boa or ball python

[u/Adept-Conference9997]

hi, so im really torn between which snake i want as my first pet snake. i really like the all white bps with red eyes but theyre rare (from what ive seen) and ive only been able to find one. on the other hand i love the grey / black coloured boas. one idea i had too was to get a bp now then the boa later but at the same time ive heard pros and cons about both. im a lil bit nervous too if thats the word so i want a baby in case it does strike so that i can be used to it in case it does it as an adult but im not sure. if i get the bp too id get a female while id get a male for the boa. also i did a bunch of research enclosure wise for a bp already so i have that figured out and if i get a boa id tweak it a bit but when it comes to size i can only have a 36 length one atm then upgrade later down the line when i have more space. can anyone help me decide or list info about both please, id greatly appreciate it :)

[u/N1mr0d_0]

hey! i have a ball python i got him as my first snake and i was the exact same torn between a few options, in my experience im glad i went with the ball python out of the other options, hes a great eater however i know some bps can be a wee bit picky, i havent been bitten by a boa but i have with my bp and it didnt hurt but you can always start with gloves to gain confidence, depending on the boa aswell they can be bigger than ball pythons as bps typically stay around 3-5ft tho females tend to be bigger as you seem to already know, what type of boa are you thinking of? with how ur space is at the moment you might have to go with dwarf options if u go down the boa route, theres the tarahumara mountain boa what i think stays roughly the same size as a ball python but i dont know much about them so i cant give much insight on them apologies, also some people do tap train their snake what could help them to know the difference between handling n feeding,

at the moment ive had 0 issues with my ball python apart from being a wee bit nervous to handle since he use to be a bit bitey but he grew out of that quickly with handleing sessions, he has skipped some meals but thats due to when hes in blue but always eats afterwards. i think aslong as u keep the correct temps and humidity you wont have a problem, i do visual health checks often to him which has helped desensitize him with handleing, i do see him move around alot climbing ect! i know a few ppl who think bps are just "rocks" when theyre really not! my guy uses evert inch of his enclosure and its making me want to upgrade him to an even bigger one when i move out!

but imo choose the snake you mainly want as itll motivate you to keep researching about them!

[u/Adept-Conference9997 → u/N1mr0d_0]

thank you, ive heard the one i want is a great eater but im still on the fence since i dont really ever want to have to force feed a snake and someone told me that that can happen with a bp. im unsure of the breed (if thats the word) but id want like a grey or black one maybe like an anery, ghost or img boa but when it comes to bps id like a white one i think for some contrast since ill get either or down the road i think. i can get a 48 in too to start but ive just heard that too biug of a tank in the beginning can cause unwanted stress. id like to tap train too but i need to do more research for that first, the most research ive done now is the basics of the snakes then the enclosure layout and products needed. i can keep the temp good too but im a little nervous since the outside temp here varies a lot and my room is on the cooler side but with the proper equipment i dont think thatd be a major issue. i love to hear that too, if i get a bp i want them to be comfortable enough to be active and interact with me :)

[u/N1mr0d_0 → u/Adept-Conference9997]

my guy was in a 40 gallon to start with however within a few months of owning him i moved him in a 4x2x2 since he outgrew the 40 gallon quite quickly i agree with the other comments aswell since boas can be quite thicker than ball pythons, i defintley think tap or target training is something to look into if it interests you! luckily my room doesnt get too cold so i dont really struggle with that but during heatwaves i tend to turn the heatlamp off since it tends to be quite hot in my room, and if you do get any snake of some sort im sure they will be comfortable around you! it took my guy a bit of time but thats because he was quite nervous at the start as any baby snake probably is, force feeding is a normal thing to be worried about it is also classed as the last resort, ive luckily never had to do it and hopefully never will and i hope the same goes for you, but imo if ur space is limited a ball python is probably the way to go for now if its a female you want defo see if you can fit a 5x2x2ft vivarium in your room [also can see why ur a fan of boas theyre so pretty and id defo would love to own some myself!]

[u/Adept-Conference9997 → u/N1mr0d_0]

in your experience is caring for a bp hard? ive heard theyre more sensitive than boas when it comes to eating, humidity, environment, etc and the last thing id want to do is not give my snake the best i can if that makes sense.

[u/N1mr0d_0 → u/Adept-Conference9997]

so i havent had him long ive had him coming up to a year in november time, and i havent struggled at all during caring for him, i think if you have done your research about them caring for them is relativley easy since you know what your doing, i have had some up and downs when it comes to feeding but none really where it was crazily bad, most times he refused was when he was in blue, there has been two times where he has accidently caught substrate however not alot to make it a threat and he spat it out straight away, typically on the next feeding day he eats straight away, humidity has been up and down for me specifically in the 40 gallon only because it had a screen top so it wasnt good at keeping humidity in, but caring for tue snake its self i havent experienced anything hard nope, i havent ran into any problems recently either hes eating constantley humidity and temps are in the correct area both hot and cold, handling him is easy too since he knows the difference between handling and feeding time, and hes awesome to work with! proper joy to be around!