Please answer only if you have a ball python or corn snake!?

Question

Can they be kept in the house along with other animals such as cats, dogs, lizards, without causing any harm or trying to eat them? I've always wanted a snake and do not plan on leaving it unattended or anything, but just considering if it did escape, I want one that is small enough & harmless enough to not hurt anyone or any other pets. Also, if ball pythons ever do bite- is it serious enough to require medical attention/ stitches?
(Asking a lot of questions because I don't know anything about keeping snakes) Thanks!

Answer 1

a ball python, is the perfect starter pet for someone who wants a snake, they are very dosile, and non agressive, there is very little chance a Ball Python will harm any other pets in your house.
Pythons do not have teeth, so if you were accidentally bit, it would not require medical attention, the odds of being bit by a Ball Python are small, it will generally only happen if it is extreemly hungry, and you have the scent of rodent on you

Answer 2

Who ever said ball pythons do not have teeth is very wrong. You will just probably never know they are there. They would rather curl up into a ball (hence the name) than bite. If a bite does happen, they tend to be more startling than anything, and rarely require more than washing with soap and water and a squirt of disinfectant Dogs and cats are more of a danger to the snake than it would be to them and a snake fed frozen thawed rodents wouldn't have much of an interest in a lizard. With an appropriate locking enclosure an escape may never need to be an issue. As a first time snake owner both of your choices are good ones. Both BP's and corn snakes are easy to keep and corn snakes now come in an amazing array of colors. Ball Pythons do too, but the new morphs are pricey ranging from $200 to $25,000.00 (yes you read right) and more. I recommend to anyone contemplating the purchase of a new pet they don't much about to do some reading before bringing it home to avoid any surprises and ensure a good experience for the owner and the pet. I love my snakes and I've had my BP for over 12 years. Good luck!

Answer 3

I personally prefer ball pythons to corn snakes as they seem calm and docile. The chances of being bitten by one are very slim also. However they are escape artists so a well secured vivarium is a must. As far as other animals are concerned i would not be worried. I have 2 ball pythons, a coastal carpet python and a corn snake living in the same house as 2 dogs and 4 cats. To be honest i would be much more concerned about my snakes being hurt more than the cats and dogs anytime. Ball pythons tend to curl into a ball when scared so they are more suceptible to harm. Bites i have had from by corn and balls barely hurt so no you would not need medical attention at all.

Answer 4

any snake bite will hurt, and if you pull away while the snake is still attached to you, you BOTH will have to go get some medical done.

The snake may not be able to eat a cat or a small dog (like a chihuahua or yorkie) but a fully grown bp (anywhere from 4-6ft) can surely kill one.

It is best to just make absolutely 100% sure that the cage is secure.

Though if a snake does escape, it is usually the snake that ends up getting killed by the other pets in the house. not the other way around.

Answer 5

I own 28 snakes, and I have 3 cats that have never been hurt by my snakes. Pythons do have teeth. I was bit by a 6 foot boa at the pet store I used to work at, and it was no worse than being scratched by my cats. Ball pythons can get big enough to probably kill a cat, but I usually worry more about my cats killing my snakes if they get out. If you have never kept snakes, my personal opinion would be to go with the corn snake. Neither snake would require medical attention if bit, but the corn snakes stay smaller and slimmer. Definitely use cage locks on your tank, that way you reduce the chance of escape. There are two books that I recommend, The Ball Python Manual and The Corn Snake Manual, both published by Advanced Vivarium Systems, and you can pick up either book at Petco or Petsmart for around $15 each. Research is very important. Good luck!

