A little help please…

[swkirrel]

I have 2 ball pythons, one 28” and one 42” long. These two snakes have been living in the same vivarium for a few years now. Long story short, I wanted to separate them. So I built a new vivarium, put in the hide, water, new bedding, and got the heating just right. I put the 42” in there. For about 7 hours strait he did nothing but mow down all the plants and try to find a way out. Never once going into the hide. So, I placed him back into his original vivarium and all is normal now.

My question is, if I put him back in the new vivarium will he eventually settle in or just completely stress himself out trying to get out? Or, should I try putting the younger snake in there?

Thanks

[python.princess]

He should settle down after a week or so. But I definitely reccomend keeping them separated!

[JLC]

I don't think it matters which one you move....especially if the vivs are both the same size. If one is smaller than the other, then I'd put the smaller snake in the smaller viv.

Yes...whichever snake you move will seem to "freak out" a little bit....but that's just because everything is new. It takes them time to explore every single little corner, edge, smell, bump, taste, view, hole, ledge, etc of their new home. It takes them awhile to realize that it really is perfectly safe and no other critter is going to come along and claim that perfect little cave as its own.

Give it a week or two in its new home and I'm quite sure you'll have two very contented snakes.

[swkirrel]

This is the new Vivarium...

[diondion0]

Hi there would you be able to help me out? I have 2 royals, 1 male, 1 female, they have lived in seperate tanks, would they fight if i put them in the same tank? The male who is a yr+ and 3ft long and the female (believed female) who is 6/7months and just under 2ft, he has lived with other snakes before but i dont know about her as i got her from some one else. please help Many thanks!

[mainbutter]

Ball pythons are not social animals. Putting them in cages can lead to behavior where one "dominates" the other and is in general stressful. They probably won't fight, but it's not good for either of them. Keep them in their seperate tanks.

[diondion0]

even if they have a tank big enough for both of them and they are diffrent sexes?

[JLC]

This is the new Vivarium...

Looks really pretty....but if those are live plants, they may not survive being trampled by a ball python.

[Ophiuchus]

even if they have a tank big enough for both of them and they are diffrent sexes?

Yes.

1.) BPs actually prefer smaller, more "cozy' cages as opposed to larger, more spacious ones.

2.) As mainbutter mentioned, even if there are no direct hostilities, the larger animal will always dominate and stress out the smaller one.

3.) Always a risk of disease or parasite transmission.

4.) going hand-in-hand with all of the above, its much easier to monitor the health of each animal when they are all separated.

Snakes DO NOT need buddies and they are perfectly fine living alone.

[JLC]

even if they have a tank big enough for both of them and they are diffrent sexes?

Any tank that big would be extremely difficult to maintain proper humidity and temperature gradients that both snakes could access as needed without competing with each other. Two snakes of the opposite sex living together will still compete for the best/favorite spots and stress each other out. They will also likely eventually mate and then you'd have to deal with a gravid female and her eggs and all the risks associated with that, especially if she is too small or young. And if one gets sick, they will both get sick. And there is always the slim, but real risk of one killing the other.

If you really want to run all those risks and go to all the effort of trying to properly maintain and clean an enclosure that big....well, that's your choice.