How many snakes in a cage?

good idea

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If they do plan on having stressed out bp's who won't eat and won't be healthy also if one has a URI or some other sickness both have it now.

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We can debate their sociological and psychological reactions until we are blue in the face but regardless of how many hides you have etc multiple snakes in a single cage will universally expose them ALL to whatever illness/parasites only one of them may have and make diagnosing and treating them difficult. How do you tell then which has been having the runs etc.

That in and of itself is enough reason to keep 'em seperated.

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Originally Posted by Smulkin

We can debate their sociological and psychological reactions until we are blue in the face

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Actually, this is not as much of a debatable subject in the scientific community. The effects of stress on animals that live in dominant/subordinate hierarchies has been studied by biologists for many years and the results are well documented.

It's been well over 100 years since Darwin described his "survival of the fittest" theory and that vast majority of the worlds biologist still are applying it's principals every day.

Weaker animals are denied access to food, water, and optimal conditions (temps, hides, perches, caves, etc) by stronger animals allowing the stronger animals to become healthier and more attractive to potential mates and the weaker animals to become sick and less attractive to potential mates. This ensures that the animals with the stronger genes will be bred and pass those genetics on to their offspring to help the species have the best chance of survival.

No amount of hides, heat, or whatever you want to do will thwart the animals basic instincts for survival of their species.

-adam

okie dokie . . then strike that - change to "we can discuss . . ."


Rest of statement/rationale stands . .

. . and remains my prime reasoning for not considering housing multiples together an option

we have two in one cage seems to be working fine. we have two hide spots that were theirs before we got them.. but then again what do I know I've only had them for a day..

Read through that thread - I know it's a long haul :P, but it brings up some very valid points in favor of single-housing

And check the caresheet also - when getting new additions it's generally held a good idea to give them a quiet week to settle into their new surroundings to avoid possibly stressing them out.

I know I wouldnt want to shear a small house with someone so when i get my new snake i will get a whole new set up for it. I will not make my pet do something that i wouldnt want to do myself.

Whatever you do, do not keep kinksnakes/milksnakes together except for during the breeding season. They are known for eating other snakes and will eat their own kind if they are hungry.

Another fear I would have, ragarding the housing 2 BPs together, is biting each other. I have one aggressive little male who will strike out at anything that moves near him. I do not doubt that he would bite a cagemate in defense.

First, I want to say that I am neither a ball python expert, or even a reptile expert. My experience is in general biology, but most of the reasons mentioned here are covered by the nature of animals in general.

First, I've noticed people saying that the snakes "seem fine" when caged together. The problem with this theory, is that it is very difficult to determine the stress level of ANY animal, and pythons (espeically balls) are more difficult then usual. This is primarily due to how we determine the stress of animals.

The easiest method to determine stress is in eating and drinking habbits. For obvious reasons, ball pythons make this method nearly impossible, since they can be extremely finicky eaters, and retain most of their fluid from their pray.

The "two of everything" method doesn't work either. In fact, it will more than likely breed dominance in the snakes just as well as one of everything would. With the hide boxes, one is always going to be ideal (humidity and temperature) and one isn't. The more dominate snake will always get the better hide box. Being ectothermic, snakes can sense the smallest change in their enviornment, so even a 1% humidity change, or a 1 degree change temperature is going to alter the dynamics of hide boxes and humidity chambers.

Again, I'm no snake expert, but in ANY case with animals, it is best to give them the most natural enviornment to live in that's possible. Snakes being solitary, it's best to leave them that way.