Two boys one cage?

[Kaspar825]

Please reply soon because i have 3 ball pythons in a tank right now my brother is takeing one in a little bit but i dont know if they are a boy or girl. I cant tell what it is myself. So until i find out i want to make sure its ok to keep two boys together in case they are. I know i should have asked before i left but i forgot.

 

[Flameethrower]

Hope i cover everything here and chime in anyone if i miss one thing.

SEPARATE THEM ASAP. Ball pythons do not and will not, i dont care who says other wise, live with one another as if their friends. Its extremely stressful on them which can lead to cannibalism.

When they lay together on top of one another, this is not a sigh of cuddling or getting warm. This is a sigh of stress/dominance for that specific location. In which turns to health related issues.

If one gets sick the other will as well which no doubles your vet bills. If one poops, which one did it. If one regurgitated which one did it so you know not to feed that particular snake for a few weeks to allow recovery.


1 snake= 1 cage Unless breeding bottom line. if you cant afford a cage/tub per snake then you should never of gotten a second or 3rd.

 

[MiamiLeos]

yep. nailed it. biiiiig no no.

 

[granitestate]

I beg to differ as I have known people with MANY bp's in the same tank and there was never a problem. Can I speak for snakes in saying that they do not enjoy cuddling? Nope I cannot. Can I speak from experience in never having an issue with this? Yes I can.

I have two bps bunking together right now and they are fine.

To some it may be wrong, to some right, It's up to you and your judgement

 

[Flameethrower]

No it has nothing to do with if you think its right or not. They are SOLITARY animals and do not do WELL with one another.

If you can not give each snake its own setup, then you have no right owning a snake. Keeping to ball pythons in same cage is no better than keeping a boa in with them.

I keep 54 ball pythons and i would NEVER EVER house a snake together cause YOU do. Ive seen all the negative effects to know better that its a stupid decision to keep them together.

Like stated if one is sick BOTH get sick, which one pooped? Which one peed? You need to know this.

Sooner or later you will be back on this forum or another asking why are my ball pythons not eating. I mean does it have to hit you in the face before you wake up in your own world before you see that this can not be done

 

[Barbel]

I agree to the above. Ball pythons are solitary animals and do best when kept alone. We have over 20 balls and have NEVER housed them together. Just because you have two or more ball pythons housed together and they appear to be doing fine does not mean that they are okay. Reptiles are very good at hiding stress and other signs of illness (it is a survival technique) and they usually keep them hidden until it is too late. If you can't afford or don't have the space for two enclosures, then you don't need two ball pythons; plain and simple.

 

[granitestate]

Wow guys, This is not a personal attack on you, there is no reason to get so defensive.

With the original poster we have no idea whether or not he has the money to get a separate enclosure. He needed advice in a pinch to which I offered. Keeping two snakes together for a short period of time, while the enclosure situation is sorted will not kill your ball pythons and I am 99% sure they will not eat each other. Does it happen on rare occasion? I will agree that it does.

As for having to return here to ask why my snakes are not eating? This will never happen as I am not a rookie snake keeper.

People are just going to have different opinions on the subject and that's life. Learn to accept it.

 

[Flameethrower]

There's plenty reason to get defensive.

Its people like the OP that don't research the snakes before getting them. And why legislation's are being made to ban snakes. If you cant even get basic husbandry down, you shouldn't be keeping snakes or any other reptile that depends on YOU to give it what it needs to survive.

This is the stuff the HSUS and so on thrive off of, by showing anyone can have a snake with out any prior knowledge of how to care for them.

 

[WingedWolfPsion]

I agree...it's not ok to let someone think that housing two snakes together is fine. It risks their health. Yes, cannibalism happens too. Even with ball pythons as the photo clearly shows (and that is not the first time I've heard of it).

It doesn't cost that much money to grab a plastic tub, some clamps, and a cheap heating pad or cord--which is much better temporary housing than putting the animal in with another snake.

 

[Starwild]

No. Take them out now.

It doesn't matter whether it's likely to happen or not. That it could happen at all means it's bad husbandry and should not be encouraged by anybody, novice keeper, experienced keeper or in-between.

