Co-ED Racks?

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Getting more and more snakes.... I have them in enclosure sizes based as close as possible on their size.

That said, I have a question for those with LOTS of balls. Would I be better off trying to keep the male balls in a completely different rack then the females? or does it not make a difference?


Example: If I have a 1500 gram male in the top tub of a rack, then the next tub down in that rack holds a 1500 gram female, would they be able to smell each other? when / he or she sheds, could the natural smell cause the other to go off feed as a mating response?

Any help you can give on this subject would be GREATLY
appreciated.

[Nate]

Interesting question..and I have no idea what the answer would be..however, it'd make a great experiment for you.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Don't want to experiment on that one! All of my balls are relatively young and growing! I want them to go off feed as little as possible!

[Nate]

Well based on my little collection I would say it makes little difference. I have males and females alternating in my current set up and a majority of them are eating just fine. Some not so fine...that, to me, is just a typical ball python's behavior. They eat when they want to.

[jknudson]

I have 23 ball pythons, all my racks contain both males and females of all ages (hatchlings and several years old). I've never had males or females go off feed outside of "breeding season", in that case I have had females go off feed. All my males have pounded food year round.

Hope this helps you. It will be interesting to see what others have to say.

[MarkS]

The only thing that I take into account is the size of the animal. I do have racks with smaller tubs with mostly males and racks with larger tubs with mostly females but thats only because the males tend to be smaller then the females and so they go in smaller tubs in a different rack. As far as them smelling each other and going off feed, it really doesn't make a difference. They can smell each other in a rack right next to them just as easily as they can if they are in the same rack.

Mark