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

You said you can't get a bigger tank but multiple people are telling you you can fit multiple tubs in the same space. Why wouldn't you sacrifice your own viewing for their comfort? I'm sure they're not enjoying the constant competition. You can get plastic tubs at most grocery and home goods/ home improvement stores. They come in a lot of sizes. Floor space is what's important so pick ones that are shorter from lid to bottom but longer in length.

I'm not sure why you took on two snakes if you only had room for one. I'm glad you came on here for advice though. I just hope you take that advice and do something with it. :)

Can you find plastic storage tubs with lids there there in Hong Kong?

If not, you can order some online.


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Please don't be cross. I always think getting them a proper reptile tank with space and plenty of light is good for them, and never thought that keeping them in plastic tubs is comfortable.
The reason why I keep two in one tank is that when I bought my balls, the guy in the pet shop told me I could keep two together. When that pet shop stopped selling mice, I turned to another one. I constantly go there (been more than 10 years), they always know I keep my balls in one tank, and they never tell me that is problematic. The vets also know they live together. I observe them a lot and I have never noticed any aggressive behaviour for these many years and they live friendly and healthy without any sickness and problem. You can see some pictures here. How can I tell they are not happy when I see them sleep together, move together and do things together.


They sleep together in the hide everyday
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...ilampLu2-1.jpg


They move together
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...5/PICT0316.jpg

They drink water together
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...tDrinking4.jpg

Most of what you are seeing is competition... for the best spot and the like. It's more of a dominance showing. It may look like they are best buddies, but snakes don't think like that.
They are constantly competing

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The snakes are going to continue breeding if they are male-female. (or dominating if they are male-male)
Just throw the eggs away if any are laid.

You can get any size tub you want and decorate it however you wish. I've kept snakes in tubs larger than your glass tank. Light isn't such a huge factor since they are a nocturnal species that spend 90% of their time in dark rodent burrows or termite mounds in the wild. And these burrows and mounds are much smaller than tubs.

Just some examples on larger/decorated tubs that you can do for each of your snakes.
(not my photo: found on google)

Ball Pythons can actually thrive in a tub with half of this height.
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyu1w7Y37u1qc6rl3.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZEKJKzSBw.../s320/Rub1.jpg

You live in a different country so I know there is a different mentality than here. We have answered your questions and gave suggestions on how to improve your set up to the best of our ability.
In the end it is *your* decision if you want to accept that advice or not. If you want to keep your snakes together, no one here is going to stop you. They are *your* snakes. Not ours.

I understand your dilemma. It is very easy for us to toss out suggestions and changes, because we tend to forget people not in the US cannot get things as easily as we can. I believe, from your pictures, you have two males. At 12 years old, they are sexually mature, and something recently has changed, causing them to become aggressive and combative. This might cause problems. One could easily injure the other one, or they may stay off food for too long and that could cause problems.

It would be best in this situation if you could separate them, I would hate for something to go wrong and one to get hurt or sick. I know you have said this tank is your only cage option right now. Is it at all possible to find two tanks of similar floor size but not as tall? That you could stack one on top of the other? You could probably even sell the tank you have now and get back some of your cost if it were possible to get two cages. If you absolutely cannot get separate cages, I would inquire of your friends at the pet stores and your vet to see what they might recommend in this situation. Tell them you have two believed males who appear to be combating and force copulating, and see if they have any ideas on how to help you.

If by some chance it turns out you do have a male and female, if the female does eventually lay eggs, just remove them and throw them away. It will be much easier on you and on her if you do.

Gale

This is about the same size as what you have and houses 4 ball pythons. For viewing you could run a mild colored led stop down the sides

I'm sure anyone would ship this to you disassembled and all you would have to get is the tubs

Also each tub i have 2 hides one in warm and one in cool side except for my 2400 gram female doesn't get a hide

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/14/be8y4aha.jpg

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Also are you using a purple UV light in one of those lamps? If that is on too much you can sunburn your snakes!

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My rack is in my bedroom by my bed and doubles as a nightstand and is only a little larger. It can hold 8 juveniles now and when they get bigger, I can remove the divider and have 4 in it. You can order racks online and they're not much, if any, bigger than what you have now. Yours get in the hide together because they both want to hide and that's the only place. Snakes aren't mammals. They don't like other snakes except to breed. And if they're both males, you're basically allowing one of your snakes to rape the other. Ball pythons go down and out, not up, so they don't need height. They like to be alone and they like to hide. You can order racks online and have them shipped to you and get clear tubs and it won't take up any more room than you have now. They don't have a choice but to move together because they don't have enough room to get away from each other and they both want what the other has. Ball pythons housed together may eat each other. Do you want one of your snakes to eat the other? You asked for advice and knowledgeable people have given it, but you're making excuses for why they're wrong. A lot of people on here have had hundreds of snakes for more than 12 years and know what they're talking about. I would advise that if you can't provide the proper housing for both snakes, you find someone to take one of them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by feimui

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

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I don't want you to think we are jumping on you, but I think what we are seeing is competition not them enjoying each other's company. The picture you attributed to breeding behaviour is them competing for space. Ball pythons don't do any noticeable courtship, they just lock up. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the pink bellies are either the start of an infection or minor burns. If you are using an under tank heater you might want to check its surface temperature. If not, you might want to reconsider the artificial turf/reptile carpet you are using for substrate. They are hard to disinfect and if not done right can cause skin infections or if you use a lot of bleach and don't rinse well it can cause chemical burns.