Having 2 BP's

[Megz]

Hey everyone,

So i am interested in getting another ball python, a jungle carpet morph. I did have a couple of questions for those of you with experience with two snakes. I currently have a female but i dont want to breed that being said would i have to get a female if i wanted to keep them in the same tank. Also, considering that I would love to keep them in the same tank, is there a recommended size for a tank that could be used for eventually two adult ball pythons. Lastly, would i have to get two hides for each side or do the snakes share hides?
Thanks so much

[Mike41793]

Do you have any pics of the morph you want?

[Kinra]

Hey everyone,

So i am interested in getting another ball python, a jungle carpet morph. I did have a couple of questions for those of you with experience with two snakes. I currently have a female but i dont want to breed that being said would i have to get a female if i wanted to keep them in the same tank. Also, considering that I would love to keep them in the same tank, is there a recommended size for a tank that could be used for eventually two adult ball pythons. Lastly, would i have to get two hides for each side or do the snakes share hides?
Thanks so much

It is generally not recommend that you house two snakes together. It can be done, but it brings some complications with it. If you ultimately decide to house them together after everyone here details the complications involved, make sure you quarantine your new snake for at least 60-90 days first. You really want to make sure your new snake is healthy.

Secondly there is no jungle carpet ball python morph. There is however a jungle carpet python which is a completely different species of snakes and I strong recommend that if you decide to work through the complications of housing two snakes together that you make sure they are at least the same species.

Edit: There are also hybrids called Carpball, but that's not a technically a morph.

[RoseyReps]

A Jungle Carpet Python is not a Ball Python. They are two different species with different husbandry requirements. Now, if you are sure you are speaking of a ball python morph, I agree with Mike as I would be interested to see what someone is calling a "Jungle Carpet" morph.

That being said, a JCP cannot be housed with a BP, and the general consensus for ball pythons is 1 per enclosure. There are a lot of risks housing BP's together. If one gets sick, they both get sick. If you see a regurgitated rat, you have no idea which snake regurged. etc etc. (Serpent Merchant has a nice, saved reply for this I believe, that goes into further detail)

[Megz]

Yah sorry it is a jungle carpet python. I was asking for this exact reason okay perfect thanks for telling me.
I was told however that the jungle carpet python will only be 5-6ft and requires the same care as bp's is that correct or no

[Megz]

- http://kitchener.kijiji.ca/c-ViewAdL...AdId=428168909

this was one of the ones i was looking at

[satomi325]

If you are asking if it is alright to house two balls or two snakes of different species in one enclosure, then the answer is no.
It is ok for more experienced keepers to house two balls together perhaps. But since you are asking the question, it is telling me of your inexperience.

Carpets require a basking temp that is a little lower than a ball. But in generally, they are similar. And balls generally don't like open large enclosures, while JCPs seem to thrive in larger ones as they are semi-arboreal.

Overall, I don't recommend housing two different species in one enclosure. They are not from the same region or habitat, nor are they even from the same continent.
Just an all around bad idea for transfer of potential illnesses, which can lay dormant in the animal for months before becoming active.
Not to mention mite transfer.


A nice write up from Lgray23 in regards to why not to house two ball pythons together for reasons other than breeding.

1) Cannibalism, not common, but there are DOCUMENTED cases. This alone isn't worth the risk.
2) Stress. Even the most friendly snakes get stressed out, so why cause the stress? Snakes have no want or need to be with another snake unless it's for breeding purposes. Other than that, it's just an unwanted roommate that they can't get away from.
3) Space. They will constantly try to dominate eachother for the best spots in the enclosure, even if you have multiple hides, you'll mainly see them together in one spot. People usually see this as "cuddling". It's not cuddling, they are fighting over the best spot.
4) You wake up in the morning after feeding and there's a regurgitated mouse. Which one did it?
5) One gets sick, now both are sick. That's 2X the vet bills, 2X the medications, and 2X the stress.
6) You are told the new snake you bought is the same sex as the one you already have. a year later, you find eggs in the enclosure. You have not prepared, no incubator, no space for babies, and no one to sell them to. What do you do now? The pet store/vet/person sexed them wrong.
7) Quarantine. How are you going to quarantine the new snake away from your original one? As you gain more experience, you'll find that quarantine is a NECESSITY. You could get a perfectly healthy snake, or one covered in mite eggs that hatch 3 days after you bring it home. Now both snakes have mites. Snakes also can take a long time to start showing symptoms of illness, now you got your original snake sick because you didn't quarantine.

[RoseyReps]

Yah sorry it is a jungle carpet python. I was asking for this exact reason okay perfect thanks for telling me.
I was told however that the jungle carpet python will only be 5-6ft and requires the same care as bp's is that correct or no

From my (poor) memory, JCPs average out between 5-7ft. They have similar heat gradient requirements, but JCPs are better suited in larger enclosures. They are arboreal so having climbing branches is a good idea. Two hides, on on the cool side and one on the hot side. I always had a large water dish for my jcp to help with humidity and he enjoyed soaking from time to time, but honestly I don't know if that is the advice given today or not.

My suggestion would be to look up some caresheets on JCPs, read through the "Morelia" section of this forum, and perhaps try and find a Morelia specific forum. Hopefully someone with more recent husbandry knowledge will chime in and help you out. They are beautiful and rewarding snakes! I miss my JCP all the time

[Megz]

YAh I was never sure about the 2 snake housing but for sure if i got another i would have it in it's own enclosure thank you everyone. As for the previous reply, yah im excited they look amazing and i have heard good things about them