Two snakes in the same enclusure?

[skitapa]

Hi there,

I am a new owner of two ball pythons hatched in sep 09. Now, I have read every book I could find and every care sheet I could find. Now what I am wondering is, if it is OK to have two ball pythons in the same terrarium. They are pretty small now and the terrarium is 100x50x50 cm. I do have several hides and a lot of plastic plants to get the "rubble" safe feeling. The previous owner might not have been totally honest with me about the snakes eating, one of them were in really bad shape after beeing in hibernation or whatever you call it from october to may and according to him ate a mouse one week before I bought it. The snake were very extreamly skinny. Now, none of the snakes have been eating voluntarily, of wich one has been assist fed twice. So my question is if it really is possible to have two ball pythons in the same enclosure. They are a male and a female. And if that could be a reason for not eating?

Greatful for reply

[kilabyte]

You say the snakes are small so assuming they are juveniles the size of your enclosure is too large. Even with some plants. I am not that experienced at husbandry but i would think having another snake in the same tank is definetly not going to help you get them to eat on their own. I would seperate them into smaller tubs with the smallest hides they can fit into & not handle them for a week. Then offer them what they had been eating on their own in the past. Good luck

[Gabrial]

Housing two snakes in the same enclosure is very stressful, depending on how big they are I woud go with either a 6 quart or a 16 quart for each of them.You can heat that with a heat pad or heat tape but make sure to use a thermostat or a dimmer atleast.hope that helps.

[Swingline0.0.1]

Ball pythons do not hibernate. Or brumate either.

[Gabrial]

Actualy they do sorta brumate and stop eating during winter months.

[Kaorte]

Actualy they do sorta brumate and stop eating during winter months.

no they don't. Some of them will just go off feed. Brumation and hibernation are completely different.


Separate them and move them into 12qt tubs with two tight hides and a water bowl.

If a snake was hatched in September '09 and went off feed from October '09 to may '10 then something is wrong. A hatchling ball pythons should NEVER go off feed for this long. I wouldn't be surprised if this snake dies. Well established adult ball pythons can go off feed for this amount of time but not hatchlings.

[skitapa]

Ok, I see, here are some images of the situation and my stuff.

Terrarium, I have one smaller UTH to the left, one big UTH, 1/3 of the terrarium to the right. I have a CHL to the right and both the right heatmat and the CHL is connected to a termostat. Temps are like 26-28 C, and like 36 C right under the CHL. Humidity is default at 40 which is too low, but I spray everyday to keep it around 50-60 but probably will have to buy a humidifier of sorts to keep it stable.


The healthy girl, she is very nice, could be a bit fatter though:



The not healthy male:



More of the male which I now have assist fed twice and soon a third time:



A Missleading image of the males health but a good one to show the size:



Maybe it is better if I buy a big plastic tub to have the thin one in, but it is getting kind of expensive. The wife will not be pleased, the snake toys are costly

[Gabrial]

According to sterilite.com they no longer sell 12qts thats why i said 16qt.

[skitapa]

I would be very very sad if the snake would die, I really enjoy them both and have grown ridiculously attached to them during this short period. I am however willing to make any changes for the snakes best. But do not want to change to much so that they continue being submitted to stress.

[Kaorte]

The male really does not look good. Even the female looks a little skinny.

The best thing you can do is separate them and put them each in smaller enclosures. The terrarium you have looks BEAUTIFUL but it really isn't the best set up for a ball python. Instead of re doing the whole thing I would think about getting some geckos or something to put in there. Some species that will take advantage of how beautiful the enclosure is!

If they are not feeding well then you need to change some things. They will be major changes and the changes will be stressful at first, but in the end it will be what is best for them.

Here is a little shopping list of some things you can get (for pretty cheap) to set them up individually.


(2) 12-15qt plastic tubs. You can find these at walmart, target, the container store, bed bath and beyond. Anywhere that sells storage tubs. You can melt holes in them for ventilation with a soldering iron, wood burning tool, or you can heat up the tip of a screw driver. $10-15

(2) UTHs 10-20g should be fine. If you can get them off your current tank you can use those ones. Flexwatt heat tape might also be worth looking into if you want to save money. www.reptilebasics.com $10-40

(4) Tight fitting hides. For a quick cheap tub setup, plastic bowls are great. I get mine from the dollar store, 4 for $1! $1

(2) Water bowls. You could probably find something usable in your house. Free!

(2) Thermometer hygrometer combo. I like the accurite weather station. It costs about $12 at the home depot, lowes, or walmart. You could also order them online: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846 $24-30

(1) Thermostat. This is the cheapest and best one you will find: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...1529683&sr=1-7 $32


D'oh. Just realized you are overseas I am not sure what the cheapest thermostat and thermometer/hygrometer combos are over there. Actually, not so sure about anything over there! lol I still hope my shopping list can help XD