You know bad things COULD happen, it takes less than $10 to buy a rubbermaid bin, $20 for a heat mat, are you seriously willing to risk your snakes' lives for something so easily fixable? Do what's best for your animals and separate them. If you don't have the money or space then give them to someone who does. It's that simple.

 

[Kaspar825]

Seperated:main_thumbsup:

 

[Gregg M]

With ball pythons, it does not matter either way... I keep ball pythons in pairs and they are doing great... No stress, no feeding issues and I have never had one try to eat the other... Not saying it can not happen but the chances are very slim... I have even kept kings together without them eating eachother...

Snakes are not 100% solitary and do not come together just for breeding... There are many instances where they do come together in the wild... They come together to utilize prime thermo spots, to brumate, to take advantage of good hunting spots, and obviously, to breed... I know when I field herp, I always find more than 2 snakes in one spot...

Ever lift a board and find 10 garters under it piled on top of eachother??? I lifted a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood this past summer and found three, 5 foot plus black racers under it and all three were males... I also found 2 female pines under a car hood last spring...

Sorry, but to say snakes are 100% solitary is 100% incorrect...

 

[Flameethrower]

I stated Ball pythons are solitary animals. I been keeping snakes and breeding for 15 years now and just cause you had not problem dont mean its okay to pass it along saying so. Thats poor practices on new comers who think its okay to get one snake then buy another and plop it in with out proper QT.

Were here to take care of this species the best that we can and to force them to live with one another cause your too cheap to buy another set up for them is your problem, but dont preach it saying its good to do cand YOU never had a problem is horrible practice.

You think NERD,RDR,8Ball,BHB would be using 10 of thousands of individual containers if they needed to. They do because its the right thing to do and practice for the health and safety of your pet.

 

[Gregg M]

I stated Ball pythons are solitary animals. I been keeping snakes and breeding for 15 years now and just cause you had not problem dont mean its okay to pass it along saying so. Thats poor practices on new comers who think its okay to get one snake then buy another and plop it in with out proper QT.

Were here to take care of this species the best that we can and to force them to live with one another cause your too cheap to buy another set up for them is your problem, but dont preach it saying its good to do cand YOU never had a problem is horrible practice.

You think NERD,RDR,8Ball,BHB would be using 10 of thousands of individual containers if they needed to. They do because its the right thing to do and practice for the health and safety of your pet.

#1 You may want to watch how you address a mod on this and any other site... It is ok to disagree but do it with a little respect...

#2 No snake is 100% solitary... As I stated before, myself and many other breeders house certain species together with no problems... Snakes, including ball pythons, for the most part, can be housed together without an issue...

#3 Proper QT and housing animals together are two different topics... Do not twist what I said into me thinking or suggesting that QT should not be done...

#4 Me housing certain animals in pairs has nothing to do with being cheap... Most of what I keep are housed individualy...

#5 I am sure you have been breeding reptiles since you were 8 years old... LOL

 

[arnie]

hahah i think you got him at the 8 years old bit LOL

 

[RampantReptiles]

The problem I see with housing snakes together is that you put them in an enclosure and there is no way for one to get away from the other if it wanted to. In the wild a snake may come in contact with another snake and share the same heating/cooling spot but would it spend its entire life there? At some point the snake has to wander away to find food and Im pretty sure they go further than 3-4 feet to do this.

Not to mention that when owning a creature is not the same as having it exist in the wild. You have to treat them better than how they would live in the wild if you want to make sure they stay alive and healthy. Owners are trying to prevent natural selection in a way.

This kind of makes me think of fish. Like there are some species of fish that coexist with others in the wild but you would not put them in a tank together unless it was HUGE. They might coexist fine in some peoples tanks but kill each other in others because all animals are different and to say that you can accurately predict the behavior of an animal is kind of naive.

 

[Barbel]

+1

I agree. In the wild if a snake comes in contact with another snake and the situation is calm, they may hang out in the same area for a while. If the situation is stressful the snake has the opportunity to move on to another location. If there is a stressful situation in an enclosed area, the snakes are basically trapped together. Can you imagine being trapped in a small space with someone that causes you tension and not being able to do anything about it? I think it is best to always be cautious and prevent any potential harmful or stressful situation. Providing individual housing for your snakes is such an easy thing to do.