first snake corn or king

b23ball23 · 10-27-03, 07:37 PM

i am now very fon of snakes and want either a cornsnake or a kingsnake and cannot decide
this will be my first snake (willing that my mom lets me have one) and i want a good begginer snake
plese also tell me what enclosure i should put it in (size, where to buy it, what to use as heating, ect)
thankx a ton in advance

ps:i'm new to the forums

ohh_kristina · 10-27-03, 07:40 PM

welcome to the site! I'm not much of a colubrid person, so I can't help you there. I think kings and corns both have beautiful morphs for cheap prices, so you can pick either one and still have an amazing snake. Good luck!

Oliverian · 10-27-03, 07:50 PM

I think the final decision will be up to you. My advice would be go with a corn, because kings sometimes have a bit of a musking period, and it really isn't very pleasant. They grow out of it, but it's not much fun while you're handling them and they get freaked and musk you. Corns also have a lot more morphs. But kings are great snakes too! I guess in the end, it really depends on what you want in a snake.
-Tammy

Invictus · 10-27-03, 07:59 PM

I would recommend you start with a corn. I own 3 king snakes and 2 milk snakes, and I work with about 20 different kings and milks at work - they are all nervous, bitey, and musky when they are young. I have yet to meet an exception. 2 of my adult kings are extremely attitude prone as well. Not one of our corns, at home or at work, has ever bitten us. They just seem to adjust to human contact much quicker than kings. That's my 2 cents.

RepTylE · 10-27-03, 08:02 PM

I don't know how much reading you have done on the topic but if you look around in the forums you should be able to get a better idea of what you want and can handle.
Welcome to the site, there are alot of great people in here to help you along.

b23ball23 · 10-27-03, 08:36 PM

thnks guys, a corn seems like a great snake, any idea or suggestions on cage requirements?

ohh_kristina · 10-27-03, 08:38 PM

go here for a good care sheet:

http://www.cornsnake.net/new/care.php3

that link is also a link to a great corn breeder!

b23ball23 · 10-27-03, 08:55 PM

thanks!!! very much

SerpentLust · 10-27-03, 09:06 PM

Welcome to the site. I have a kingsnake and they are really cool, but as mentioned, the whole musking faze isn't a really pleasurable one. Also they're jumpier. Mine is at least, he even rattles his tail at me when he REALLY doesn't wanna be bothered.

I've never personally had a cornsnake, never really liked them. But lately I've been looking at Anery Striped, they're pretty nice.

Also, I know you said Corn or King...but have you looked at the Small Pythons? Like Spotted or Children's? They're great. I had a Spotted Python for my first snake.

Jenn

jay76 · 10-27-03, 09:24 PM

It sounds like you're set on a corn, which is cool. They're great snakes. I would suggest a king myself, or as Jenn said, a spotted or Children's. It depends on whether or not you want the added fun during their growing up period. Good luck getting your folks to approve a snake!

vanderkm · 10-27-03, 09:29 PM

Welcome to the forum - and as I am sure you will hear from many others, both corns and kings are great snakes. In my experience, corns are dependably calm to handle, rarely bite or musk and come in such a variety of colors and patterns that they are hard to beat for first snakes. They max out at about 4-5 feet - good care sheets are abundant on the web, but best source of info is also the best place to buy one - from a local breeder in your area. They are commonly bred and available at reptile shows, where a breeder should be able to answer all your questions. Pet stores charge more and typically know less - often more concerned with selling merchandise.

It is hard to compare corns in a general sense to kingsnakes since even though corns differ in color and pattern, they are all pretty much the same species, but there are so many different kingsnakes that really vary a lot in their personality.

Just to give you a bit of info on some of the kingsnakes we have worked with - California kingsnakes are likely the most common (banded, striped, albino, coastal, banana, etc) and they are active, curious and bold snakes (4-6 feet and strong) that have a very strong prey drive (meaning they might mistake you for food). Mexican black kings are beautiful, almost pure black snakes similar in size to Cal Kings, but ours are shyer and calmer (though some are notoriously bad tempered). We have also kept Florida kingsnakes that are very beautiful mottled pattern and have great, stable personalities, but cost a bit more than cal kings.

Variable kingsnakes are much smaller (max about 3 feet), come in an incredible array of colors and are very sensitive, gentle, calm snakes. Greybands are similar but harder to get feeding on mice as hatchlings. Mountain kingsnakes are smaller, extremely beautiful red, white and black banded snakes that are more sensitive but gorgeous. These species tend to be more expensive than cal kings. There are lots more species of kings - check out the colubrid gallery for photos of the various species or click on the camera logo beside people's names to see species in their own photo gallery.

Best of luck in your decision and look forward to hearing what you choose. The boid people will also mention rosy boas as an option for a smaller first snake and they are pretty appealing too.

mary v.

SerpentLust · 10-27-03, 09:34 PM

vanderkm, Mexican Blacks are AMAZING

Jenn

Simon Sansom · 10-28-03, 06:23 AM

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I agree totally with what Mary says, also.

To start out, I think I'd recommend a Corn Snake, because they seem to be the most all-round "reliable" snake, and are available in such a variety of colour and pattern combinations.

You want a snake with simple requirements, that you can gain some positive experience with...and then move on to other species, if you like.
I might also recommend that you think about obtaining a yearling specimen, if possible. It will have that much more growth under it's belt and likely have fewer potential problems than a little juvenile...just my two cents worth.

I'm partial to Kings myself, though. I'm always amazed by my plain ol' Mexican Black Kings - Even "snake haters" think that they're beautiful.

Let us know what you decide on.
Take care, and good luck!

Simon

b23ball23 · 10-29-03, 06:38 PM

thanks for all of your warm welcoms and i hope to convince my mom to let me buy a snake

but for now i think a cornasake seems easy to find....affordable, and fun to start on

again thankx for all of the input

TheRedDragon · 10-29-03, 09:23 PM

Welcome to the site! I'd most likely choose a corn, because all of the kings that I have dealt with so fair have been nervous and musky. I haven't been bitten yet, but saw our Albino Cal King take a nice chunk out of Invictus. Those guys tend to hang on for dear life when they bite. I absolutely love corn snakes, and have not had any problems with any one I've dealt with yet.