so i was talking to a local snake expert. he says corn snakes are waay more skiddish and will bite way more than a ball python. and when they are grown corn snakes have to eat rats. so my mom has officially said no to a corn snake!. but, theres is stil hope! he wsaid to go for a ball python instead of a corn as they will be smaller fully grown and dont need to eat rats as an adault. is any of this true? also do u think a 20 gallon tank is big enough for a ball
heres the lowdown
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He's no expert in my opinion, anyone who has just started with reptiles or someone who has been doing it for 20 years will say that corn snake is probally the best snake to start off with. they start off with pinkies aswell, as they are so small to start off with....dont quote me on the eating thing but the rest of it is right, i havent had a corn snake, im not too interest in corns.
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Local expert??? Seems more like the local idiot to me.... Cornsnakes are among the most docile and least aggressive snakes you could have as a pet although there might be the occasional "feisty" one. As for size, a full grown cornsnake would probably be the same length as a fully grown ball python, but will be nowhere near as thick or heavy bodied. And NO they do not necessarily have to be fed rats as an adult, they can eat mice their whole life. BOTH species can eat rats as an adult though. A 20 gallon will suffice, but a 30 or even a 40 would be better...
Pay no attention to your "local expert" and google caresheets for both species, then go talk to your Mom again...
Steve
Pay no attention to your "local expert" and google caresheets for both species, then go talk to your Mom again...
Steve
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324 Posts
oh my god... that man is an idiot...! corns NEVER bite even when they are young and skittish, they will bite if you hurt them or if there is a scent of mouse on you. They're skittish when they are young. but after about 3 weeks of regular hadnling they calm down considerably mate...! This expert hasn't a clue what he's talking about! Ball pythons cannot be kept in a 20 gallon, it should be about 35-48 gallon tank and they should be kept in small tank to begin with as large places stress them. look on the internet about these snakes and don't bother asking that man for advice again as he hasn't a notion! And tell you mum that corn snakes and royal both eat rats, and that neither is anything to be worried about.
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290 Posts
ok apart from being lost on why eating rats is worse then mise (unless your mum owns rats as pets that is, my mum used to own mice and it took her a while to get usd to seeing my corns eat them) the only bad thing about feeding a snake food like that is when you first feed then and the smell can sometimes be a lil overpowering but you soon get used to it (I did anyway)
I own 2 corn snakes one I have had from hatch ( youngest) and the other from about 1 year old (older one) both are fine. The younger can be a bit grumpy at times but all he does is move to the other side of the tank under his hide is he doesnt want to see you. HE's only even gone to bite me once and that was my own fault (I aslo own a cat and she didnt like that i was playing with the snakes and not her so she decided to use her claws in the back of my knee to get my attention, took me by surprise i lost my balance and smaked my head on the tank while i was still holding onto him, luckily he wasnt hurt just a but spooked but still struck at me just to let me know he wasnt a happy snakies lol)
My oldest is as docile as you want she will happily just go you sleep while your holding her or sit drapped over you shoulders for hours. So from my experience I would never say corns are a bad temptered or anythng.
I dont own any ball pythons personally (not my type of snake to be honest) I have been around some and they again are also good natured snakes (unfortuneatly the 2 i view had also be obviously mistreated as I could see burn makes on them, I went to view then after seeing an ad in the local paper, odd really as theses 2 pythons were advertised as a single boa constrictor, the place was a tip too i couldnt afford to buy the poor things however upstair I could also see some very very thing dogs ( i wasnt aloud any further then the front door) se when I left I phoned the RSPCA and they sorted it all out) but they were very placid snakes (altho their fussiness in eating is one of the things that put me off)
Ok as for the tank I cant get my brain around the idea of working in gallons for my corns i use a 3' x 1.8' x 1.8' with plenty of hides (altho most of the time they would rather be out lol)
To be honest if your local reptile 'expert' is also the person your buying the reptile from then from the sounds of it he can either make more money off you buying a ball python or he alot more pythons then corns in stock atm.