Answer 6

okay, I am a snake addict. It seems for the last couple of months everytime I got to the pet store I come home with something. At this point I have, a red tail boa, a sand boa, a ribbon snake, and a cornsnake. I am looking at a ball pyton at another pet store and if I didn't have a ton of stuff to do tomorrow, I would go and get it. I have been bit by the cornsnake and threatened by the ribbon snake (both the smallest ones). I owned the red tail first and then got the corn. Here I was handling a 3 foot boa with confidence, but scared to death of this little 16 inch cornsnake. He would puff, hiss, strike with his mouth closed, strike with it open. He was a nasty little thing and wasn't getting better over a few weeks. Finally, I said to myself, what could this little thing really do to me? So I just grabbed him without a glove on. he bit me on the thumb of the opposite hand, a couple of times, nothing...no blood, coulnd't even see where it hit. They may strike when they are young because everything seems bigger and they think we are going to eat him. 1 week with handling him once every day and he is the calmest little guy around.

We have two cats, and two hamsters as well as the snakes. Not a problem at all, the cats would probably kill the snakes at this point, (except the red tail, he's a little big for them to handle, though they would probably win and a head on fight)

My suggestion is to get them both and if you find you don't like one, give me a call, I'll be out to pick it up. lol

Answer 7

I breed Ball Pythons and Corns. They are both great pets. And whoever said BP do not have teeth is horribly mistaken. Like most everyone said. If you keep your hands clean before handling and take good care of your BP, you'll never have to worry about a bite. The cornsnakes, when young, will be pretty prone to strike when you reach into the tank. However within a week or two of handling it will stop.
As far as being with other animals. My wife is a Wildlife Biologist. We have ferrets, gerbils, hamsters, dogs, cats, snakes, lizards. You do not have to worry about the snake eating one of them. I would be more worried about the snake being harmed by the other animals. Even the gerbil or ferrets. Your snake will problably be bed pre-killed food (which is recommended), so when there are things near it, his instincts won't really tell him to strike.

Answer 8

We have had snakes for years, currently we have a corn snake (my son is a reptile lover!) and we have 2 dogs, an austi and a teacup chihuahua, 3 hermit crabs, and a 16 year old turtle that lives in a play pen on the floor. Anytime ANY of our snakes have gotten out, they have NOT hunted anything, and the turtle would have been easy prey because the pen is essentially just a fencing area on the floor, and the snake could EASILY go under or over it. Anytiime we have had a snake escape, they have simply found a dark warm spot to hang out. We have tracked them into dresser drawers and under a waterbed mattress, behind the diswasher and dryer. They have never even attempted to go after our teacup, and she is tiny! The smaller the snake, the more likely it is to escape, honestly, our larger snakes are content to sit on their heat rock and wait to be held or fed. The small, younger snakes are constantly working on the cage toppers....by small I mean 2 feet or less. Once they become a little bigger and more content with their home and you work out the kind of heat they like (top bulb, undertank, or heat rock, and any combination - each of my snakes have had their own preference) they mellow out. good luck! Either of those snakes are great friends, but the ball python is the laziest of the two. The corn snakes have a little more attitude in the beginning, and of all our snakes that have ever escaped, they have been either corn snakes or king snakes....luckily we have always found them. If that should happen to you, just remember they go along the walls (don't go for the wide open) and find a dark, warm hole or isolated area. Good luck, I think you will enjoy your snake! PS> don't handle them after you have handled a rodent or you will get bit!

Answer 9

I had both kind of snakes before when I was younger. Its safe, and I doubt thier bites will be serious enough to get medical attention. Im not sure if they will hunt down other house pets, but I dont think they would. These types of Snakes dont eat much, so incase they do get it out of the tank, you will have plenty of time to find them before they get hungry again. I remember my ball python getting out, and I found him/her under the heating once, because it was dark. Also one time my 6 foot red tail boa got out and we found him stuck in the gutters of the pool table lol. I dont know how it got there. We also had to small dogs, and still do = )

Answer 10

i got a ball python .. a cat.. dog.. 3 geickos.. we started out with just the snake... a baby 2 and half yrs later he is almost 3 feet long.. no they dont bite.. and yes if your other animals..like dog or cat get a hold of it .. they will harm it... but if you keep it in the cage.. and make sure he cant get out everything should be fine..but they grow faster than you will realize.. but once they reach there maxium than there through