Two BP's in one enclosure good or bad?

Hi,

I'm new to keeping of BP's and just got my first tank (terrarium) last week. In my enclosure there are two BP's (one F and one M) of aprox. 1 year of age. They have allways been together (according to the previous owner). I've red some thread's on this forum and on the internet, that say that BP's should'nt be kept together in one enclosure and thread's that say that it is not a big no-no if they're young and growing up together.

So, what is your opinion? And if keeping them together in one enclosure is oke, to what size tank should I upgrade when this tank get's to small? My tank measures 40" x 20" x 20".

Thanks for your reply's. ;)

Leave the female in that enclosure, move the male his own enclosure ASAP. No, cohabitating is not a good idea.

Same as he said, co-inhabiting is a terrible idea with BPs. Whoever you got them from obviously didn't do much research on it. They're not exactly a buddy-buddy species.

Another vote for not keeping them together.

Pretty much the same as what others said - cohabiting is dangerous and stressful for these guys. Good luck with them, though!

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Originally Posted by KillerKarrie

Same as she said...

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Fixed. :)

Oops sorry! Should have used they and not assumed pronouns! My bad. :rolleyes:

Believe it or not I was told in a Petco Store that its ok to house Balls togather. After my research I know not to. As a Newbie at the time and was learning.

Sent from my SGH-T999

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Originally Posted by Lady mkrj58

Believe it or not I was told in a Petco Store that its ok to house Balls togather.

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From Petco's own ball python care sheet:

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House adult ball pythons alone and do not house different snake species together.

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It is my belief that everyone should take it upon themselves to do proper research before making a major purchase decision. Pets that will depend on you for your their entire well-being fall under this category. Please don't rely on someone with a part-time job to inform you about proper lifetime care of every animal they sell in the store - that's honestly asking too much of almost anyone.

To the OP:
Thank you for finding this forum and asking this question! As others have said, there are a lot of factors to account for if you attempt to house them together and doing so is typically more complicated and expensive. Solitary housing is largely easier on both the keeper and the snakes.

Im glad Im stored alot in info before a snake and it's Awsome I learn things every day. And I am thankful for this forum
My Snakes are healthy and beautiful.

Sent from my SGH-T999

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

To the OP:
Thank you for finding this forum and asking this question! As others have said, there are a lot of factors to account for if you attempt to house them together and doing so is typically more complicated and expensive. Solitary housing is largely easier on both the keeper and the snakes.

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My pleasure! ;)
I was looking for an active forum about these magnificent snakes and I'm convinced now I found the right one. :) I mean, y're not gunned down right away, when you ask a beginners question. That's somthing I like and it's earning respect.

Can it be done? Yes
Would I recommend it to anyone? NO.

This is probably one of the best ways you get to see snakes fully stressed.
No they are not cuddling to look cute.

I am looking for an opportunity to sell the male and keep the female. By first I want to find out witch one of my snakes is the female.

You can do it, and you could probably do it without something horrible happening, such as cannibalism. Some people do it long term, with 'success'. It doesn't make it ideal, or a great idea. It's not the worst thing you could do, but it's also not considered to be good husbandry.

BUT you may very well stress out both animals, in fact, that's probable. You may have feeding complications, and you have that rare chance of cannibalism (I'm sure someone eventually will post the graphic photo(s) about that). Ball pythons aren't inherently cannibalistic, but there are a couple reasons that it has/could happen.


You have to weigh the pros and cons. The three things I just mentioned could or might happen with cohabitation, and at least one of them (cannibalism) definitely won't if you house them singularly.

My first two ball pythons I ever had were cohabiting. They were 'fine' for a long time and still are alive and well today. However, they're so much better (better feeders, calmer, etc) now that they have their own private space. Moving from a tank to rack setting helped that situation as well.

It's ultimately your call, but you do risk the animal's health if you put them together. You would be cohabitating for reasons that 'benefit' you, such as convenience, cost, or simply wanting them to live together. But they are not social animals, and so it's of no benefit to them, making the decision (on their end) neutral at best, and catastrophic at worst.

If you do decide to cohabitate, make sure they have enough space and several hides to get away from each other. Make sure you feed them separately.