Tooweirdtolive wrote:i'm wondering if i should get a juvenile ball python (58$) or an adult corn snake (also 58$) I like them both, but the corn snake is much smaller, and i want to get my money's worth.
I wouldn't worry about "getting your money's worth." You could easily find a juvenile bp or adult corn for less than $58 at a local reptile expo. The initial price is only a small part of it, though. If you do it right, no pet is going to be cheap. You have to also consider the cost of the set up (and running the electricity), cost of food over the years (ball pythons live 2-4 times longer than corn snakes, and they'll eat bigger prey as they grow bigger), how much space the enclosure takes up as the get bigger, vet costs (exotic vets cost more than a typical vet), the effort it takes to deep clean (sterilize and sanitize) the enclosure, what happens to the snake when you go to college/get your own apartment (that might not allow snakes)/buy your own house/etc.
Not to mention, ball pythons and corn snakes can have pretty different temperaments, grow to different sizes, different lifespans, a bit different husbandry, etc. Hinode hit the head on that pretty well. Ball pythons are very sensitive to their environment and husbandry, and anything that's a bit off can easily cause them to go off feed (or even get sick). A corn snake's care is much better suited to a new keeper, but a ball python tends to be more docile and less flighty. Ball pythons do grow much bigger than corn snakes, though, and as such will be eating larger prey (more costly) and needing a bigger enclosure (also more costly, and takes longer to clean). They also live much longer, which I mentioned earlier.
When it comes down to it, most people are going to recommend the corn snake (especially one that's already an adult). That's what I'd personally recommend, but some people have successfully owned ball pythons as new keepers. Either way, just be sure to do your research on each species and look deeper than how much the initial snake costs.
-fireflii