Housing together...Housing seperate...which is better

[humpee316]

This question is answered both ways.why do some BP owners/breeders/herp specialists say its ok to have more than one snake in a tank while others say to house them alone..So what do you all say?..I currently have both a 2 year old male and female together.and overall they seem content and spend alot of time together,my girl is not ready too breed yet and eventually will have their own tanks..this thread is designed to get your opinions...all are welcome...thanks everyone

[llovelace]

Personally I don't know of any breeder who would recommend housing together, the only time they are housed together is during breeding season, and that's on a schedule

[humpee316]

Personally I don't know of any breeder who would recommend housing together, the only time they are housed together is during breeding season, and that's on a schedule

Hi lovelace...Its not so much hearing recommendations..but the usual..."you cant keep them together"or "dont worry about it.its not like they will eat each other..this pairing is temporary .seeing i just got my new girl a few days ago.and only have one tank right now..but i am going to get the second tank within the next day or two..I also believe that single animal single tank is the way to go.just seeing what the majority thinks....thanks

[purplemuffin]

Housing separate has many pros to it! Too many risks housing together

Cons of housing together:
-If one regurgitates/has runny poo when you aren't around..you won't know who did it!
-If one is sick, it would immediately get the other sick as well..double your vet bills!
-Even if you feed separate there can still be dangers. When you put them back, you have two snakes still in feeding mode that smell like rat!!
-there have been cases of ball pythons actually eating each other, both hatchling cases AND adults. When snakes are around the same size usually neither survives the ordeal.
... This link contains very graphic images of a ball python that ate it's tank mate. If you don't want to click it, you don't have to, but this is just to show...it may be rare, but it does happen! http://www.rcreptiles.com/forum/about1343.html


When you house them separately the female will not feel the stress of being pressured to mate when they are older, and will be able to hide and feel secure. They are not social animals, they would stay separate in the wild except during mating! I don't know anyone who suggests keeping them together, except petstore employees who don't know better.


plus... You really should quarantine your new snake.. I've seen people's entire collections get sick or even wiped out because of bad quarantine practices! Even if it's from a breeder you trust!

[Johan]

Hi lovelace...Its not so much hearing recommendations..but the usual..."you cant keep them together"or "dont worry about it.its not like they will eat each other..this pairing is temporary .seeing i just got my new girl a few days ago.and only have one tank right now..but i am going to get the second tank within the next day or two..I also believe that single animal single tank is the way to go.just seeing what the majority thinks....thanks

Well one real negative is that if your new snake had a disease, your old one likely has it now too. If the new one has mites, now they both will. Secondly, they "cuddle" together because they both want the same spot, not cause they like the company. Snakes can live together but it stresses them and really only benefits the snake owners, not the snakes.

IMO all the bads to the snakes do not add up to the benefits to the owners especially since I feel it is our responsibility to give the snakes a good and healthy home. I feel people that house snakes together don't really think of the consequences or just shouldnt really be snake owners. Just because you have a snake or two doesnt make you a great keeper. My two cents

[humpee316]

Well one real negative is that if your new snake had a disease, your old one likely has it now too. If the new one has mites, now they both will. Secondly, they "cuddle" together because they both want the same spot, not cause they like the company. Snakes can live together but it stresses them and really only benefits the snake owners, not the snakes.

IMO all the bads to the snakes do not add up to the benefits to the owners especially since I feel it is our responsibility to give the snakes a good and healthy home. I feel people that house snakes together don't really think of the consequences or just shouldnt really be snake owners. Just because you have a snake or two doesnt make you a great keeper. My two cents

thank you for your opinion...my girl was brought to my herp Dr and givin a clean bill of health.before she was put in with my boy.and i will be going out tommorow and getting the second tank..just a feeler thread to see what people think

[jsmorphs2]

There is really no argument on which is better because they should just not be permanently housed together. Anyone who recommends/suggests that its ok for them to be housed together is just giving bad advice.

You DEFINITELY don't want to put them together if one is a new acquisition. You don't know if the new snake is sick, has been sick, or has any parasites (internal or external). There is a really good sticky that describes the quarantine procedures and why they are so important.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Don't say it's not like they will eat each other because it has happened.

There are many reasons why it isn't advisable to house 2 together. People have and do with no issues but it really isn't a great idea. They may be doing fine but you're still taking a risk.

Also, "cuddling" together is only happening because they both want the best hot or cool spot. That or the male wants to breed.

Remember, these animals are 100% wild instinct. They do not lay together because they like it or want company. Snakes don't have that capacity for emotions. They lay together for breeding or heat regulation. They're competing most likely.

Clean bill of health? So your vet took a mouth culture to completely rule out RI? You waited days or a week for the lab results before putting them together? Aside from that there are diseases they can have which there is no test for. Often no symptoms, and a 100% chance of death as the outcome..

Housing together is not recommended and that is obvious but you will get torn a new one here if you do not practice quarantine procedure when getting a new snake. Housing together has actually been done by some breeders here and to each his own on that one.. Quarantine on the other hand, shows lack of responsibility. It has happened that people have lost entire collections due to improper quarantine and the new animal had a disease that showed no signs or symptoms.


Just some food for thought..

[Homegrownscales]

Agreed with all of the above. Even though she seems healthy and got a clean bill of health. Who's to say something doesn't present in a week or 3. I keep all separate for all the reasons stated above only pairing during breeding season. Remember even though your girl is too small. That means nothing to your male. He will try to breed with her and depending on her size could get her potentially gravid. Which could be detrimental to a small female. Either way it's stressful to house together. Separate them as soon as you can. If you decide to get more down the line. Plan it out. Make sure you have the setup before hand. I qt all new animals for 90 days before they come any where near my collection. There are diseases that will wipe a whole collection in a matter of months. I know your snakes mean alot to you so it worth it. All snakes should have their own space.
Morgan

[humpee316]

Don't say it's not like they will eat each other because it has happened.

There are many reasons why it isn't advisable to house 2 together. People have and do with no issues but it really isn't a great idea. They may be doing fine but you're still taking a risk.
all Also, "cuddling" together is only happening because they both want the best hot or cool spot. That or the male wants to breed.

Remember, these animals are 100% wild instinct. They do not lay together because they like it or want company. Snakes don't have that capacity for emotions. They lay together for breeding or heat regulation. They're competing most likely.

I AGREE TOTALLY..it was never my intention to keep these two together ,it was a question thrown out to you all.everyone has an opinion,was curious to see what they were