Kingsnake or Cornsnake?

Question

which makes a better pet?

Answer 1

I hear corn snakes are great beginner's pets, which means they're probably more friendly and easier to take care of. If you've had a few (or just one) snake before, and have had a good experience with them, a king snake is good as well. But if you've never had any reptiles or snakes before, corn snake definitely!

Answer 2

corn ssnakes are more friendly and sociable easier to look after too

Answer 3

corn snake , there a lot friendlier and they can be really tame .

Answer 4

I think cornsnaked are a lot friendlier!

Answer 5

i think cornsnakes dont bite as much but i also believe that king snakes have better lookin patterns. thats what i look for.

Answer 6

Hello; this is a difficult question, as both of those snakes have good points and bad points. I have kept and love them both; so instead of just telling you which one I think is the best; I will list some observations I have made on Kings and Corns and let you decide which one you think would be the better pet snake for you. :)

While it depends heavily on the individual animal; speaking very generally King snakes tend to be a tad more flighty than Corns (though neither of them are Ball pythons by any means). That doesn't meant that King snakes don't make great pets and/or can't be tamed down; it just seems to take most of them a bit longer with them than it does with Corn snakes. Corns are also on average the most reluctant to bite/musk of the two.

One thing that can be noted with both species is their over-all attitude. They seem to be of the firm and unchangeable opinion that they are the most dangerous snakes on earth; which is incredibly amusing to observe (especially in hatchlings).

Both have very easy to meet care needs and are great feeders (most of mine will even eat during their shed cycle), great shedders, and don't require high humidity levels. They are also MUCH more tolerant of keeper errors than Ball pythons or other such species.

As I am sure you have likely read; Kingsnakes are highly cannibalistic and should never be housed for any length of time with another reptile except while breeding.

While on average I think that King snakes are the most beautiful; Corns also come in a wide variety of morphs that are quite stunning as well. Corns are generally the cheapest to purchase, with California Kingsnakes coming in a close second.

A warning: King snakes and Corn snakes are two of the top three best escape artists of any reptile that I have kept, so be extra vigilant when setting up your terrarium. As a general rule (especially with juveniles); if you can fit a pencil through the hole, chances are your snake can find its way out of it as well.

So in conclusion; they both make very good pets and are rewarding to keep. Over-all; I am not sure how much experience you have with snakes, but I would say the best for a beginner-intermediate keeper is the Cornsnake or a California Kingsnake, but other types of Kings are great as well. At the end of the day; the choice for what suits you best is up to you. My only other piece of advice would be that if you are still having trouble deciding; don’t choose a species. Wait until you go to the reptile breeder/reputable pet store/show that you would be getting your snake from, and handle different snakes of both species and them purchase whichever individual snake you get most attached to. That is what I usually do when I can’t make my mind up in that regard; and it has always worked quite well for me in the past. :)

For further reading on the subject; here are a couple of care sheets on Kingsnakes and Cornsnakes:

Kingsnakes (this care sheet also covers Milksnakes):

http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/R...

Corns:

http://www.anapsid.org/corn.html

I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions at all on the subject; please feel free to message me and I will be more than happy to assist you. :)

Good luck on your snake search!