Why not to cohabitate any snake

[PitOnTheProwl]

Keep in mind what you posted Skip.
"EXPERIENCED"

I stick with my greatest rule of...... What works in my house might not work in yours.

[crepers86]

So you drew the conclusion that no snake, of ANY species should be co-habitated under any conditions - all because some idiot packed together a group of starving snakes?

Draw your conclusion better. The lesson here is that you shouldn't pack a crap load of snakes - skinny borderline emaciated snakes - together and then subject them to stress.

Now as for your attempt at an teachable moment - you failed.

I, and many other experienced keepers, have kept many species together. We cohabitate them in a responsible way in which they are provided plenty of room to find shelter, thermoregulate and live without stress. We take care to feed them in a way where they won't go after the same food item. We don't keep ophiophagus snakes together.

We are successful at it because we use common sense and experience. We don't recommend it for anyone but experienced keepers.

Now you come on here and take a swipe at experienced keepers who cohabitate by using this as an example? Think hard about how this applies to "any" snake as you claim. Think hard about how this boneheaded example applied to proper cohabitation.

Whatever you do, think before you respond. As a proponent of properly executed cohabitation of applicable species, I find your post pretty insulting, as well as lacking in drawing any logical conclusions between cohabitating and cannibalism. You used an example of an idiot packing all his skinny snakes together as an attempt to show why NO snake species should ever be cohabitated.

Ever, under ANY conditions. Is this what you meant, or are you just not adept at drawing conclusions and applying logic?

Hey man I didn't make my return back to this board and post this to be bashed on. There are more unexperienced keepers than there are you. I believe cohabitation could work, with the proper experience and knowledge on what to do. Zoos do it all the time and have very healthy animals, but there are a lot of people that lack the experience to put two in the same habitat. I am sorry that you feel insulted by this, but look at it from someones stand point that does not have the knowledge... A saying that someone said the other day... Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. But in my experience and all the research I have done I do not feel that any thing should be kept together except for the sole purpose of mating. One of my biggest reasons. If I have a snake that is sick and I am not sure which one and the vet needs a stole sample how do I know who just pooped unless I have to money to have both snakes looked at at the same time, or just sitting there watching them poop than yeah.

[Skiploder]

Hey man I didn't make my return back to this board and post this to be bashed on. There are more unexperienced keepers than there are you. I believe cohabitation could work, with the proper experience and knowledge on what to do. Zoos do it all the time and have very healthy animals, but there are a lot of people that lack the experience to put two in the same habitat. I am sorry that you feel insulted by this, but look at it from someones stand point that does not have the knowledge... A saying that someone said the other day... Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. But in my experience and all the research I have done I do not feel that any thing should be kept together except for the sole purpose of mating. One of my biggest reasons. If I have a snake that is sick and I am not sure which one and the vet needs a stole sample how do I know who just pooped unless I have to money to have both snakes looked at at the same time, or just sitting there watching them poop than yeah.

Not bashing. You called out people who cohabitate. You used this example as why to not cohabitate.

I cohabitate. You called out what I do. I'm vocal about it.

It's a bad example and the wrong conclusion to draw from this incident.

Your poop sample example is flawed also. I've covered it before, as have other experienced keepers who cohabitate.

For the record, I don't recommend cohabitation...my disclaimer is that it shouldn't be practice by everyone and with select species.

What I do recommend is that people don't bash something they don't do. I also recommend that people apply logic and experience to their advice.

I recommend that people who can barely crap out the rent, who can't afford vet care, who can't afford proper husbandry tools refrain from buying snakes.

...and that people stick to talking about what they have direct experience with.

How much experience do you have with a wide variety of species? How much cohabitation have you practiced? How many cases of spontaneous disease have you encountered in your established collection? What are your quarantine practices? Can you name species that are known to cohabitate peacefully and also which species are next to impossible to breed unless you cohabitate them year round?

You want to have a valid voice on this topic, let everyone know your expertise on it. You already stated you don't cohabitate. As far as I'm concerned, you don't get to weigh in with any legitimacy.

Now if you want to draw this as an example on the danger of packing a lot of snakes together and placing them in a stressful situation...I'm behind you 100%. But do not apply this act of utter stupidity to the responsible practice of keeping snakes together. Do not attempt to use this dumb incident as a rallying point to shame people who cohabitate.

Unless you can speak with any authority on the subject. If you can, I'll gladly listen.

[Skiploder]

Keep in mind what you posted Skip.
"EXPERIENCED"

I stick with my greatest rule of...... What works in my house might not work in yours.

Hey Robert, I'm not asking anyone to do what I do in their house.

I'm asking people to not bash what I do in mine...and I'm asking people to use logic when drawing conclusions...and I'm asking people who want to question something do so by using experience and facts - not the same old tired BS that's been passed from forum to forum.

This has nothing to do with cohabitation. When did packing snakes together become an accepted practice?

[Fireproof]

Thread title would be better if renamed to something like "Why you shouldn't transport many snakes together" or "The risk of transporting multiple snakes in a single container."




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[John1982]

That snake in the top of the picture doesn't look like it ever ate. Here's my hypothesis:

Vendor has been trying and trying and trying to feed the emaciated animal to no avail. Come transport day he haphazardly tosses a bunch of spiders, known to be wonky critters anyway, together with this one smelling strongly of rodent. Doesn't take a large stretch of the imagination to foresee such an outcome.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Thread title would be better if renamed to something like "Why you shouldn't transport many snakes together" or "The risk of transporting multiple snakes in a single container."




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Even transporting snakes together can be done, not sure how many shows you have been working or even gone to but people vending pack their snakes together all the time, they display them together too, people shipping snake wholesale ship them in bag of 5 or 10 without any problems either.

There is one thing that was pointed out and everyone seems to fail to see even though that is the first thing that jumped at me in the picture.

all because some idiot packed together a group of starving snakes?

skinny borderline emaciated snakes

Now let's focus on the real issue here

[ballpythonluvr]

Skip has been keeping many different species of snakes for a very long time. I trust his word on cohabitating certain species of snakes. If you are going to make a comment about this topic then know what you are talking about in the first place. This topic has been brought up many times by people.

It is the same old song and dance. If you want to cohabitate then know what species this can be done with successfully. I trust someone that has been in this hobby a long time more then I do someone that just says this is why you should not cohabitate snakes together. Just my .

[Rob]

Ran into this on FB.
Yeah I know im going to get the "but I kept mine together fine for years"
Your taking this risk.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Ran into this on FB.
Yeah I know im going to get the "but I kept mine together fine for years"
Your taking this risk.

Merged with the already existing thread