my first snake corn or milk or king

which is friendlier of the three milks ,corns or, kings

Cornsnakes are really good first snakes, kings and milks are both super squirmy as adults even...

Corns are always a good beginner snake. Very docile and come in a variety of attractive morphs that you can choose from. Kings and Milks can be a bit squirmy but I think the most docile of the two are Kings. I have a Mexican Black King and I had a California King. Both of them have been a pleasure to keep. Kings and Milks are GREAT eaters and rarely give any problem in that department. My Honduran Milk is a bit jumpy and nervous at times but I have read that this behavior is often seen in the species. But, to sum it all up, I think either a well started Corn or Kingsnake is the best choice. Good luck with whatever you may choose. Take care.

~Vin

If you like to just VIEW the snake, a milk or a king could be as rewarding, if not more rewarding, as a corn. But if you want to HOLD the snake, a corn would be a better bet.

Oh yes...I put in my vote for a corn!! Milks and Kings are good choices for temperment too but they musk you and I hate that lots!! LOL!

I would NOT get a Milk if you want to handle it.

Some milks can be very tempermental (Hondurans especially)
I have a Pueblan...and it is very shy, very fast, and very VERY squirmy.

Corns are definitely very handleable.

Kings are as well...but they are definitely a two handed snake, especially when they are small. They are fast and never stop moving.

I handle my cali king for HOURS most days and she is very easy to deal with...

Kings and Milks, if handled from an early age aren't bad at all.
I have a big 4ft king, and she never sits still
I'd rather that then a snake that just sits there doesnt move when handled.
Also a killer arizona moutain king at work that is absolutely stunning, also has a great temperment.
Just my experiances.

Some of the baby corns I have had have been a little shy on the eating department, never had that probelm with a king snake. The easiest snake I have to handle is a 54" Mexican Black King. Just like a Ball Python or a Boa and eats anything! Baby corns are very wiggly also, as are kings and milks, and it is true that corns don't have a musking defense mechanism like kings and milks do when they are young.

If you choose an Eastern king variety, Mexican Black King, Cal King, or a Corn I can't see how you can go too wrong on the pet side. Just remember to keep the babies humid, sphagnum moss moistened with a sprayer is the best I've found.

Val Campbell

I have never heard of keeping the babies humid...other than fresh hatched.

Why do you propose this?

All my snakes have been 3 or 4 feeding hatchlings and have THRIVED in the same environment that my Adults do.

After they've shed and fed, the humidity is much of an issue. As long as they have 60% or so.
I'd defenitely still choose the king over anything. Even if you do get a biter, if it is small, it wont hurt, and you can calm it down with handling. All the corns we had at work were stubborn to get started. They need to be fed in a very small container. We've had much better success rates when fed in small containers.