one or two???

[chintasurf]

Hi again guys,

I have a couple questions that i am hoping you can help me with. It looks like i may finally be getting my first BP at the end of this month. I have posted a few times about tank set ups etc, I have managed to get my corner Juwel aquarium working and have monitored temp levels over 2 weeks just to make sure that it is ok, so all set in that respect.

My husband is very keen on making the environment as natural as poss (for a snake living in a tank!) and would like to use real rock to create the hides. The rock is very sturdy and will not full and i have bleached it several times making sure that it is well rinsed and dry - but is it ok??? i am a little concerned and unsure so your advice on this would be great.

Also I have found a potential BP - i must stress that i live in the canary islands and their aren't that many around, but the pet shop owner has two, she can't tell me what sex either of them are but did say that one fed like a female???? not having one before i don't know what that is supose to mean?! What age should i get my BP sexed???

also as she has two of them and they are kept in a large tank - prob 50 gallon (the bp's are prob 1ft in length) with just a heat mat (not thermostat or thermeter) with substrate and no hide - i have looked them over and they seem to be healthy no whizzing, eyes clear, i asked if they were feeding ok - no signs of mites etc. But my question is - should i get one of these BP's??

should i get both?? would two bp's be able to live happily together in the same enclosure???

i would hate to get one and leave the other in a bad situation?! she told me that a thermostat was not ness or thermeter as we are in a hot country anyway!!!!

any advice would be great - she is not asking much for them so i would be happy to take both and have them cared for in a monitored environment rather that in a possible home without the knowledge that i have gained from this site.

[Spaniard]

Weclcome to the Forums,

I see you have not posted much since joining... My grandpa is from the Canary Islands!

To start answering your questions...

One snake per enclosure is the only way to go. Multiple snakes in one enclosure will lead to dominance issues of one snake over the other. This can lead to stress and increase the chances of your snake getting a respiratory infection. There is also the rare occurance of cannibalism amoung bps.

The rock should be fine as a hide as long as it is tight fitting and the snake can slither into it as opposed to under it. You must keep in mind that in the wild these snakes spend most their time in rodent burrows underneath the ground.

You can get your bp sexed, by probing or popping, at any age although its not recommended that you do it yourself as you can hurt and damage the snakes reproductive organs.

[Spaniard]

I just wanted to add that no snake can eat like a certain sex. Each animal whether male or female will eat at is own pace and grow at its own rate. I would also ask to see both of the snakes feed before you purchase them if that was the choice you decided to make.

[starmom]

Sorry for my ignorance: Where are the Canary Islands? I'm asking because maybe getting your snake(s) shipped to you from a reputable breeder might be a more successful way to start your hobby.

[Spaniard]

The Canary Islands are to the North West of Africa and are a part of Spain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Islands

[chintasurf]

Thank you for your help, i have considered looking for a Bp from a breeder, but the cost is too great to get one shipped over especially as it is a normal i am looking at getting rather than a morph - the 600 euros it would cost seems a little steep, it is really only a consideration if you were getting 3 or 4 snakes.

Hopefully if all goes well with my then i can look for others and maybe morphs or a red tail which i will look into shipping as they don't have them here.

[starmom]

The Canary Islands are to the North West of Africa and are a part of Spain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Islands

Thank you. Very cool. I need to learn more about geography, obviously!

[k1ingdomKaa]

heathers herps all the way if you want a great deal! i dealt with her and she is AMAZING. the bps are in very good condition and she treats them like her own kids. they get plenty of love and attention.
If you spent that much time on your take, id want to see you getting something a little nicer then from a petstore. did the lady have a thermometer atleast in her tank? also my guess is they both are gonna be really stressed out. being in such a big cage with no hides.. is it well lit also? because they dont need the light and are NOCTURNAL! lol ask her a little about them and make sure your not on the bad end of the deal. As for mice rodentpro is what i used and they have great prices.
i do stress it though that you make sure that they are what you want. i can understand if you have fallen in love with them. but whats it worth getting them if there not healthy/malnourished etc.
good luck!
if you need any help or anything pm me or aim me at y0ungcitty

[chintasurf]

Thank you for that, i have PM'd you.

The Bp's are being fed live food - the lady said that that is what is natural to them so that is what she gives them. So going onto frozen maybe become difficult. I asked what size they were on and she said an adult mouse?! is this too big??? they are approx 1ft long. It sounded alittle big to me but she said not to worry as they can eat food items 3 times the size????
I then asked what about when they are bigger with rats ad things and she said that she doesn't feed rats as the snake can get hurt - which i have heard before. She then showed me some giant mice (if you could imagine a rat cross mouse - that is what they looked like) and said that they should have one of those.

Anyway no therometer or any type of temp monitor in the tank, and while there was no light in with them the store is very brightly lit with fluorescents. so they prob are a little stressed, the tank is quite near the floor and the pet store owner has dogs running around all day so not ideal for them at all.

[Bruce Whitehead]

Sounds like you're getting good advice.

I'll just comment on the hides. Keep in mind that your bp is one solid piece of muscle... they will cram themselves into tight spaces and can lift rock.

My first bp was in a viv (I now use tubs). He had a sort of rocky enclosure on one end. I figured it would help with sheds and what not.

I thought it was quite heavy and strong, but a few times I did catch him pushing it and it lifting just enough for the end of his tail to get under it. I took them out as it just seemed like a risk to me.

You can get hard acrylic hides that look like rock and are one solid piece. They are easier to clean and if you are going for a natural look, they will blend in and you can camoflouge them somewhat.

Also... if something goes wrong, or for whatever reason you need to get your snake out of the viv. Having a one piece hide will make him easier to get to than a cluster of rocks. Again, a risk factor if you are moving them and one accidentally falls.

The more things you put into the tank the more things you have to clean. Vivs are more work, but if you can do it successfully then good luck and have fun. Just make sure that you keep up on keeping his/her environment clean.

Your husbandry is paramount.

Bruce