I tried keeping them separated

i never thought of it that way. I guess you are right. They are not loving at all....I guess that lack of annoyances and stuff that gets me mad about a lot of other animals... makes it feel like they are loving

Yea...I'm a bit concerned that you didn't really do your research beforehand. You can't get a snake and then expect it to be like a cat or a dog. A snake doesn't care if you "play" with him. Your snake doesn't need or want a friend or a cagemate. They don't get lonely or sad or bored. They could give a hoot, so long as you keep them warm, give them a nice dark hidebox, keep their water bowl full, and feed them on schedule. It might be disappointing if you were expecting your snake (or snakes, in this case) to be something he isn't. But that's how they are.

There are a million and one reasons why your snakes wouldn't be eating after you seperated them, but I'd be willing to bet money that it wasn't missing their cagemate that did it. What are your temps like? Humidity? How did you have the cages set up?

All I can say is, please, for the good of your animals, give them their own homes.

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Originally Posted by starmom

I'll share with you why I love them: my ego is completely out of the picture. Snakes have an entirely different physiology and brain structure relative to mammals. Snakes will never care whether I live or die. Snakes will never give me unconditional love and affection. Snakes will never snuggle with me when I've had a bad day or make me feel proud because I have taught them their latest command. For me, Snake is a great teacher. Snake teaches that I can care for and invest in something and it is okay that I will never get anything in return. For me, this is refreshing for my brain and joyful for my heart.

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Amazing statement and I couldn't agree more. :gj:

Personally I find joy in working hard to provide them with the best enclosures, observing them, and watching them grow. But even though snakes aren't as expressive as some mammals are, they definitely appreciate when their temps and humidity are right, they have a nice hide to curl up in, and they get a big juicy mouse/rat every week. That's a snake's idea of the rich life. :) :snake:

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Originally Posted by jseber1982

I guess it is just hard to want to stick them in a tub.. but i guess to them it is more like a natural habitat.

I just feel bad sticking them in a little dark tub with no crawl room and nothing to do.

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They will thank you... They love dark tight spaces. They will feel more secure. Hope this helps. :cool:

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Originally Posted by starmom

I'll share with you why I love them: my ego is completely out of the picture. Snakes have an entirely different physiology and brain structure relative to mammals. Snakes will never care whether I live or die. Snakes will never give me unconditional love and affection. Snakes will never snuggle with me when I've had a bad day or make me feel proud because I have taught them their latest command. For me, Snake is a great teacher. Snake teaches that I can care for and invest in something and it is okay that I will never get anything in return. For me, this is refreshing for my brain and joyful for my heart.

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Great post! I do think thegive rewards though! Like morphs, perfect sheds, and something to have that you like!! And Istill love em!

OP, do you have the size, pics or weights of these two animals? Then we can perhaps find a size tub better suited for your BP's making them feel secure and eat regularly.

All snakes are different, and you may find that one of the snakes prefers a very small tub to feel safe and eat, while the other really likes a 41 quart breeder tub. We have recommendations on what weight to put into which size tub, and it has worked well for hundreds of keepers.

The problem with tanks and large enclosures is that often the snake feels exposed, the temps and humidity aren't correct, and the change from one to another is a HUGE life changing experience for them. As humans, we have to understand that it takes weeks and sometimes months for these snakes to settle and feel safe. They have slow metabolism, and also have slow adjustments periods. 2 weeks may seem long to us, but for them its nothing at all.

A happy BP is a warm and hiding BP. :)

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They dont play Ball or anything.. They just eat breed and Poop!

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I disagree. There is no such thing as an enclosure that is too big... as long as the humidity and temperature is right, then the larger the better. Python Regius does indeed crawl around a lot for hunting in nature, especially during the wet period when the vegetation gives them plenty of security.

I would never ever keep an adult BP in an enclosure smaller than 4 x 2 ft.

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Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

There is no such thing like an enclosure that is too big... as long as the humidity and temperature is right, then the larger the better. Python Regius does indeed crawl around a lot for hunting in nature, especially during the wet period when the vegetation gives them plenty of security.

I would never ever keep an adult BP in an enclosure smaller than 4 x 2 ft.

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The larger is not always the better, and that is truly a blanket statement.

We can dance around this again, but I won't go at it so fervently this time around.

While large enclosures are ok if the needs of the snake are met, there are exceptions to every rule, and for Ball pythons in particular, they like having a small enclosure when we cannot accurately reproduce their natural habitat.

Better yet, to give them a closely mimicked natural enclosure would mean to create a rodent burrow or termite mound, with a surrounding grassland or brush and forest and hope for the best.

While it is very unrealistic to keep any large collection of snakes with a cage 4 x 2 minimum, keeping them in smaller and easier to maintain enclosure is highly recommended, especially for the new keeper.

Smaller enclosures allow for easier climate control, easy supervision, and an easier and smaller job for cleaning.

A large natural enclosure is adequate for those that know what subtle cues to look for in the case that their snake does come under duress, and knows how to handle it appropriately. It's a big job, and should not be the first tier to shoot for when first keeping a new species of snake.

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Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

I disagree. There is no such thing as an enclosure that is too big... as long as the humidity and temperature is right, then the larger the better. Python Regius does indeed crawl around a lot for hunting in nature, especially during the wet period when the vegetation gives them plenty of security.

I would never ever keep an adult BP in an enclosure smaller than 4 x 2 ft.

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Where do you keep all your snakes then? 6-10 2x4 tanks would get ridiculous. I have 6 10 gallon breeder tanks for my rats and mice and still think they take up to much room.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

The larger is not always the better, and that is truly a blanket statement.

We can dance around this again, but I won't go at it so fervently this time around.

While large enclosures are ok if the needs of the snake are met, there are exceptions to every rule, and for Ball pythons in particular, they like having a small enclosure when we cannot accurately reproduce their natural habitat.

Better yet, to give them a closely mimicked natural enclosure would mean to create a rodent burrow or termite mound, with a surrounding grassland or brush and forest and hope for the best.

While it is very unrealistic to keep any large collection on snakes with a cage 4 x 2 minimum, keeping them in smaller and easier to maintain enclosure is highly recommended, especially for the new keeper.

Smaller enclosures allow for easier climate control, easy supervision, and an easier and smaller job for cleaning.

A large natural enclosure is adequate for those that know what subtle cues to look for in the case that their snake does come under duress, and knows how to handle it appropriately. It's a big job, and should not be the first tier to shoot for when first keeping a new species of snake.

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Then we should agree to disagree... I think animals being kept in a prison should have at least one being as big as possible :)