With the whole thing of snakes being skittish its all in truth down to the snake and its history. No two snakes are the same.
ops this ended up longer then I planned sorry guys lol ><
I own 2 corn snakes one I have had from hatch ( youngest) and the other from about 1 year old (older one) both are fine. The younger can be a bit grumpy at times but all he does is move to the other side of the tank under his hide is he doesnt want to see you. HE's only even gone to bite me once and that was my own fault (I aslo own a cat and she didnt like that i was playing with the snakes and not her so she decided to use her claws in the back of my knee to get my attention, took me by surprise i lost my balance and smaked my head on the tank while i was still holding onto him, luckily he wasnt hurt just a but spooked but still struck at me just to let me know he wasnt a happy snakies lol)
My oldest is as docile as you want she will happily just go you sleep while your holding her or sit drapped over you shoulders for hours. So from my experience I would never say corns are a bad temptered or anythng.
I dont own any ball pythons personally (not my type of snake to be honest) I have been around some and they again are also good natured snakes (unfortuneatly the 2 i view had also be obviously mistreated as I could see burn makes on them, I went to view then after seeing an ad in the local paper, odd really as theses 2 pythons were advertised as a single boa constrictor, the place was a tip too i couldnt afford to buy the poor things however upstair I could also see some very very thing dogs ( i wasnt aloud any further then the front door) se when I left I phoned the RSPCA and they sorted it all out) but they were very placid snakes (altho their fussiness in eating is one of the things that put me off)
Ok as for the tank I cant get my brain around the idea of working in gallons for my corns i use a 3' x 1.8' x 1.8' with plenty of hides (altho most of the time they would rather be out lol)
To be honest if your local reptile 'expert' is also the person your buying the reptile from then from the sounds of it he can either make more money off you buying a ball python or he alot more pythons then corns in stock atm.
With the whole thing of snakes being skittish its all in truth down to the snake and its history. No two snakes are the same.
ops this ended up longer then I planned sorry guys lol ><
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I have got to agree....this "local expert" sounds like the "local twat" and needs to start actually researching species than spouting off a load of crap!! Royals get alot wider in girth than corns and STILL need rats, I have 3 royals that are currently on rats, and2 of them are only a yr and a half old!!!
The guy is an idiot - both snakes can grow to about 6ft in some cases, the difference is that a ball/royal will be about 3 or 4 times the weight of an equivalent length corn.
It's with adult royals/balls that you'd be more likely to have to feed rats. Even with a good sized adult corn a single large mouse would be an adequate meal.
If I were you I'd ignore him and stick to your original plan!
It's with adult royals/balls that you'd be more likely to have to feed rats. Even with a good sized adult corn a single large mouse would be an adequate meal.
If I were you I'd ignore him and stick to your original plan!
G
Guest
·This guy is an absolute prat
My adult corns now eat weaner rats rather than mice and i have only ever been bitten by hatchling corns who had the feeding instinct.I have kept royals as well and my male royal used to eat a medium rat every 7-10 days without a problem.He was over 2 kilos and i have regularly seen females that are over 3 kilos and taking large rats every 7 days.
I would say for a first snake get a corn and you cant go wrong.Even as an adult they would be happy with a couple of large mice each week
My adult corns now eat weaner rats rather than mice and i have only ever been bitten by hatchling corns who had the feeding instinct.I have kept royals as well and my male royal used to eat a medium rat every 7-10 days without a problem.He was over 2 kilos and i have regularly seen females that are over 3 kilos and taking large rats every 7 days.
I would say for a first snake get a corn and you cant go wrong.Even as an adult they would be happy with a couple of large mice each week
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Definitely sounds like an idiot... seeing as my royal is 5 months old and eating rats and all my corns which are over a year are on mice and will be for a long time.
Although corns can be faster they soon calm down. I hope this "expert" doesnt keep any snakes of his own... because theyre probably underfed. :evil:
Although corns can be faster they soon calm down. I hope this "expert" doesnt keep any snakes of his own... because theyre probably underfed. :evil:
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1,356 Posts
he's trying to get you to buy the generally more expensive ball python over the corn snake. although royals are a very good starter "medium/large" size snake, saying corns are aggressive and dangerous is an utter load of ******.
Corns do grow LONGER than royals in general, but royals grow much more "chunky" and beafy
Corns do grow LONGER than royals in general, but royals grow much more "chunky" and beafy
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571 Posts
I agree with everyone else, this 'expert' is obviously a complete a*se!
I have been keeping and breeding corns for years and have been bitten maybe once or twice in that time, and that was mainly my own fault for not paying attention to what i'm doing!!
