Co-habitation

One of the most contentious topics that is discussed on many snake forums is the cohabitation of two snakes.

Oftentimes, experienced keepers will recommend not practicing cohabitation. This recommendation is not based on the fact that it can’t be done, but that doing so requires adjustments in recommended husbandry practices and paying close attention to the behavior of your individual snakes.

Over the past three decades, I have successfully kept the following species in pairs, or in some cases, trios:

• Dyrmarchon corais corais
• Drymrachon melanurus melanurus
• Drymarchon melanurus unicolor
• Pseustes Poecilonotus
• Philodryas Baroni
• Thrasops Jacksonii
• Dispholidus Typus
• Pituophis Ruthveni
• Pituophis Sayi
• Pituophis Catenifer, Deppei Deppei and Deppei Jani
• Pseusdelaphe Flavirufa
• Rhamphiophis Rubropunctatus
• Rhamphiophis Oxyrhyncus
• Spilotes Pullatus
• Masticophis Flagellum
• Aspidites Ramsayi
• Python Regius
• Antaresia Childrenii
• Antaresia Maculosa
• Antaresia Stimsoni
• Antaresia Perthensis

The question that almost always comes up is why? I’ve seen people over the years ASSume that some of us keep some species in pairs because we are lazy or that we are trying to conserve space.

Well, some keepers do pair up animals to conserve space, but most of the species I co-habitate I do so for breeding purposes.

It is not uncommon for drys, for example, to attack new cage mates. Before cohabitating pairs, I would often run into males attacking and severely wounding introduced females – even when those males were in breeding season and fasting. I’ve talked to other breeders who accept this as a by-product of mating drys. Since I started co-habitating my pairs, I’ve completely eliminated these occasional maulings.

For species such as thrasops and dispholidus, females will often completely reject newly introduced males or take long periods of time to acclimate to them – year after year.

In rhamphiophis, again, a lengthy introduction period is often required before the female will accept a male.

In these species, keeping animals in pairs is often the best way to keep them breeding season after season.

Another reason is simply that these species do well in pairs providing that the following precautions are taken.

FEEDING:
Pairs often need to be conditioned to accept food separate from each other and in separate containers. I use dedicated feeding bins for all of my paired animals. Some of the more intelligent animals – thrasops for example – will eagerly go into their feeding bins once they see them.

Meals should be of adequate size, so that one or both of the animals are not left hungry. Additionally, you must observe your snakes and learn to read when they come out of feeding mode.

My psesustes will be out of this mode fairly rapidly. My melanurus male can take over 45 minutes to get out of the “eat anything that moves” mode. I keep my thrasops apart for two hours. Again, there is no set formula; it is up to the keeper to observe and determine a safe separation time based on each snake that is paired.

I have never had an animal regurge or vomit a meal when placed back into their cage after feeding. For the record, I do not feed my lone animals in separate bins. I only do it for my pairs.

CLEANING:
For boids, this is not as difficult as it is with species like drys, pits, spilotes, etc. that defecate frequently. However, when cohabitating animals, the once a month cleaning regimen will simply not cut it.

With most of my colubrids, I spot clean and disinfect as needed and completely change and clean every two weeks. I use diluted chlorhexidine, which can be sprayed and left if needed.

Every week water bowls of cohabitated animals are always disinfected.

CAGING:
In order to not stress paired animals, adequately sized caging is needed. The rule of thumb is that the enclosure size needs to be large enough to accommodate simultaneous use of thermoregulation zones, and an adequate number of hides for each animal. I also utilize more than one water bowl.

PREVENTING UNWANTED MATING:
If I decide not to breed pairs, I follow a few precautions.

For drys and other snakes where the males go through a seasonal and distinct breeding season – remove the females until the males end their fasts and shoot their sperm plugs.

When I used to breed antaresia, the males went through a distinct breeding season. With colubrids that require brumation to stimulate breeding, I simply do not brumate them.

With thrasops, for example, my pair did not mate for six seasons because of the fact that I didn’t kill the heat at night for that time span. This year, I killed the RHPs for two weeks and fired them back up again. Both pairs successfully mated.

CONCLUSION:
The above is what has worked for me. Others may have their own methods and ideas, but the simple fact is that cohabitating animals in pairs and even trios is not only commonly done, but done so successfully.

People who keep their snakes in this fashion are no lazy or ignorant, in fact keeping animals together requires an intimate knowledge f your animals and diligent husbandry.

