Head to head
Ball Python vs Boa Constrictor
These are the two snakes a first-time keeper is most likely to be shown, and they are only distantly related. The ball python is a small, shy African python that lays eggs and rarely passes 1.5 metres. The boa constrictor is a New World boa that gives birth to live young and commonly reaches 2 to 3 metres. Both kill by constriction, both are non-venomous, and both are calm enough to handle, but they are different animals to live with.
| Ball Python | Boa Constrictor | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Python (Pythonidae), Old World | Boa (Boidae), mostly New World |
| Native range | Grassland and forest edge of West and Central Africa | Mexico through Central and South America |
| Adult length | Usually 1 to 1.5 m; females larger | Commonly 2 to 3 m, occasionally 4 m |
| Reproduction | Lays 3 to 11 eggs; female coils around them to incubate | Live birth of 10 to 40+ young |
| Signature behaviour | Curls into a tight ball with the head in the middle | Does not ball up; relies on size and a firm strike |
| Feeding reputation | Prone to long, stress-related hunger strikes | Generally a steady, willing feeder |
| In the pet trade | The most kept pet snake; thousands of colour morphs | Long-established; several natural localities and morphs |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened; heavily collected and ranched | Least Concern |
Ball Python vs Boa Constrictor: common questions
Which is a better pet for a beginner, a ball python or a boa constrictor?
The ball python is the more common beginner choice, mainly because of its size. A fully grown ball python can be housed comfortably in a 1.2-metre enclosure and can be handled by one person, whereas an adult boa constrictor may need a two-metre enclosure and, for the largest females, a second pair of hands. Ball pythons are also exceptionally placid. The one caveat is feeding: ball pythons are notorious for refusing meals for weeks or even months, especially in winter or after a move, which alarms new owners even though a healthy adult can skip food for a long time safely. Boas are bigger and stronger but tend to feed more predictably.
Why does one lay eggs and the other give birth to live young?
It reflects their separate ancestry. Pythons, an Old World group, are egg-layers, and the female ball python does something unusual for a reptile: she wraps around the clutch and, by twitching her muscles, keeps the eggs a few degrees warmer than the surrounding air until they hatch. Boas, a mostly New World group, are live-bearers. The female retains the developing eggs inside her body, where they are kept warm and protected, and delivers fully formed baby snakes. Live birth is thought to be an advantage in cooler or more variable climates, where a clutch left in the ground might not stay warm enough.
Are ball pythons and boa constrictors dangerous to people?
Neither is venomous, and neither is large enough to regard an adult human as prey. A ball python bite is a startling scratch at worst. A boa constrictor is strong, and a large one can leave a deeper bite and a bruising coil, so it should be handled with support along its body and, for big specimens, never alone. Serious incidents almost always involve much larger constrictors such as reticulated or Burmese pythons. The realistic risks with these two are to the snakes themselves, from poor housing, and the ethical issue of the wild collection that still supplies part of the ball python trade.