help

[superdave76]

i have a question about my male ball python,for the past week or 2 i have noticed his stools are very mushy,no log shaped at all,just a big pile of it.i was wondering is this any reason for concern.where i live it has just got to be spring time and i have added a second snake to the cage in the last month or so.im not sue if these could be the problem or not.The two seem to get along great,they do ay togather some but they will also go their own ways too.Im hopeing and praying this is nothing to worry about.Im new to the snake thing and im learning as i go.I have examined them both and there are no signs of mites or anything.They both seem healthy and the male never refuses to eat.the female hasnt eaten in a couple weeks but she just shed too.I havent noticed anything like this from the female.Any hep would be greatly appreciated.

[Sausage]

Well, therin is your problem. You should never have more than one snake to a cage. This causes stress, diseases/parasites travel faster, and since it's a male and female, premature breeding, which can be very harmful. They probably aren't eating because of the stress. I would reccommend separating them and maybe putting a divider down the middle of the cage if you don't want to buy a new one. Snakes are solitary animals, and although they may look "lonely," they get stressed and sometimes sick if kept with others.

[Chase13]

You need to seperate these snakes ASAP. You may think they are getting along because you think that when they intwine in each other, they are being friendly. This can acually be a snake dominating the other.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

BP are solitary animals and do not require companionship, there is absolutely no benefit in housing multiple BP in the same enclosure.

Common sense will tell you that your BP do not need to be together for various reasons that have been documented such as stress, going off feed, transmission of parasites and diseases, premature breeding, serious injuries, death, cannibalism, just not worth the risk

You don't have to take my word for it so here is a little reading

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ltiple+housing

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ltiple+housing

Now for your problem.

Have you taken your BP to a vet for a general health check, and did you have a fecal done.

I would recommend you take your BP to an herp vet if you are concerned and have a fecal done on both, here is how to find an herp vet in your area http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm

[Subzero]

Not only should you not house BP's together, your new snake should not be in the same room as your other animals for at least 1-2 months to see if they have any possible disease/mites that arent visible when you first purchase your snake.

[superdave76]

thanks to all of you for the information.I seperated the kids today,everything seems fine with them.I didnt keep them seprerate from each other because they were both in the same cage at the place i bought them.I guess if any diseases were transmitted they were done before i got them.I will say this,petsmart dont know crap about snakes and shouldnt be selling them! They have some pretty snakes but everything they told me i followed to a tee and it was all wrong.Im thankful i found this site with some real snake keepers to help me out.I guess we will see how the next feeding goes this coming weekend.how long do you guys think it will take to get them settled down and the stress level to drop after i have seperated the two?Thanks again