I currently have 52 corns (including htchlings) they are the most placid and easy to look after snakes in the world (in my opinion!).
I also own a royal python, and though he is a beautiful snake, he does take more lookng after than the corns.
Royals are renowned for being picky feeders, and i would never advise one as a first snake.
they need higher humidity and i personally prefer to use overhead heating with boas & pythons which works out more expensive, wheras a corn will live quite happily on a heatmat for its entire life.
It appears to me that this so called expert is just trying to relieve you of more money!!
I have been keeping and breeding corns for years and have been bitten maybe once or twice in that time, and that was mainly my own fault for not paying attention to what i'm doing!!
I currently have 52 corns (including htchlings) they are the most placid and easy to look after snakes in the world (in my opinion!).
I also own a royal python, and though he is a beautiful snake, he does take more lookng after than the corns.
Royals are renowned for being picky feeders, and i would never advise one as a first snake.
they need higher humidity and i personally prefer to use overhead heating with boas & pythons which works out more expensive, wheras a corn will live quite happily on a heatmat for its entire life.
It appears to me that this so called expert is just trying to relieve you of more money!!
G
Guest
·lol....erm...very knowlegable petshop then lol
right....corns arent skittish and are generally placid...wriggly but placid....and the majority stay on mice throughout their life but they can take small rats.
as for royal pythons.....
when hatchling they eat pinkie/fluffs (mice) then small mice,them medium,large then ex breeder mice then weener rats....then medium and so on...our large royals are eating medium and large rats! you cant really keep royals on mice all their life....plus rats are far more nutritious than mice.
secondly....you said a tank? snakes dont do well in all glass tanks,you need to be looking at a propper vivarium as they feel far too exposed in all glass tanks and its a lot harder to keep the temps right....for any snakes this is,but especially royals as they can be problem feeders and if their exposed they wont eat. the smaller the viv for a hatchling the better with plenty of hides for it too. obviously as the snale gets bigger you`ll have to get a larger viv....but putting them in a massive viv will scare them,make them insecure and therefore will not eat and more than likely be snappy with you as they`ll constantly feel threatened.
good luck with which ever you decide.....but going by the advice the idiot in the petshop gave you....i would stay clear of that shop and get one from a breeder.Or atleast a petshop that knows what their doing.
for a hatchling royal you shouldnt be paying more than £45/£50 for a male and no more than £85 for a female and thats top end...petshops have a tendancy to ripp you off so be careful.
right....corns arent skittish and are generally placid...wriggly but placid....and the majority stay on mice throughout their life but they can take small rats.
as for royal pythons.....
when hatchling they eat pinkie/fluffs (mice) then small mice,them medium,large then ex breeder mice then weener rats....then medium and so on...our large royals are eating medium and large rats! you cant really keep royals on mice all their life....plus rats are far more nutritious than mice.
secondly....you said a tank? snakes dont do well in all glass tanks,you need to be looking at a propper vivarium as they feel far too exposed in all glass tanks and its a lot harder to keep the temps right....for any snakes this is,but especially royals as they can be problem feeders and if their exposed they wont eat. the smaller the viv for a hatchling the better with plenty of hides for it too. obviously as the snale gets bigger you`ll have to get a larger viv....but putting them in a massive viv will scare them,make them insecure and therefore will not eat and more than likely be snappy with you as they`ll constantly feel threatened.
good luck with which ever you decide.....but going by the advice the idiot in the petshop gave you....i would stay clear of that shop and get one from a breeder.Or atleast a petshop that knows what their doing.
for a hatchling royal you shouldnt be paying more than £45/£50 for a male and no more than £85 for a female and thats top end...petshops have a tendancy to ripp you off so be careful.
G
Guest
·good luck with getting your first corn or royal anyway mate.
he also mentioned a kingsnake..because they were "pretty cool" are they anyharder to take care of than a corn? is there any difference between them
the reason my mom doesnt like eating rats is because she already hatees the fact that a snake is eating a mouse but thinks a rat is to big of an animal to fee.......... as in she is totally freeded out about it
the reason my mom doesnt like eating rats is because she already hatees the fact that a snake is eating a mouse but thinks a rat is to big of an animal to fee.......... as in she is totally freeded out about it
G
Guest
·no not really....get slightly bigger....get nice colours etc...
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