Again, I cohabitate only certain species and ones that are not prone to intra-species ophiophagy. For example, I would never pair up my mussuranas. Nor would I pair up animals where one is more mature or larger than the other.

Additionally, I don’t pair up males. While I don’t have any experience in dominance-related aggression, I’ve just never done it and therefore can’t offer any relevant experience in doing so.

Once in awhile a story pops up here or there about paring gone bad. In every one of those stories I’ve seen I can highlight one or more critical errors by the keeper.

I don't claim to be an expert on anything. However I do take exception to people telling other hobbyist that successful cohabitation cannot be done. It can, to claim otherwise is false.

As for the arguments regarding the spread of disease and not being able to track bowel movements - BS. Use of proper quarantine and the introduction of animals that have a clean bill of health eliminate the first argument. As for the second, I can always tell which animal has pooped - even when they are kept together. Experienced keepers have no problems figuring out the digestion times and visual cues of their individual animals.

I think the key phrase throughout your entire post was "experienced keepers." When someone brand new to reptile keeping comes here and asks if it's ok to keep two ball pythons together, the better part of wisdom is to suggest that they separate them because they simply don't have the experience needed to avoid tragic feeding errors or notice when one snake is excessively stressed by a cage mate or to prevent unexpected breeding.

I am of the belief, however, that there are very few hard-and-fast rules regarding the keeping of these animals. Each species has a basic set of environmental parameters that should be met...and each has special attributes that should be known and considered (ie: not a good idea to house a kingsnake with a roomie. :P ). When a keeper is knowledgeable and experienced and truly cares about the well being of the animals...then whatever methods he chooses to meet those parameters is fine. But those three aspects of the keeper are critical when using methods beyond the basic caresheet level.

They must be knowledgeable.....fully aware of the species' exact environmental needs as well as aware of specific behaviors of each species they keep.

They must be experienced.......and able to recognize a stressed animal...to see when snakes are "out of feeding mode." They have to be able to read the body language of all their animals, as subtle as body language is on a snake.

And they must care.....the well being of the animals must come above and beyond the keeper's own convenience or pride in doing things their own way.

I appreciate your post...I think we need to see "out of the box" thinking like this a little more often and be a little more accepting of how others choose to do things. But we also have to be careful not to try and shove newbies out of the box before they're ready to go. :P

Table for one or will you be joining the group?

everything you said was so informative!

but really how many experienced keepers ask if you can cohabitate? its really only for noobs with there first boa or ball that ask those questions and someone doesnt feel like explaining what u just typed out.. i mean iv had my guy since feb and am still learning new things every day when it comes to his moods its crazy.

but i do understand where your comming from just like i dont feel you have to change tubs every so offten and if done correctly theres no reason a baby cant be put in the adult enclosure. most of the time it just boils down to wether the keeper is willing to go through the hassel, which again most people with there first boa or ball is just not gonna happen

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wilomn

Table for one or will you be joining the group?

---

Here's the deal:

Anyone who has kept two animals together and has a horror story - please share them.

Please do not regurgitate something you heard from a friend of your cousin's brother in law - or show the same old tired picture that pops up everytime this topic is raised.

If you do have a horror a story, state what you think you did wrong.

As Judy and I both have said, there are species that it won't work with.

The whole purpose of this post is not to encourage people new to the hobby to keep animals together, but to encourage people who don't have any direct experience cohabitating, to bite their tongues the next time they feel the need to bleat about what a no-no it is.

Skiploder I love reading your threads. You always seem to bring up the "taboo" subjects and explain that thing aren't absolute. What always bugs me is that people say that things are absolute....ie Never house snakes together.......never feed live.... and on and on. Nothing is absolute and what works for some people doesn't work for others. And alot of people don't like posting what they do because everybody tends to jump on them for doing what they do..... I've kept a few species together without any problems.....other than the one who wouldn't feed when with another snake. Thank you for your posts and I will continue to read them:D;)

I know a snake keeper that has a lot of experience whom has boas housed together, and has done so for many years with no problems. I think that experience and knowledge have great weight here. To be done safely requires excellent knowledge of the species and the individual animal as well. I am not sure it is a time or in the long run space saver as a larger enclosure is needed that would be required for an individual. I believe that inexperienced keepers think it is a way to save time space and money but that is an illusion. It needs careful planning and enough room to create an artificial environment that will not cause stress on either animal and that is likely beyond the abilities of the inexperienced.
Alex