between which one to get. As first time snake owners, although I do have experience with reptiles and animals in general- and of course I've done loads of research... but I just cannot decide between the two.

My fiance is attached to the cal king, and here's why. It's a bit weird...

The reptile guy swears up and down that this snake was 100% friendly and peaceful, until he moved it into a smaller tank temporarily, and then it started biting him. Except it's NOT aggressive. I myself handled this snake and he is the sweetest thing. The problem is he just keeps biting! It's like he thinks everything is food- hands, his own tail. He's a bit of a dingbat. I honestly think he's hilarious, he's VERY polite about it, he doesn't hiss or snap or anything. He just sniffs you, opens his mouth very slowly and goes, "I'm going to eat you now..." and gently bites. I just redirected him every time and I didn't get bit. My fiance did, and the little guy clamped on and had to be run under cold water for a minute, but he let go. Neither of us are afraid of him and we both think he's kind of funny haha. But as a first time snake owner, I am wondering if this is considered ok? The guy says it's a new behavior and he's working on handling him more and trying to teach him that people's hands are not food. Again this snake is NOT aggressive, he's just a dope.

My other option is that beautiful lesser pastel, but it was young (maybe 8-10 inches) and VERY shy. He only had her for about a week so she wasn't interested in being held. Poor little girl! She stayed in a ball the whole time. I know ball pythons are notoriously shy, and I personally love the idea of a quiet, laid back kinda snake, but they have higher care requirements and I'm worried I'll mess up somehow. He said she had eaten once in the week she's been here (meanwhile that cal king is eating voraciously every 5-6 days) so maybe she'll be alright? I know balls can be picky and I dunno what to do if they won't eat. How do you MAKE them eat? Just wait I guess?

SO I guess I'm wondering if it's between an idiot kingsnake who likes to nom people (but I'm sure this behavior can be fixed) and a very shy little ball python, what would you guys recommend? Or is it really just up to me to decide? sorry for the long post haha. Thanks in advance

Just saw this post now in June, you probably made your choice already, but here is some info anyway:

Cal kings are ground-dwelling snakes that do best in cages with a substrate like aspen or soil that they can burrow into, belly heat, and hiding opportunity. Even laying newspaper or packing paper over some aspen makes a great cage as they hide under the newspaper. Branches do nothing, these snakes live in grassland typically in rodent burrows. Lights are not good as they dry the snakes out - kings dry out easily, a water bowl does little. A moist hide is better. These animals do not need high temps for general maintenance - 82-84 deg is fine for the heat pad, the ambient air can be anything from 60-80 because these snakes use belly heat even in the wild.

Cal kings are often nervous but many calm down with age. They feed often during certain seasons, and very little in others. Do not expect "once-a-week" all year. Reality is more like 2x a week during some months and zero during others. They feed heavily typically in early Spring and often in Fall. They do not feed much in Summer. In Winter, if your ambient temps are in the 60s, best to not feed at all and turn off all heat. If a king is biting your hand then it wants food in most cases.

Ball pythons are also ground-dwellers that hide all day and in the wild feed at night. They need warmth to digest more so than a Cal king because of their larger mass. In Winter, they need ambient temps to be above 70 deg typically, and they always need a basking spot. They also need tight hides and the ability to retain moisture. Radiant heat panels work better than lights for ball pythons. I would do belly heat and then an RHP during cooler months. Plastic cages like sweater boxes work best for ball pythons - they like low-height and low-light.

Ball pythons I have had are great feeders when young, then go into more of a seasonal mode where they feed well during some months and not in others. No problem, they are fine. I got mine to eat frozen/thawed food by warming the food before offering. I have never had to feed live food to a ball python, but I have only had 6. One was given to me as a live-only feeder, and it took a thawed rat in the 1st try. People, sheesh.

Ball pythons are more susceptible to getting sick if allowed to get too cold and too dry in Winter, whereas Cal kings are better built to handle cold. You need to consider that. If you are willing to make sure that you keep proper temps and humidity, then ball pythons are really cool because of their perfect size - not big but not small, laid back and not squirmy like a kingsnake can be.