I need opinions - 2 snakes 1 cage

[Raverthug]

2 snakes 1 cup is never good.

[Slim]

Looks like the OP got the answer they were looking for. Might be a great time to let this post settle to the bottom of the ocean...

[meowmeowkazoo]

Even though Skip's post was hilarious and awesome, I strongly recommend that the OP not keep two snakes together. It does not benefit the snakes at all, and in some circumstances can be harmful to them.

[Riv]

Youre going to hear an unbeleivable amount of responses saying that you should never ever cage together, but in my opinion people are responding this way when in reality it actually has a low percentage chancr of happening. I know quite a few people that how housed not only ball pythons together, but even balls with boas, and boas with boas as well. I personally have not had or met anyone that has had a bad exprrience with caging together. I am currently keeping both of my similarly sized normal females together. One is two years old, one is one year old, and neither has rejected a meal failed to leave me two poops every week, or gotten sixk with anything other than mites, which made its way from an entirely seperate enclosure not even om the same level without any handling or spreading from me involved. My whole collection still got them and would have whether I had those two caged together or not. Im also going to say that while everything in the world points to snakes being solitary creatures and not enjoying each others company, my two girls very much so APPEAR to love each other. When being handled by two different people they make there way back to each other and more often then not once theyve found each other one or both will simply stay by othe others side. But thats a whole other topic I suppose.

End game point: I think its perfectly fime as long as you do quarentine first, use your better judgememt to observe how docile each snake is before combining, have an enclosure large enough for TWO SEPERATE SIIDE BY SIDE HIDES ON THE WARM END OF THE ENCLOSURE, with two similar hides on the cool end of course, and allow seperate and consistant feeding. I am a firm beleiver that snakes do have their own little personalities and some are more suited to being around other snakes and life forms for that matter then others. Just dont take the first words you hear and feel youre bound by them. Take all the information youve found here, other pwople personal experienced and knowledge and weigh out the facts by yourself. Outside of husbandry theres a lot ofnroom to do your own thing in this hobby.

[wilomn]

Never a good idea. Ever.

Bullsnot. Perhaps before you go giving erroneous advice you should gain some real life experience. You are 100% wrong.

[Void]

I leave you now with these horrifying images

[satomi325]

As a keeper, it is our responsibility to take care of our animals to the best of our ability.
Why take ANY risk of spreading illness and/or mites? Why take ANY risk of cannibalism or other injury/death?
Putting any of your snakes together outside of breeding purposes and knowing there is a risk is irresponsible. No matter how minor the risk seems. It's still there. Things happen. Better safe than sorry in my opinion.

And for the record, when snakes "cuddle", they're competing for the best spot in the enclosure.



And I'll leave you with these joyous photos.... *graphic warning*


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Boa ate a Ball



Same boa regurged the Ball



Boa ate another Boa

[JaGv]

I leave you now with these horrifying images

how dare you put 2 snakes in the same cage that is very very wrong . well at least theres people that disagree. i respect that.

- - - Updated - - -

As a keeper, it is our responsibility to take care of our animals to the best of our ability.
Why take ANY risk of spreading illness and/or mites? Why take ANY risk of cannibalism or other injury/death?
Putting any of your snakes together outside of breeding purposes and knowing there is a risk is irresponsible. No matter how minor the risk seems. It's still there. Things happen. Better safe than sorry in my opinion.

And for the record, when snakes "cuddle", they're competing for the best spot in the enclosure.



And I'll leave you with these joyous photos.... *graphic warning*


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Boa ate a Ball



Same boa regurged the Ball



Boa ate another Boa

would hunger be the cause of snakes eating snakes?

[hypnotixdmp]

can an admin lock this post? I already stated I have my answer meaning I have made up my mind.....I do thank everyone for all the input, but I have decided on what I want!!! I have 2 cages, if they get along after a while I will house them together for a while monitoring them a lot of course, and see how they handle it!! They will be opposite sex, and I will be breeding them when they are old enough. I am actually getting a male pastel next Friday, just waiting for it to feed one more time before he can leave!!

[Skiploder]

As a keeper, it is our responsibility to take care of our animals to the best of our ability.
Why take ANY risk of spreading illness and/or mites? Why take ANY risk of cannibalism or other injury/death?
Putting any of your snakes together outside of breeding purposes and knowing there is a risk is irresponsible. No matter how minor the risk seems. It's still there. Things happen. Better safe than sorry in my opinion.

And for the record, when snakes "cuddle", they're competing for the best spot in the enclosure.



And I'll leave you with these joyous photos.... *graphic warning*


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.
.
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.
.
.
.





Boa ate a Ball



Same boa regurged the Ball



Boa ate another Boa

Yeah, those pics are well travelled. Someone photographs a one in a million occurrence and it has now become the rule, not the exception that it is.

But those pics don't change the fact that with the proper keeper and the proper husbandry skills, it can be pulled off and pulled off successfully.

My earlier post in this thread was an attempt at sarcastic humor, pointing out the silliness in the oft repeated reasons for keeping snakes separate. I guess my attempts at humor and sarcasm failed...............

The problem is that people make blanket statements that you cannot do it ever with any snake, and as Wes stated, that is pure and utter crap. There are many species, such as spilotes and pseustes that are often kept in pairs - and many rhamphiophis and others are kept in 1.2 trios, thamnophis are kept in groups, etc. I could go on, but the point remains: you can keep more than one snake in one cage.

There are high cannibalism risks in some species (like lampropeltis and clelia) and there are feeding accidents that have resulted in cannibalism in others. In the second example, those risks could have been averted by proper husbandry (read: supervised feedings).

As for spreading mites and illness - most pathogens do not respect the mighty wall of the tupperware tub and mites will gladly travel across a room to infest another snake - so that reason there is not the most valid. Really, how many snake illnesses do you know that just "crop" up? The majority of "random" bacterial infections are not random at all - but the result of faulty husbandry. Viral infections can be eliminated with proper quarantine. Again, the old internet hokum that snakes magically get sick like 3 year old kids is just not true.

The main reason why people should keep two snakes in two separate enclosures is that most people have no clue how to pull it off successfully. That's it. Most of the other concerns are just the rehashing of internet suppositions.

I guess the gold standard answer should be: Yes, you can keep two snakes in one cage, but it not only depends on the species, but on the skill and experience level of the keeper.