Keeping more then 1 ball in a tank

Ok so I have 2 regular balls, I wish I knew how much they weighed, but one was a rescue so I think they are about the same age but one is so much smaller. When I rescued her, she must have gone through 3 sheds and not one of them had come off half way. Her water was dried and it was hot as hell in the tank, and she refused to eat because she couldn't see.

So now she is doing fine over 1ft in length, eats like 3 hopper mice every 7 days (after I took her home, got the shed off her and let her chill in her cage for a few days she ate right away!) and my other snake he is about 2ft and eats a small rat every 7 days. I have them both in 20G long and the smaller snake will be fine, I anticipate a stunt in her growth from her lack of resources but I dont have enough room to upgrade for both of them.

They both have been together and the smaller like the big one and the bigger one doesnt pay much attention to the smaller snake.

My question is can I keep these two snakes in the same cage if I get like a 55G or something big enough for 2 snakes?

i recommend not keeping any snakes together as they are solitary creatures and can eat eachother

No... it will be stressful on the tank. If there is a favored hide there will be dominance issues over it, leading to stressed out snakes. And bps can/do fight.

That isn't even taking into account that with both of them living in the same tank you won't know who has shed, if there was a regurg who did it, who pooped... it is better for both of them to be in separate tanks.

If you have the space for a 55 gallon tank, you do have the space to house them separately in tub set-ups that can stack on each other.

They'll both be happier and healthier being separated as well. And if they are indeed opposite sexes, you can prevent unwanted mating and babies (that you'll have to find even MORE space for).

Out of curiousity... how do you know that the smaller one "likes" the bigger one?

Bruce

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Originally Posted by Mr. 17.5

Ok so I have 2 regular balls, I wish I knew how much they weighed, but one was a rescue so I think they are about the same age but one is so much smaller. When I rescued her, she must have gone through 3 sheds and not one of them had come off half way. Her water was dried and it was hot as hell in the tank, and she refused to eat because she couldn't see.

So now she is doing fine over 1ft in length, eats like 3 hopper mice every 7 days (after I took her home, got the shed off her and let her chill in her cage for a few days she ate right away!) and my other snake he is about 2ft and eats a small rat every 7 days. I have them both in 20G long and the smaller snake will be fine, I anticipate a stunt in her growth from her lack of resources but I dont have enough room to upgrade for both of them.

They both have been together and the smaller like the big one and the bigger one doesnt pay much attention to the smaller snake.

My question is can I keep these two snakes in the same cage if I get like a 55G or something big enough for 2 snakes?

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Do a search and you will find plenty of reasons why not to house them together in one tank. You will also find reason why it's ok but I think the risks far outweigh the benefits that some claim.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't 3 mice in 7 days for the smaller and a small rat for the larger one a bit much? Our bp is just over 3' in length and has filled out nicely and she eats a small rat which I think is a tad big for her. I just can't imagine a bp that is a foot smaller than mine taking the same size prey. Not saying it can't happen or anything...just kinda surprised.

Well the smaller snake is eating mice, not rats. He has no problem eating and swallowing a small rat. I will post some pics later today, I am way to lazy to host pics right now :( I could use a tub set, and I have thought about it. Since I do not plan on breeding the snakes, I spent a lot of money making their habitat's looking very nice, so I am not switching to a tub :)

Thanks for the info!

***EDIT I read my first post and it sounds like I have both balls in 1 cage already, they both have their own 20g Long.

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Originally Posted by Mr. 17.5

***EDIT I read my first post and it sounds like I have both balls in 1 cage already, they both have their own 20g Long.

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A 20L should be good for a BP for most of their life. It may actually be TOO big for the smaller one. But as long as they are both eating and not stressed from being in that big a tank I would say leave them in their own tanks. I think (and don't quote me on this) that a 20L is big enough for a snake up to about 1000g and possibly even bigger depending on their length.

A 20gal long for a BP is good, a 20g long can easily house a snake 1500 to 2000 grams...

If you're dead set on keeping them in one 55g tank, the best idea is to divide the tank so each snake has their own enclosure within the 55g glass tank... There really is no good reason to keep them together in the same enclosure other than during breeding season...