How many snakes in a cage?

No the snakes would not live together in the wild. But with proper care and husbandry multiple snales can and are kept together sucessfully by a number of people.There is always a chance that a snake may have to be quarantined but i do not believe it is a big chance. My snakes as i have said have lived together for 3 yrs with absolutely no problems.My adult is actually a better eater since having a roomate!!HAha He went off feed a couple of times for 3 months when he was single but it has never happened since. I don't know for sure if they enjoy each others company, but they do hang out together at times and at other times they are solitary. They each have seperate hides on the hot and cool sides and never sem to have a problem with them using their own. I do not ever see either snake trying to dominate the other, and i always feed each seperately outside the cage so as to avoid problems. It has worked for me and i am happy it has. Hopefully I will never have a problem such as others have had and I wish all who try this success!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rick

But with proper care and husbandry multiple snales can and are kept together sucessfully by a number of people.

---

And if you play the lottery enough times, you might hit the jackpot! ;) Just because people do it, does not make it right. Sure it "can" work out, but there is no expert in the field of herpetology that will agree that it's the right thing to do for your animals. Why wouldn't you want to do something as simple as housing separately if every authority on the care of these animals in the world agrees that it's the correct way to house them?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rick

My adult is actually a better eater since having a roomate!!

---

That's because instead of correcting the husbandry problems that lead to the eating problems, you introduced and animal that your original snake felt he had to compete with. His feeding response naturally increased because of the now perceived competition for food. It's a scenario right out of Animal Behavior 101.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rick

I don't know for sure if they enjoy each others company,

---

But that's not what you said in your earlier post????

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rick

I do not ever see either snake trying to dominate the other

---

Unless you know what you're looking for, it's not something you'd expect to see. It's very subtle, but if they are laying together and then apart like you said, it's definitely there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rick

It has worked for me and i am happy it has. Hopefully I will never have a problem such as others have had and I wish all who try this success!!

---

Good luck with that.

-adam

There once was a man from Nantucket.....................

hey it works out for rick so good for him.
its not impossible to keep two balls together.
i do it everyday.
haha
but seriously, i have read in a few different books that although these are solitary animals you can house two ball pythons together. obviously if one has a problem you wont know which one it is and probably both will get it by the time you notice it. but thats the same with keeping other herps together in one enclosure. for breeders who want to be safe and not get any of their stock sick they most likely keep one to one. but if you have two healthy balls and you're taking proper care of them both like rick is, then i see no problem.

uh oh... now im gonna get it....

I am requesting that those participating in this thread, please be a bit more careful, this is a volitile subject. Those of you who have been on this forum for sometime know this.. this is one of those situations that if you cant just give your opinion and know when not to hit reply again, then maybe you should not post a reply in the first place. I have not replied on this thread for that reason. To avoid what this thread is turning into- a flame war. Flame wars will not be tolerated, and ppl will be suspended for such things. If you want to argue about this with eachother, please do so in private by PM, or better yet, off site.

It is time that you all realize that no matter what you do and how much argueing for what you feel to be the "right way", you are not going to change another persons mind on something of this nature- we dont like it, but it is the way it is. Be constructive, not destructive.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jeanne

this is one of those situations that if you cant just give your opinion

---

Have I posted something other than my opinion?

You said ...

Quote:

---

Those of you who have been on this forum for sometime know this

---

and I do .... please let me know where I've crossed the line?

-adam

Well all my humor aside, here is my opinion.. People put 3 snakes in one cage for 2 reasons
1) To save money by not supplying proper housing
2) Misinformed on the proper husbandry of the specie
3) Having a "cool pet" is just that, and the animals needs come second only to being able to say "Lookie what I got"

And Adam you crossed the line by getting up this morning..mauhahahahaha

Adam... I never said you or anybody else posted something other than your opinion.... nor said or inferred that you or anybody else crossed the line... in fact, I dont recall my post naming anyone in particlar. In fact, this comment:
"Those of you who have been on this forum for sometime know this.. this is one of those situations that if you cant just give your opinion and know when not to hit reply again, then maybe you should not post a reply in the first place." speaks for itself. You like other members are aware that there are situations that have occurred in the past , that warrant us to know when to close the mouth instead of having to insert the foot later. Not a personal attack, it is a observation ppl probably have made over thier course of learning netiquette and behaviors that diffuse a situation before it gets out of hand.

My post is/was a general public reminder that basically, there are times we need to know when NOT to hit the reply button and continue to brow beat, bear bait and whatnot when your opinion is not changing the mind of whomever originally posted. It becomes a deconstructive topic. The goal here is to be contructive and provide good info or opinions on experiences- that is, being constructive. To repeatedly tell someone your opinion making it an arguement or power struggle, is much like beating your head against the wall. You spend more time and energy on a waste, when you could be elsewhere in a forum being constructive.

Now please take my warning for what it is.. I dont want to see this thread locked/moved because of flames. In fact, it can be a great thread for those who wanna know about this.

Jeannes right. This thread has all the potential of turning into a flame war and my hot head doesn't help at times. So.......


http://www.allhatnocattle.net/outta%20here.jpg

So Jeanne, in your personal opinion, is the advocating of housing multiple ball pythons in a single enclosure "contructive and provide good info or opinions on experiences" as in your quote

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jeanne

The goal here is to be contructive and provide good info or opinions on experiences- that is, being constructive.

---

Just curious?

-adam