Advice for New Owner

About a decade ago I owned a healthy set of snakes including a ball python, blood python, common boa and a kingsnake. Once I started a family I liquidated my collection. Now years later I have a teenage son that wanted a ball python so I was exited to get him started.

We found a set of pythons (including heaters and cage) in the classified for far less than we could get at a pet store. They looked pretty healthy so we picked them up last week, after a week I have a few concerns and could use some advice.

First, the glass aquarium is a 30 or 40 gallon and I am thinking its too small for two snakes, and in fact I am pretty convinced two snakes in the same aquarium is probably a bad idea all together. Small snake is about a foot and half, the larger one 2 and a half. Cheap ideas for a second enclosure?

Second, the larger one has started showing aggressive tendencies. Its hard to get the smaller one out to handle with the larger one being so grouchy. We regularly handle both, but I don't want my son to be afraid and stop getting them out. Its fine once its up but will strike when its first picked up, I am thinking maybe a snake hook and gloves to get it out for a while?

Third, when we picked them up the larger one had opaque eyes, so we bumped up the humidity and bathed him. He shed about 4 days later. The smaller one we were told had just shed and never had opaque eyes but started shedding a couple of days after the larger one, and its been a pretty messy shed even though it has been in the same humid environment as the larger one. Will they ALWAYS get opaque eyes before shedding? Maybe the last owner wasn't paying attention and thought it had just shed....

Both have eaten and otherwise appear healthy.

Thanks for your expertise.

The one thing I can tell you for sure is that your suspicion is correct: you do not want to have your snakes sharing an enclosure. Snakes are not social by nature and sharing a space will only stress them out! I have a 3-year-old male, 1700g and 46" in length, and he has a 40-gallon tank that gives him plenty of room.

You may have to improvise... and use a plastic bin of sorts... a container... that is equivalent to a 40 gallon tank... for your smaller snake he would only need a 20 gallon or so until he is fully grown and then put into a 40 gallon :) so, you could find a 20 gallon tank on craigstlist... or get one from a pet store... 20 gallons are not super expensive... but I do not have any real professional opinion so I would wait for a higher ranked person to respond :)

Are both of your snakes sexed? If so, what are their sexes?

Opaque eyes are not a definite when it comes to shedding, btw... all snakes are different and you have to learn from time and experience with your specific snake what his/her signs of shedding are... MOST snakes have opaque eyes... but... some may not.

See this stickied post: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...edding-Process

For more info on shedding :)
Goodluck with your babies.

Welcome to BP.net!!

You are indeed correct that they need separate enclosures, and that could very well be part of the reason the bigger one is so crabby.

I recommend reading the caresheet here: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Ball pythons do indeed get opaque eyes before a shed, but it is not unheard of for one to shed back to back for one reason or another.

Gale

I know you don't want them in the same enclosure unless breeding! If one is smaller you could do a 10 gal set up for now! Depending on the size! I have both my Juvi's in a seperated 40 gal Breeder! Just make sure you have a hide in the cool side and a hide in the warm side!