hmm....

So, i have an extra 20 gal. long tank, and i wanted to make a display tank out of it. I have 5 animals that i could put in it, and wanted to know which you all thought would be the best.
vote away!

thanks all!

Because BPs have a tendency to stress out fairly easily (especially when they are "on display") and because it is rather challenging to maintain an ideal, consistent BP environment in a glass tank, I'm gonna vote "RTB." And when he outgrows it, your leo should be more mature and hopefully less shy and he can move into it. ;)

I voted leo! Ball pythons aren't really display snakes, they're in their hides all day, so you're just displaying your decorations.

i voted the leo... we had two leos in a 33 gallon and it was great. they often came out to eat their silkworms and to bask under their red heat lamp :)

my leo almost never comes out, unless he is thirsty/hungry. I want to get him a friend, but he is a male, and i've heard never to keep to males together. And i don't want to go out and get 2 females for a cage, because, then i would probably have to get rid of my male (rule in my house, one animal comes in, one animal leaves.).

i'm gonna agree with judy. display the boa until he outgrows it and then display the leo. the leo hasn't been with you much at all so it's normal for him to still be feeling shy. once it is time for him to be on display he will probably be more active and settled.

we had two leos together... turned out to be male and female and they got along great. my friend's son has them now and just loves them!

I voted for the leo.

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

we had two leos together... turned out to be male and female and they got along great. my friend's son has them now and just loves them!

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won't i end up with eggs though?

most likely, yes.

well...im going to move the RTB into there tonight, and then after he outgrows it i'll go ahead and get a female leo....maybe two to avoid eggs. I have no problem breeding, that would actually be fun, but i have no idea how *runs to do research*

RTB and then the Leo as soon as the Leo is more comfortable.

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Originally Posted by Rapture

RTB and then the Leo as soon as the Leo is more comfortable.

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yup yup. sounds about right. my boa is growing pretty quickly.

I'd go for an RTB. When they get around 3', they no longer require hides usually and therefor make great display animals.

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Originally Posted by Amy05

well...im going to move the RTB into there tonight, and then after he outgrows it i'll go ahead and get a female leo....maybe two to avoid eggs. I have no problem breeding, that would actually be fun, but i have no idea how *runs to do research*

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what do you mean maybe 2 to avoid eggs? if you mean getting 2 females and keeping them together without the male in there that works, but if you mean 2 females plus the male you will most likely still get eggs. male leos like living in harems. :P

lol. yeah. i meant put two females together to avoid eggs. sorry about that.

just checking. ;)

I dont think it would be a good idea to put a male and female together if the female isnt big enough to safely breed. It would be possible for her to be bred to early, and that could be really hard on her.

actually we had our male and female together from when they were very young. she lays eggs once a year i think in the enclosure and we just toss them into the compost.

but if you can find two confirmed females for salt... more power to ya ;)

oh and... i don't know if this is true or not... but i do know people who say that if you put two males together from when they are very young you have a way less chance of them not being able to live together when they get older. don't know if it's true... just what i've heard.

it is definitely not recommended to put a young female in with a male. it is very hard on the female's body to become gravid at a young age and makes them prone to calcium crashes. it also significantly increases the risk that the female will become impacted (which results in death without surgery to remove the eggs).

a female can become gravid from just one copulation, which generally results in 3-8 clutches or so, depending on the female's age and breeding condition so it is not a good idea to even house a pair together temporarily (for cleaning purposes or whatever).

i'm not sure what is going on with the pair you have/had, aleesha, but that is definitely not the norm for leos. as a rule, don't keep a male and female together unless both are proper age/weight and you are prepared for lots of eggs and babies!

as for keeping two males together i wouldn't risk it. males are most always territorial once they reach breeding age and can inflict some pretty nasty wounds when fighting. the second i put my male into an enclosure with a female he starts rattling his tail and stalking her, checking to see if she is male or not. (males rattle their tails--females don't. if the other leo rattles back the first male knows it is a male and challenges him.) he is a super sweet gecko but put him in an enclosure with another leo and he's ready to rumble if that's a male on his turf.