corn snake/beardie question?

[corinthian]

hi all

dont know if i've posted this in the right place but here goes...

we've had our 2 year old beardie for about 4 months and he seems to have settled in well, i'm now thinking about gettin a baby cornsnake too.. i've done lots of research but the only thing holding me back is the amout of attention our beardie is used to.. he gets out of his viv just about every night, by 7pm if he's not already out he'll be up at the glass looking for attention.. i know a lot of people on the site keep both and i want to know if you can have them both out of their vivs at the same time? will they try to attack each other/ stress each other out / or just ignore each other? do those on the site with several reptiles have some kind of handling timetable so they all get some attention?

the girl we got our beardie from had another older, more dominant male and corinthian really seems to have settled and chilled out without the threat of constantly getting bobbed at... i'd love a snake too but don't want to get one if its going to upset corinthians routine n mean that he's not getting out and about as much as he's used to..

anyone with ideas or experience of this?

many thanks
emma

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Snakes tend to eat, hide, and poop. Dragons in most cases will fear a snake since they are a natural predator of them. I have owned both snakes and dragons together, with no problems. Of course i never put them in the same place at the same time either.

 

[corinthian]

hi, thanks for the reply

Of course i never put them in the same place at the same time either.

i'm not gonna do something really stupid like try and house them together and i probably didnt word my original post very well.. i meant more like,if my boyfriend had the beardie out, could i handle the snake at the other end of the room? or would they freak each other out even being in the same room?

the beardie also gets free run of our sofa, if i had the snake on the sofa would he be able to pick up the beardie's scent and vice versa and would this freak them out or make them both more aggresive?
sorry if these questions seem a bit dumb

 

[Smalltowngal]

Hi there,
I have both a beardie and a cornsnake. The first time my BD saw the snake he blackbearded then walked away, after that he was indifferent to him. I often bring my snake out while my beardies roaming the room and have never had any agression from either of them. Just use your common sense and you'll be fine.
~Karly

 

[fortoday634]

We have both as well plus a ball python. The corn and beardie are often out together during the day and there has never been an issue. Just don't leave them unsupervised or on the floor together and you should be fine.

The nice thing about the python is once our dragon goes to sleep, Gideon, is just starting to wake up. No one fights for my attention then

 

[corinthian]

thanks for the replies, i had thought it wouldnt be too much of a problem but just wanted to get other opinions before gettin my heart too set on snake.. oooh, i'd love a python but my bf has vetoed any kind of snake that'll get too big... a girl i know has a 7ft ball (or it might be a royal, i cant remember) and its terrified of her beardie! big wimp! the beardie struts up and down outside her tank bobbing and blackbearding while the snake cowers in the corner, its pretty ridiculous!! poor snake!

 

[Smalltowngal]

oooh, i'd love a python but my bf has vetoed any kind of snake that'll get too big... a girl i know has a 7ft ball!

I have a friend whos cornsnake reached 6feet 9 inches, so dont always assume cornsnakes will always be a small choice of snake

 

[corinthian]

dont always assume cornsnakes will always be a small choice of snake

thanks, but its not the length he's vetoed but the fatness! from what i've read corns will stay pretty slender(?), although if anyone knows better feel free to correct me! he wasnt too keen on snakes at all to begin with but think i've got him talked round with the help of some cute wee hatchlings in the local pet shop, still he's no into anything that could potentially get fatter than him!!

 

[Smalltowngal]

thanks, but its not the length he's vetoed but the fatness! from what i've read corns will stay pretty slender(?), although if anyone knows better feel free to correct me! he wasnt too keen on snakes at all to begin with but think i've got him talked round with the help of some cute wee hatchlings in the local pet shop, still he's no into anything that could potentially get fatter than him!![/quote]

Oh yea in tha case, they're a pretty good choice, my little guy hasnt got over an inch thick.

 

[tempusfugit]

oooh, i'd love a python but my bf has vetoed any kind of snake that'll get too big... a girl i know has a 7ft ball!

