Just curious

[karissa.melanson]

If I was to house two female ball pythons would they get along or fight?

[Baba Fett]

Good question. Never co hab ball pythons. Regardless of sex, age, size, or anything. Very dangerous for a list of reasons.

Fast Shadow

[redshepherd]

Same genders or not don't apply to snakes housed together... It's simply very dangerous to cohab at all and should never be done. Don't do it!

[aLittleLessButter]

There are some very experienced people on this forum who co-hab successfully but the conditions are very specific. Unless you have the experience and knowledge to do it, you will only be stressing out your snake or worse.

[Chkadii]

The risks of cohabitation are a lot more subtle than people think - which is why so many try it, because if there isn't blood everywhere they assume things are fine.

Stress is the biggest issue. Ball pythons don't need company. They see other ball pythons as competition for resources. "Cuddling" is actually how they compete for optimal conditions - basking spots, hiding places, etc. The snake that is weaker gets less optimal husbandry because it's pushed away by the stronger snake. So the stronger one thrives (though may still feel stressed by its roommate), the weaker one continues to be at a disadvantage (though the severity depends on the set up). If an individual is particularly susceptible to stress, they may also do a lot of defensive striking or stop eating. Ball pythons are stoic and evolved to survive. Stress will not kill them instantly, but they will suffer from it in silence for a long time.

After stress comes confusion for the keeper. Now, not everyone takes note of every single thing a BP does. But it's still good to have an idea of how your snakes are doing. Have they shed in the past month? When did they last defecate? With multiple animals in a tank, you can't easily tell who did what. If there's a sign of sickness (bloody stool, regurgitation, etc.), you couldn't tell who was sick. And since they are kept together, there's a very good chance the other one gets sick too.

So can you keep ball pythons together? Yes. People leave them together a few days at a time for breeding. Some put a bunch of snakes together while they clean tubs, take photos, etc. Sometimes snakes are housed together for years with no apparent problem. That said, there is always a risk. BPs kept together for 10 years are no closer to each other emotionally than two who have never met. It's not a more convenient option like people believe - it requires more work to ensure both snakes have access to everything they need without competition, and more knowledge to be able to tell when a snake is stressed before there are obvious signs (regurgitation, starvation, RI) when the damage is done.

It isn't a matter of "never ever do it" and 99% of the time neither snake will be instantly killed. Keeping them separate is just so much easier and safer, that for the majority of us we wouldn't consider doing it any other way. Why fix what ain't broke? Additionally, the most popular reasons for cohabitation are to save time and money. If cleaning two cages is too much work, you (that's a general "you," not OP specifically - I'm not making an assumption on why you're interested in cohabitation) probably shouldn't own two snakes. If you can't afford to house two snakes, you probably shouldn't own two snakes. Aside from building a giant terrarium/farming them, or observing behavior during interactions, there just isn't a great reason to do it. At least, not good enough to be worth the risks (in my opinion). I hope that clears things up for you!