Input on multiple snakes in one tank.

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

I reached my conclusion via logic. Two animals sharing a space does provide for the possibility of dominance issues.

While I can't scientifically document its existence I can choose to eliminate it from my husbandry habits.

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And an issue with dominance, in a species that is not known to have a pecking order, is the ONLY possibility you can come up with?

Heh.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Just a few days ago there was a thread where someone was keeping two hatchlings together. One was eating perfectly fine, but the other had not taken a meal. He separated them and within 2 days the non-eater started eating again. To me this points to "dominance".

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Let me throw this in there:

I had a pair of young anthill pythons that were sharing a drawer for the last year. Three weeks ago, I purchased a new rack and separated them. Once separated, the female has since declined to eat.

In all seriousness - what should I make of this?

Hey guys, For what it is worth. (not much I know) since I'm "NEW" But I have been doing a study on this for the past 3 years for my own benifit. I have been housing 2 trio's of ball pythons together. A 2.1 of normals and an 1.2 of normals. I have only seperated them while feeding and when the 2.1 went in to breeding mode.(more to come on that). What I have seen is They do cuddle alot! They get along fine together it's like they dont even know one another is there. With the 1.2 I have seen them breed and both females produced for me. I seperated the females after they laid so they could feed a few times in there own bin and put them all together again. The male would be fine and act like they were not even there until the females went into breeding mode again the next season. As far as the 2.1, Well they where fine until the female was receptive. Then it was a war zone so to speak. Yes, I let the males combat (how else would I know the facts right?) well combating was more or less like 2 8 year old boys pushing and shoving. So I watched them very close and decided to remove the male I thought was the weker of the 2. after the female laid and fed a few times I put them all back together and they where just fine. Yep, Until she became receptive again..

Anyway, Thanks for listening and just remeber. Each snake is different what happens to mine may not be what happens to any of yours..

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Originally Posted by wilomn

And an issue with dominance, in a species that is not known to have a pecking order, is the ONLY possibility you can come up with?

Heh.

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Transfer of illness between housed animals is enough of a deterrent for me. Which I did state in my original post.

Sure proper husbandry should in turn produce healthy snakes; but animals get sick regardless at times.

i would just like to add,since we do try to replicate thier natural areas temps and so on,and try to find out how they in the wild,this was one hole

YouTube - Ball pythons in the wild

That is some footage. Those are also in the wild where they do not have plastic or glass walls making there living quarter choices for them.
Not debating, just a note (also seemed as if there was a nice clutch there, IE breeding.).

We do not like to house animals together here. I've in the past worked for a handful of pet stores (in my younger years). I understand the business with that, I understand why they house them together ($)

Personally here at the rescue I like to record all possible signs of feces / urates, shedding, and or illnesses. That is just my way of doing things with our animals.
I've tried it both ways (In the past (my younger years..lol) I did keep animals together). I prefer single housing. That's just my opinion as I have learned over the years.
But to you it is your pet(s), and your own way of doing things.
Sincerely
Rusty

PS I have had many drop offs (in fact recently we took in 1.0 & 0.1 ball pythons). Ten years of age and all that time lived together in a twenty long aquarium. The female laid last year but no success with the eggs. Since I have no inclination of breeding they have been separated and in quarantine. I can say they are smaller to me then normal for a ten year old pair…..But this is a different thread all together. (coming soon)

I know i'm a bit late with the thread(didnt see it till now) but here's an example i've come across. my friend didnt believe me, house 2 redtail babies(about 1.5 yrs old), a baby(6 months) ball python with a 7 year old female ball python. The baby went into the water bowl to soak...so did the 7 year old female. They found the baby dead in the water bowl one morning.

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Originally Posted by RebelYell83

i would just like to add,since we do try to replicate thier natural areas temps and so on,and try to find out how they in the wild,this was one hole

YouTube - Ball pythons in the wild

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I think this depends on the time of year (clearly breeding season where many solitary animals will come together) and the amount of cover in the area.

Stargazer, your animals sound more like lab rats rather than appreciated pets or breeders to me.

Though there is no evidence to back up some of the reasons against housing the animals together, there are also more solid reasons to house them separately than together. If the reason they are housed together is because of money or convenience (I'm not talking about business) then I doesn't sound like the owner should have the animals at all if they are not willing to undergo any circumstance that the animal needs for care despite the money or work. (I am not directing this at the OP in any way, as he intends on making an exhibit later down the road.)

Here are some things to consider though. Yes, you could keep them together and be problem free, but that also depends on what you consider problems or not.
The males seem old enough to breed, as well as that female;are you prepared for babies financially and intellectually?
If one did get an RI for some reason, or had a parasitic problem, would you have enough money to cover all of their vet bills?
What if, by chance, cannibalism were to occur?

Do you have to separate them literally? No.
Should you separate them? Yes.
But this is all my opinion. And I agree with Wes in that, the snakes are perfectly capable of living together and surviving together. That does not guarantee their health and welfare though by any means.

I think, like many others on this forum, that you would not regret separating them. It would add more convenience to feeding, cleaning, and husbandry IMO. I prefer to keep track of what my snakes are doing and what is going on with them. I think this would be difficult in a multiple snake enclosure.

It is our opinions, based off of experience and knowledge of these animals. We can only suggest and add advise. We can't make you do anything.

Also, when I take my class on Animal Behavior next year, I'll make sure to bring up the question of dominance with ball pythons just for you Wes, though I doubt they will know much about ball pythons. :)

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Also, when I take my class on Animal Behavior next year, I'll make sure to bring up the question of dominance with ball pythons just for you Wes, though I doubt they will know much about ball pythons. :)

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Have fun at class!! I'll be doing this first hand.. LAB RATS!!What a joke...