Two ball pythons one rat

OK, so I have two ball pythons in one enclosure. My first bp, Boudreaux, went missing for 6 months... During that time I adopted another one (hoping it would ease the devastation) anyways when Boudreaux returned I gave the second bp to a dear friend who keeps a variety of reptiles. Unfortunately, she had to move and could not keep the bp. Now, I have two.. In one fairly small enclosure.
They are both about to shed and are on different feeding schedules. This is my first time having to feed in a separate container. With her about to shed and the house being cold I hate to move her, but I don't want her to be looking at Boudreaux with hungry eyes either! This situation is so stressful for a novice... I just want them to be safe, healthy, and Content! D:

P. S. They have only been together for 2 days, I'm trying to find a new home for the one my friend couldn't keep.

What are you asking?

You could either A. Get a second enclosure and keep them both or B. Get a second enclosure and sell one eventually, potentially with the enclosure

Ultimately if you can't immediately find someone to take one of them it's not fair for them to both be crammed into a small enclosure. They might be so stressed they won't eat anyway


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I guess this might be the only situation where I would feed in a separate enclosure. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't wanna eat.

You can buy a tub, thermostat and a heat pad for less than 70 bucks. Keep that in mind.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by KMG

What are you asking?

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I could have been more straight forward, my apologies.

1. I was asking how to feed in a seperate enclosure, with extra care (because the snake has never been fed in a seperate enclosure, is about to shed, and is having to share an enclosure.
2. ANY other insight into the situtation. It's stressful for me and probably for them.

This is my first year having a ball python or any reptile for that matter, so it's a bit overwhelming.

I'm going to go forward with assuming you really don't have much options on your space situation, which is why you have both snakes in one enclosure. In an ideal situation you would of course keep them in seperate tanks as others have pointed out.

My biggest concern is the lack of quarantine and possible risk to your established ball python since you said your friend kept a variety of reptiles. Something to keep in mind that it can take a while for any issues to become apparent in ball pythons so might want to keep a close eye on Boudreaux once you rehome the second bp.

Separating them for feeding would really be the best option. If you don't plan to feed on the same day then maybe feed one in the enclosure while you have the other one secured elsewhere. I would think feeding same day would be best though, since the second ball python will smell the rat scent on the first which may cause it to investigate and stress out the one that was fed.

If you do end up moving one to a tub to feed, you can always try putting a heating pad under it for a few minutes to warm it up beforehand if you feel it's too cold. If you don't have a heating mat you can also put rice in a sock and microwave it for a minute. Makes a great makeshift heat pack for cheap.

Just a couple ideals for you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Insane

I'm going to go forward with assuming you really don't have much options on your space situation, which is why you have both snakes in one enclosure. In an ideal situation you would of course keep them in seperate tanks as others have pointed out.

My biggest concern is the lack of quarantine and possible risk to your established ball python since you said your friend kept a variety of reptiles. Something to keep in mind that it can take a while for any issues to become apparent in ball pythons so might want to keep a close eye on Boudreaux once you rehome the second bp.

Separating them for feeding would really be the best option. If you don't plan to feed on the same day then maybe feed one in the enclosure while you have the other one secured elsewhere. I would think feeding same day would be best though, since the second ball python will smell the rat scent on the first which may cause it to investigate and stress out the one that was fed.

If you do end up moving one to a tub to feed, you can always try putting a heating pad under it for a few minutes to warm it up beforehand if you feel it's too cold. If you don't have a heating mat you can also put rice in a sock and microwave it for a minute. Makes a great makeshift heat pack for cheap.

Just a couple ideals for you.

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I feel better already, thank you! I am going to go ahead with your advice and try feeding them both tonight. I always try not to handle them for a couple of days after a meal. In these circumstances though, how long do i wait before i place the one in the tub back into the cage?
Thank you so much

I currently feed outside the enclosure (I know, I know) and I usually give my guy 20 minutes to half an hour with his food before moving him back. If I check on him and everything's down all right and he's curled up in the tub or probing to get out, then I put him back, transferring him as quickly but calmly/quietly as possible.

Our house is cold. The only warm rooms are the snake room and computer room. We take our snakes out. We just snuggle under blankeys or in hoodies or only take them out for 5 to 10 mins.

Anytime I have two or more snakes living in the enclosure I feed them separately to prevent any feeding mishaps.