my first post w/pics.. DUW

[ADEE]

can you help me identify them? did i get ripped off, the male is a "fancy" and female is an "orange reduced patter" ... is that accurate? what are your opinions? i think they are nice looking and we love them both! they are both really friendly.. the male is a bit of a picky eater but otherwise nice.

thats caution..

½ decent one of savanna... at least it shows how rich her color is

can see size & color difference better, makes caution look darker though

so? just normal balls?

[rabernet]

Fancy and orange reduced are just descriptions of nice normals. If it's a look that someone likes, they may be willing to pay a little more for them. But are they morphs? No.


It looks like you're housing them together? If so, you need to get them each set up in their own enclosures, they should never be housed together.

Your male's eating problems may well be a symptom of stress from being forced to share the same space with the female.

[ADEE]

the male ate today.. we introduced him yesterday and im sure the move home and then trying to feed was stressful itself. he ate fine today though. we were advised by the breeder they could be kept together and they seem to do very well. this mornign as a matter of fact the female was resting her head on the male and their bodys were wrapped around each other. why in your opinion cant they be kept together? they are sharing a 20gal tank.. they are both little babys (not more than 2ft i dont think)

[rabernet]

this mornign as a matter of fact the female was resting her head on the male and their bodys were wrapped around each other. why in your opinion cant they be kept together?

They aren't cuddling. Sounds like the female is dominating your male for the best perceived spot in the enclosure. If she keeps following him everywhere - she is dominating him. There's always a winner and a loser. And the loser will be stressed out. You may not see it now, but you'll likely see it later. Stress reduces the immune system. One sick snake = two sick snakes = 2 vet bills = 2 x medication.

Although rare, cannibalism has occured with two ball pythons housed together.

You won't find many people here that support housing more than one snake per enclosure. If you really want to read an interesting discussion on the topic, this is a good read:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=23890

[SarahMB]

They are very good looking snakes!

I think Robin's advice is excellent, they should be housed seperately.

[ADEE]

thanks for your pov what i dont understand is the breeder made a nice amount on us (new set-up, snakes xs2, exc) he knew money wasnt an issue (he couldve made even more if he suggested us keep them apart) why wouldnt he have suggested us keeping them apart when i specifically asked if they could be housed together (his exact words "they will be fine together, the set up they are in now will last them about two years") they even house their older balls together there (i saw those for myself).

she doesnt follow him around, in fact right now they arent even near each other right this moment, hes under the uvb light and shes in a hide box under heat lamp. ((shrugs)) last night he was in hide box and she was ontop of it just hanging out. Is it possible that they can be kept together? here is the first time ive ever heard of them not being together being not such a great idea.. weve had snakes on and off for about 5yrs, my husband for 10

[Stewart_Reptiles]

why in your opinion cant they be kept together? they are sharing a 20gal tank.. they are both little babys (not more than 2ft i dont think)

You need to seperate them BP are solitary animals and should not be housed together.

There is absolutely no benefit in housing multiple snakes together.

Possible problems range from going of feed, spreading of diseases , premature breeding, serious injuries, even the possibilities of cannibalism due to stress as shown here (Warning Graphic Pics)
Pic 1 - Pic 2 - Pic 3

[ADEE]

oh wow.. how sad!


as a side note, they are NOT fed together.. they are NOT ever even fed in their enclosure.

[rabernet]

All I can say is read the link that I provided. Note the results of the poll, that speaks volumes to me. Then read the posts. Some of the contributors to the thread have been keeping ball pythons for 25 years. Make up your mind after reading the thread.


Since money is no object, hopefully once you read the thread, you'll see that it really is the best thing to separate them. They neither need, nor desire companionship.

What is your plan, should your male impregnate your female before she's old enough to successfully carry the eggs and becomes egg bound? It is a very likely scenario. What if she does successfully lay a good clutch? Are you prepared to incubate and house the babies until you find a good home for them?

Just some other things to think about.

[ADEE]

thank you very much for your input.. im currently reading the thread you posted.