not soaking

i have 2bp's. we bought floyd first when he was 2-3mos old. he used to soak constantly. then, when we bought our second, kiara, he quit soaking. and i've never seen her soak. when we bought her we also bought a bigger water dish. so we thought maybe he just didn't like the old dish so we switched back and no change. so, we just figured it was something they grew out of. it's been about two years since and neither of them ever soak. i haven't really worried about it but i've been looking at the forums and one of the first questions that is asked a lot of times is whether or not the snake is soaking. is this something i should be worried about???

First - none of mine soak - as long as your humidity is fine, they are parasite free and not overfed - they don't need to.


Secondly - do you have these two housed together?

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Originally Posted by python.princess

i have 2bp's. we bought floyd first when he was 2-3mos old. he used to soak constantly. then, when we bought our second, kiara, he quit soaking. and i've never seen her soak. when we bought her we also bought a bigger water dish. so we thought maybe he just didn't like the old dish so we switched back and no change. so, we just figured it was something they grew out of

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Are the two snakes housed togethor?

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Secondly - do you have these two housed together?

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Heck, you beat me to it!

yes, they are 2gether. we were told this is fine as long as they're similar sizes... is it a problem? i never like to trust what pet stores tell me...

Listening to a pet store telling you how to hosue a snake is like asking a blind man for directions....all-in-all, its a really bad idea. Def get those two in seperate housing. If you like people and can post pics of what happens when you hose snakes together, but trust me, it isnt pretty.

As for the soaking, my temps are fine, humidity is in the high 60's low 70's and my male loves to soak, and doing some searching on here I have come across a few other threads where people had a BP that would enjoy sitting in their water dish. Snakes are like humans, not all are the same, some have their own perks, some like a good soaking, some spend all day and night hiding, others climb around and are always on the move. saying all BP's are the same and that they wont do this or do that cause they dont need to, doesnt mean they still wont. :2cent:

1 snake. 1 enclosure :gj:

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

1 snake. 1 enclosure :gj:

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:rockon:

I say to you go forth and spread the word...

1 SNAKE 1 ENCLOSURE

wow, so, i've had these two together for like 2 years and i've never had problems. what can happen? will they eat eachother?

Eating eachother is rare but has been documented in high-stress situations.

What's more likely is that they will constantly compete for the space, resulting in chronic stress, poor growth rates and increased risk of infections. They are not at all a social species, they do not need company, and they prefer to be left alone.

Seperating them will make both of them happier and healthier.

Most people ask about soaking not because it's a good thing but because it's often an indicator of problems....things like mite infestation, improper temps or humidity, lack of properly sized hides (or no hides at all). Ball pythons normally do not soak as a matter of course.

As far as the housing together issue. Many snakes are housed together and it can work for a time, but the fact is you are playing with fire. Eventually at some point it's going to backfire and the snakes will pay the highest price. Do you often see you snakes "cuddling". They aren't cuddling, nor do they "like" each other. They are, in their own snake way, dominating each other for available space, water, hides, etc. If one should get ill, the other will too and then you are faced with the stress of ill snakes and double the vet bills. There can be issues of unplanned breedings, bites during or just after feeding, etc. Communal housing just doesn't make sense and over the long run almost always results in problems. Best if they are housed seperately. :)

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

...unplanned breedings......

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as seen by another post in the breeding section where his two "males" are now proud parents of 7 eggs... :8: :8:

so, this is honestly the first time i've ever heard this... i've been reading other threads now and saw a couple other references to this. one thing i love about this site is that everyone is always so quick to help out... even when the person getting the help doesn't know she needs it... lol! i will definitely separate them as soon as finances allow. thanks for lettin me know!

Before I got mine I didn't know either. At Petco the little sticker actually says "similar sized ball pythons can be housed together".

:rockon: update.... i lent my cuz an old (smaller) tank a few months ago when she rescued a baby ball. she has since gotten her own tank so last nite, i went and picked mine up so my babies are now happily separated... well, i'm assuming they're happy but they just ate last nite so they want nothing to do with me anywayz.... :( haha! but thanks again u guyz! (u would think after 2 years, i would've heard about this!)