Housing 2 young BPs in the same cage?

[JodanOrNoDan]

I kinda explained all that as best as I could . They weren't competing for the most favourable places as there were many places of each temperature to choose from . I realise that it doesn't suit your agenda to read hear that but it's true . Many times they'd both be curled together in a hide in the cooler side and again there would have been two or more hides with the same temps and a few quiet hiding places as well - all the same temps . I made a point of providing many hides in the warm side , the middle and the cooler side .


More often than not they'd be together . Why would they both always want to be warm then want to be cooler at the very same time , it doesn't add up . Why was the female following the male as often as the male would follow the female ?


You'd imagine that on occasion one would want to be warm and the other want to be cool , yet that very rarely occurred .

I've been totally honest , I can only relay what I observed .

They simply didn't feed anywhere near as well as they do when they're apart . That's the difference in my experience .

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I have actually been wanting to do this experiment for awhile with a male and female that I know very well and record everything that goes on. If it starts to go south I will stop the experiment. I am going to get a very large tub I am going to use identical everythings throughout the enclosure. I am on ambient so in theory there will no one place better than the other in the enclosure.

I absolutely do not advise new keepers to attempt this. Unless you know your animals very well and are prepared to loose one don't even think about it.

[Zincubus]

I have actually been wanting to do this experiment for awhile with a male and female that I know very well and record everything that goes on. If it starts to go south I will stop the experiment. I am going to get a very large tub I am going to use identical everythings throughout the enclosure. I am on ambient so in theory there will no one place better than the other in the enclosure.

I absolutely do not advise new keepers to attempt this. Unless you know your animals very well and are prepared to loose one don't even think about it.

Exactly !!

I'm certain it is possible , just needs experience , space and time patience . ( money helps for all the hides etc )

I have 22 snakes ranging from a pair of 12" LTRs and 7' Snow Boa so TIME is always problem .


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[Zincubus]

Exactly !!

I'm certain it is possible , just needs experience , space and time patience . ( money helps for all the hides etc )

I have 22 snakes ranging from a pair of 12" LTRs and 7' Snow Boa so TIME is always problem .


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I ran out of editing time



Here they are back in adjacent , matching vivs in a synchronised feeding session on thawed frozen !!




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[JodanOrNoDan]

won't cost me that much to set it up. i'm thinking maybe $30. i'm the king of cheap. I've got a good idea of how to set it up. Just have to wait till the girl I want to use lays and starts eating again. i think i will might as well do maternal incubation experiment in conjunction with this one if the female ends up becoming gravid. time is definitely an issue, but i have help so it is doable. may stick a game camera or something in there to monitor what they are doing.

[Vithaxton]

This is always the photo I show people when they ask if they can house two ball pythons together lol It works every time and they always separate them immediately!


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[JodanOrNoDan]

This is always the photo I show people when they ask if they can house two ball pythons together lol It works every time and they always separate them immediately!


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That is definitely a picture that should be convincing. I have seen this picture before but never with any context. Male/Female? Female/Female? Visually I would guess female/female. Both look under fed to me. Just guessing on my part since one has been swallowed and the other cut up.

[the_rotten1]

They weren't competing for the most favourable places as there were many places of each temperature to choose from .

Temperature isn't the only thing to consider. The way the snake fits into the hide, the hide's location in the tank, and the amount of light and open space immediately around the hide are all factors. I've noticed that most of my snakes will prefer a tight fitting hide - even one that's a little too tight - to a loose one. Some snakes prefer more vertical space in a hide and some snakes prefer flater hides. Almost all of them prefer hides in darker locations with more cover, farther from the transparent front of the tank, tub, or enclosure, and far from any open spaces. You may have multiple hides on the warm side, cool side, and in the middle, but some may have more cover than others or be closer to the back of their habitat.

The point is, no two hides are really alike. Even if you had six identical hides, two for each temperature zone, the location of each would differ slightly. Snakes always have a preference.

More often than not they'd be together . Why would they both always want to be warm then want to be cooler at the very same time , it doesn't add up . Why was the female following the male as often as the male would follow the female ?

By huddling together they can make the hide feel even smaller. If the hides are a bit on the large side, or even just big enough that the snakes aren't touching all the sides at once, they can feel insecure. When a hide fits a snake well it shouldn't be possible for another snake of the same size to squeeze in alongside it.


For the record, the above information comes from my observations also. I housed a pair of young BPs together once, but I've come to regard it as a dumb thing I did when I wasn't very educated about them. I provided everything they needed as far as multiple hides for each temperature zone. Unlike you, I didn't have feeding issues. They both ate every meal I gave them (in separate containers, which was a lot of unecessary stress on them), but it was a really busy tank. Plenty of fakes leaves, wood logs, and other decorations that created nooks and crannies for them to hide in, so that might have helped them feel secure.

What I noticed was that both snakes would cram into the same hide often... until they got bigger. Once the snakes were almost as big as the hides they were using they no longer spent time together. I'd typically find them at opposide ends of the tank.

I ended up separating them for multiple reasons. The main one is that I just wanted to provide the best environment possible. Can you house two snakes together? Sure. Mine were doing fine that way. But I wouldn't say it's a good idea. They're just as happy in separate enclosures, if not more so, and separating them has many benefits. They don't have to compete for space. If one of them has a weird poop, bad shed, or a regurge, I don't have to worry about which one it was. Don't have to worry about any accidental eggs before the female is ready to breed either.

Even while breeding I've noticed that adult snakes will often take opposite sides of an enclosure unless they're in the mood to do the dirty. They're really not cuddling because they want to be together. They're huddling because they're scared. There's too much open space and they feel vulnerable.

[JaniKaralee]

Thank you for your information. I am going to seperate the snakes. I was pretty sure this would be the best idea, but I wanted to ask others opinions. I have raised snakes for many years, but never before adopted snakes that have been rasied together. I figured it would be in their best interest to be seperated. Thank you so much for your information.

[JaniKaralee]

I appreciate you information. I have many years experience with snakes, but have never adopted snakes that had been rasied together before. They do seem to get a long quite well, but I am going to seperate them because of their preferance to be solitary. I asked this question to hear others opinion on the matter and I appreciate your information.

[JaniKaralee]

Thank you for your information. However, I do not feel like I am being selfish or lack education on ball pythons or snakes in general. I have raised snakes for many years. These specific ball pythons were raised together before I adopted them. I was curious if this would be a different because of their situation. I am going to seperate them nonetheless there is no reason for me to have them in the same area and again, I really do apprecaite your information