Can I house two ball pythons together?

[KEG22]

Both of them are still young but 1 is bigger than the other. I'm not 100% but I think they are both female. I have the bigger 1 in a 20 gallon long tank & the other in a 10 gallon. I am about to purchase a hatchling mosaic king snake & was thinking of putting that one in the 10 gallon on a stand that my milk snake tank is on (the stand holds 2 ten gallon tanks). I see the ball pythons of different sizes in peoples houses, pet stores, etc housed together and was wondering do you guys think that it would be ok or if they would fight or something? My son's (the bigger 1) is not really as nice or tolerates handling as well as the smaller one does but neither one of them has ever bit me and they have swim in the bath tub together before. I was thinking if i put mine's hide spot & stuff in there would they be ok?

[Andybill]

Do not house 2 BPs together...

[snakesRkewl]

Ball pythons are solitary snakes and do much better imo separated.

[WingedWolfPsion]

No--if you need to get additional animals, make sure you can house them all appropriately.

[heathers*bps]

If you can afford another snake, you can afford another enclosure.

[KEG22]

If you can afford another snake, you can afford another enclosure.

Well, yes Heather I can afford another enclosure. I was just asking this because I have seen them in tanks together & wondered if it is ok. Now I know it is not ok so i will go buy another enclosure to put the new snake in. No need to get rude... Geez! I was asking help not to be condescended!

Thank you all! I will get my ball python a 20 gallon tank as well.
Kate

[snakesRkewl]

You might look into building a small snake rack to save room, ball pythons don't make the best display snakes, and tanks just suck to properly heat and keep decent humidity in at the same time.

Good luck!

I agree with your comments by the way...

[ballpythonluvr]

Well, yes Heather I can afford another enclosure. I was just asking this because I have seen them in tanks together & wondered if it is ok. Now I know it is not ok so i will go buy another enclosure to put the new snake in. No need to get rude... Geez! I was asking help not to be condescended!

Thank you all! I will get my ball python a 20 gallon tank as well.
Kate

Heather was not being condescending at all. You asked if it would be ok to house them together and you got your answer.

[Kaorte]

We see this question a lot, so that is probably why some of the responses seem rude.

Can you house two ball pythons together? Sure you can! Pet stores do it, so why can't I? Let me start this off by saying that you can in fact house ball pythons together. No one will stop you, but there are some good reasons why most of us don't do it.

Ball pythons are not social animals like cats or dogs. Sure they can live peacefully in a tank together, but I believe that having another snake nearby can cause unnecessary stress on the animal.

Another thing that should be of concern is monitoring the snakes health. If you have two snakes housed together, it is nearly impossible to track poops/pees/regurgitations. Also, if one manages to get sick, the other one will most surely get sick if they share a water bowl.

Experienced keepers might like to try cohabiting their snakes, and if they are smart and observant, they can do it successfully. We generally don't recommend that because it requires much more work and a much bigger enclosure. The bigger enclosure means you will have a harder time holding temps and humidity, not to mention cleaning a huge enclosure isn't very fun.


My suggestion to you is to keep them separated. It will be easier and safer for both you and the snakes. If you don't mind the look of tubs, perhaps you could get a rack system to house your snakes. That will take up much less space than a bunch of tanks.

[heathers*bps]

Well, yes Heather I can afford another enclosure. I was just asking this because I have seen them in tanks together & wondered if it is ok. Now I know it is not ok so i will go buy another enclosure to put the new snake in. No need to get rude... Geez! I was asking help not to be condescended!

Thank you all! I will get my ball python a 20 gallon tank as well.
Kate

I was not be condescending nor rude. I was just simply stating that if you can afford another snake you can also get another enclosure. It is just the internet, therefore take it as you wish.

I wish all the best of luck for you and your animals in whatever decision you make.