I have a friend whos cornsnake reached 6feet 9 inches, so dont always assume cornsnakes will always be a small choice of snake

That's close to a world record holder then, tell them congrats. 5 feet is a huge corn snake.

 

[Smalltowngal]

[/quote]That's close to a world record holder then, tell them congrats. 5 feet is a huge corn snake.[/quote]

I know! M 3 footer looks sad nex to him!

 

[Trogdorpheus]

My vote would be for the ball python rather than the corn snake for the exact reason your bf doesn't want one. I think it would make me a lot more comfortable getting the python out knowing it probably couldn't squeeze under a door... a corn snake on the other hand? Ultimately its your call... both are very good snakes to have.

 

[corinthian]

My vote would be for the ball python rather than the corn snake for the exact reason your bf doesn't want one. I think it would make me a lot more comfortable getting the python out knowing it probably couldn't squeeze under a door... a corn snake on the other hand? Ultimately its your call... both are very good snakes to have.

i think maybe the exact reason he doesnt want one is that he wants a puppy n knows i'm not a fan of dogs... therefore he's vetoed any snake that may get big enough for me to feed with his future pet! i wouldn't really do that but think i've managed to convince him that i would (evil lol!!!)

 

[Fuzzyviper]

My vote would be for the ball python rather than the corn snake for the exact reason your bf doesn't want one. I think it would make me a lot more comfortable getting the python out knowing it probably couldn't squeeze under a door... a corn snake on the other hand? Ultimately its your call... both are very good snakes to have.

i think maybe the exact reason he doesnt want one is that he wants a puppy n knows i'm not a fan of dogs... therefore he's vetoed any snake that may get big enough for me to feed with his future pet! i wouldn't really do that but think i've managed to convince him that i would (evil lol!!!)

Ball pythons only get about 4-5 feet long with the rare female growing to 6 feet. Your friend probably has a boa constrictor, which commonly get 7-9 feet long. Ball pythons are far too small to ever eat a dog or a puppy, unless it was the offspring of one of those extremely unusually small chihuahuas or something like that. My ball python doesn't really even want to eat small rats since they're far larger than his head and he's the average male size of 4 feet. Male snakes are almost always smaller and shorter than female snakes (since the females have to carry the eggs) so a male would be a good choice if you want a smaller snake. Cornsnakes do grow longer than ball pythons but stay very slim. Ball pythons are shorter and are a thicker snake. They are both great starter snakes (as are boa constrictors but the size is a big factor in keeping one) and the major difference is when they are awake. Ball pythons are nocturnal animals so they are good to handle in the evening or at night. Cornsnakes are awake during the day so they would be using the same handling schedule as your beardie.

I've found ball pythons to be a little easier to handle since they are easier to grip with their wide bodies and have a very calm demeanor. Corns are good handling snakes too but their thin bodies will fit in places where ball pythons (such as my own lard-butt) won't. I've found that snakes do like a little out of the tank time too but they can easily wedge themselves in tight spots or hurt themselves so you have to always watch them when they're out. I've had many times where my python has crawled into desk drawers, knocked soda cans off tables, and hidden under furniture. They aren't really as personable as beardies so if you can't handle your snake daily, he isn't going to mind. It's just more snoozing time for him!

I've had my python for about 5 years now and have handled cornsnakes, kingsnakes, and boa constrictors as well so feel free to ask any other questions. They are interesting animals to own and it can be relaxing just watching movies with your snake on your lap (Aleks and I like to watch Snakes on a Plane together ).

 

[corinthian]

[/quote] Ball pythons are far too small to ever eat a dog or a puppy, unless it was the offspring of one of those extremely unusually small chihuahuas or something like that.[/quote]

don't tell my bf that or i'll be stuck living with stinking dog!!! lol!

thanks for the advice fuzzyviper but it took some doing to convince him to let me get a corn snake, i think a ball python would be pushin it... although i could just get one n not tell him what kind of snake it is - i think it's just his pre-conceived notion of the word 'python' that puts him off... he's really not keen on me getting any snake, described them as 'dead-eyed ruthless predators', so i've done well imo to get him to agree to a corn!