I don't want them breed! What can I do?

You really need to separate those two. One hide in that tank isn't enough, there should be one on the warm and cool side, and with two snakes everything has to be doubled. If you still want to display them and give them space, you can set up two large clear tubs on a rack with belly heat.

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Originally Posted by feimui

LunaTheBp and Louie, I get what you mean. I know it's sad not to hatch the eggs....

But I am in HK and not many people keep pet snakes, and those who do, may not be willing to keep their snakes till they get old and die. When seeing so many people abandon their pets every day, I don't want to give them out to people.

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I'm assuming HK means Hong Kong? either way, I'm sure there is some place you could find affordable stacking cages for two animals. royals definitely don't require as much vertical space as you've given them in your setup, especially without anything to climb and utilize the space. your head is in the right place, but it's really in the best interest of you and the snakes to separate them if at all possible. otherwise, I would just dispose of any eggs that might result and keep doing what you're doing. can't argue with the fact that this is your first 'incident' in twelve years, no matter the circumstances.

for what it's worth, from that picture, it looks like you might be dealing with two males and an aggression issue. I've never seen it because I haven't ever kept two males together, but that doesn't look like a typical lock. it looks like only one hemipene is jammed into the other snake's cloaca, without the usual place for it to be received. take that with a grain of salt, but I'd keep this thread updated if you want to solicit further information from people with more experience. have they separated yet? does one seem to be hogging the warm spots? anything else unusual besides both going off feed?

bcr229 for your suggestion. However, at this stage I can't get a bigger tank for them, and surely not allow to have two tanks. The space that I can put my tank is very limited. I can't put it in the living room as we turn the air-conditioning on most of the time in the summer. This is already the best I can do. When, in the future, I can manage to get a bigger apartment, I will take your advice to give them a bigger tank with two hides.

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Originally Posted by feimui

Kind of figure out how to post pictures....

Here is their tank.... I can only keep one tank at home as my home is too small for two tanks. So, I hope to keep them in one tank.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_8555.jpg

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The height of that enclosure is a waste, you could fit 3 to 4 41qt tubs in the same space. Floor space is what is needed not height.

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Originally Posted by feimui

This is the picture I took this morning. They were mating, weren't they?

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_1728.jpg

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That's a lock, definite lock. :gj:

considering you have had them together for 12 years I am pretty sure they have mated before :D it seems a little late to start now .. males tend to lock aswell however they can clearly not produce eggs -> in other words I am pretty sure you have 2 males on your hands - however if by a miracle you DO get eggs you can always give them away or even let them die if you can't take care of more pythons; sad but true

Thanks a lot wwmjkd for your reply. I haven't separated them yet. They are still staying together.

When you say it didn't look a typical lock, I was wondering if it was because I was trying to taking them out and when I noticed they were mating, I put them down immediately and took the picture. I want to show you some more pictures here.

This is the picture I took on the 29 May. I saw them coiling together. I found some pictures on the net saying that it was a sign of pre-mating behaviour. Is that right?

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_0102.jpg

Here are some pictures I have just took 30 mins ago.
First of all, I have noticed that their bellies have turned pink. Both of them shed not long ago and I don't know why. This one, particularly, turn quite red.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_1758.jpg

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_1762.jpg

Next, I want to show you the tails of them. Is that possible to tell their sex?

Lu's tail

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_1767.jpg

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_1768.jpg

Gil's tail

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_1766.jpg

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_1764.jpg

Both of them (bottom - Lu) (top - Gil)

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMG_1763.jpg

There are not many choices here in HK for the size of reptile cages and tanks. I did search around shops selling tanks few months ago. This is the only tank I found that fits placing on the rack, no other choice of height indeed. A tailor-made one with similar size with lower height cost about US$320, which is too expensive, not to say to get two.

haha... I don't feel surprise that they did not mate or mated but no egg. I used to keep hamsters, and in the 5 years time keeping more than 30 hamsters, only one gave birth to two baby hamsters. Ok, talk about my balls... I really don't know if they have mated before. But this is the first time they don't eat in the summer. So, if not eating food is the result of breeding, I assume they didn't breed in the past. Perhaps, the best thing I need is to find someone to tell me if they are two boys or one boy/one girl. :P

They need to either be popped or probed to me properly sexed.

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Originally Posted by feimui

If I want to keep them in the same tank, how can I avoid them to breed?

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If they are one male and one female, you can't.