more than 1 ball

[slitherball]

can 2 baby ball pythons be housed together ? only as babies will switch to just 1 per tank when they get bigger! just wondering if while they are babies
(3 months) if they will be okay together?
read about it some say yes others say no so just thought i would get more opinions thanks

[The Serpent Merchant]

It isn't recommended but can be done. The biggest issue is that you can't moniter which snake does what and if one gets sick the other likely will as well. In rare cases 1 will try to eat the other but that is rare.

If it is short term and you are willing to put some extra time in to keep tabs on them you might be able to pull it off, but as I said it really isn't recomended.

[Skittles1101]

Here is my generalized answer for this type of question. I'd never recommend housing together for someone who's new. Very few very experienced keepers do it successfully, but they are fully prepared for any types issues that may arise. I, personally, would never.

Cohabitating reptiles even as the same species is not recommended. Insead of just telling you "no" I'll list the common reasons why.
1) Cannibalism, not common, but there are DOCUMENTED cases. This alone isn't worth the risk.
2) Stress. Even the most friendly snakes get stressed out, so why cause the stress? Snakes have no want or need to be with another snake unless it's for breeding purposes. Other than that, it's just an unwanted roommate that they can't get away from.
3) Space. They will constantly try to dominate eachother for the best spots in the enclosure, even if you have multiple hides, you'll mainly see them together in one spot. People usually see this as "cuddling". It's not cuddling, they are fighting over the best spot.
4) You wake up in the morning after feeding and there's a regurgitated mouse. Which one did it?
5) One gets sick, now both are sick. That's 2X the vet bills, 2X the medications, and 2X the stress.
6) You are told the new snake you bought is the same sex as the one you already have. a year later, you find eggs in the enclosure. You have not prepared, no incubator, no space for babies, and no one to sell them to. What do you do now? The pet store/vet/person sexed them wrong.
7) Quarantine. How are you going to quarantine the new snake away from your original one? As you gain more experience, you'll find that quarantine is a NECESSITY. You could get a perfectly healthy snake, or one covered in mite eggs that hatch 3 days after you bring it home. Now both snakes have mites. Snakes also can take a long time to start showing symptoms of illness, now you got your original snake sick because you didn't quarantine.

Those are just the more known and common issues with housing multiple reptiles. The list goes on. The only pro to housing them together is to save space in your house by only having one enclosure, but is it worth it? That is up to you.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Leah has it down.

Short story, my lesser came to me at 47g after the breeder couldnt get him to eat, I was there at the hatching when he weighed 67g. Needless to say after almost 2 months I took his fate into my own hands, He has been eating steady and is just at 500g. They kept their whole clutchs togother all the time, was this a problem? I dont know but being in his own tube got him to eat? Possibly.

[HerpIsAhobby]

Whenever I see these threads I always wonder why you might want to do this? Especially in this case because you seem to realize that after awhile it might not be the best thing for the animal. If you plan on separating them anyway then just start off on the right foot.

[Slim]

I always worry when I see these threads pop up if the real genesis of the question isn't, "I have enough $$ for two BPs but not enough for two BPs and two enclosures. I'll just house them together until I get more $$." I'm not saying that's the case here, I just always wonder when I see these threads.

If that is the case, it's much better to own one properly than to own two in substandard conditions.

[PeachyFreakinKeen]

I am reading through the responses here, and now I'm wondering a couple of things. My friend and her husband have several snakes, and recently had twin human babies so they are downsizing. They gave me their two balls, set-up, etc. They have had both snakes for 5+ years, since they were babies, and they have always shared an enclosure. They both eat fine (in seperate bins), and are very healthy. I notice sometimes that the smaller of the two (they are very close in size) sometimes goes under the larger, I've watched her do it. They don't seem to entangle one another or anything like that. More often than not they stay on opposite sides of the enclosure. They are both handled daily or every other day and neither really seems bothered at all by the other. Is it possible they have just gotten used to one another after years of being together?

[The Serpent Merchant]

I am reading through the responses here, and now I'm wondering a couple of things. My friend and her husband have several snakes, and recently had twin human babies so they are downsizing. They gave me their two balls, set-up, etc. They have had both snakes for 5+ years, since they were babies, and they have always shared an enclosure. They both eat fine (in seperate bins), and are very healthy. I notice sometimes that the smaller of the two (they are very close in size) sometimes goes under the larger, I've watched her do it. They don't seem to entangle one another or anything like that. More often than not they stay on opposite sides of the enclosure. They are both handled daily or every other day and neither really seems bothered at all by the other. Is it possible they have just gotten used to one another after years of being together?

them staying on separate sides of the cage shows that they do not like each other. and that they have to compete for who gets the hot side. In the wild Ball Pythons live alone from the time that they hatch from the egg. they really should not be kept in the same cage.

[PitOnTheProwl]

More often than not they stay on opposite sides of the enclosure.

Clue

[Homegrownscales]

Most Definitely the CLUE that they are not happy together. Balls don't like company. Them laying on each other is a sign of dominance. There is really no reason to House two balls together except for breeding. And if you inexperience enough to not realize what the signs of dominance or stress related avoidance then you should t be doing in the first place. My personal preference on the subject is just don't house more than one ball together.


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