Bp Enclosure question.

[DaPyro]

Hello, I'm new to these forums and i signed up due to my current interest (and love!) of ball pythons. So i what i wanted to know is, what is the ideal enclosure size for two 6 month old bp's? I currently have a 6 month old male named Adam, and i plan on getting my second bp when i get my larger setup (i currently have a 10gal). I was thinking of getting a 100 gallon aquarium for both of the bp's. I don't think that is too excessive for them, especially when they get older and bigger. And also i wanted to know about quarantining the second, if i get them only several weeks from each other and from the same petstore should i still quarantine her, and for how long? Thanks in advance

[DutchHerp]

10 gal is perfect for a 6 months old BP, so you can stick with that for a long time.

100 gal is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too huge, and it moreover, it's WAAAAAAAAAAAY too unnecessary. BPs can live happily in 30gal enclosures.

BPs can be kept together, but you shouldn't.
You can keep that one in another tank, also a 10gal if you want.

As for quarantining, I highly recommend keeping them apart for a few months, in different rooms.

[tjones]

Im not really sure about the size, but will you keep them together??? I am going to get a nother bp and im going to keep both of mine together so some people dont like it but i dont see a problem with it as long as there isnt a big size difference. QUARANTINE is necessary. Im going to be having my second one quarantined for about 8 weeks so anywhere from 2 to 3 months would be good. Good luck, by the way what kind do you have and what kind are you getting, i wouldnt get a bp from a petstore unless you know where its coming from i would get one from a breeder, where are you located, most of the time you can find a local breeder that would sell you a normal for $50 if thats the kind your getting.

[NeGum]

Hello, I'm new to these forums and i signed up due to my current interest (and love!) of ball pythons. So i what i wanted to know is, what is the ideal enclosure size for two 6 month old bp's? I currently have a 6 month old male named Adam, and i plan on getting my second bp when i get my larger setup (i currently have a 10gal). I was thinking of getting a 100 gallon aquarium for both of the bp's. I don't think that is too excessive for them, especially when they get older and bigger. And also i wanted to know about quarantining the second, if i get them only several weeks from each other and from the same petstore should i still quarantine her, and for how long? Thanks in advance

Hey there, Welcome. Personally i would not get a 100 gallon tank, im thinking that is Way to big, nor would i put them together. A 10 gallon tank should be plenty for the new guy, and keep the one you have also in a ten gallon until his size increases, then move on to slightly larger tank/tub. From what i have learned they like a closer more secure area rather than a larger area, plus it would be a little more difficult to keep temp/humidity up in that big of a tank. Have you thought about building or buying a rack? This would be a great investment for having a numerous BP's.

As for quarantining i would Deff do it, no matter what. For information check out this page http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=74329

[DutchHerp]

Im not really sure about the size, but will you keep them together??? I am going to get a nother bp and im going to keep both of mine together so some people dont like it but i dont see a problem with it as long as there isnt a big size difference. QUARANTINE is necessary. Im going to be having my second one quarantined for about 8 weeks so anywhere from 2 to 3 months would be good. Good luck, by the way what kind do you have and what kind are you getting, i wouldnt get a bp from a petstore unless you know where its coming from i would get one from a breeder, where are you located, most of the time you can find a local breeder that would sell you a normal for $50 if thats the kind your getting.

If by another BP you mean your second snake, what experience do you base this on?

[DaPyro]

Really? I thought of getting a 75gal for both of them, also i can't keep them apart other than for quarantining, i currently live in a small apartment so the two setups take a lot of room , so i insist on housing them together(i'm pretty persistent, sorry) So in the case of housing them both together, what would be a good size tank at adult growth?

[Kaorte]

A 10 gallon is fine until they are about a year old (in my opinion). A 20 gallon long is the biggest you will ever need for a BP unless you have a huuuuge female. 100 gallons is way too big for any BP.

I HIGHLY recommend you do not house the snakes together. There are many risks associated with communal housing including:
1. Competing for dominance. This looks like they are cuddling, but remember, ball pythons are not humans and they don't cuddle.
2. Stress. Being housed with another snake can be very stressful because ball pythons are solitary animals.
3. Cannibalism. While this doesn't happen often, there is always the risk.
4. Unwanted breeding. If your animals are not properly sexed, you could have a male and a female and they could start breeding. If the female is too young, she could die from the breeding process. If you do get eggs, you need to be prepared to incubate them.
5. Whose poop, Whose shed. When more than one ball python is in an enclosure, you can never tell who's shed, poop, or urates is whose.
6. If one gets sick the other gets sick. Double vet bills. This is not fun.

[DutchHerp]

Really? I thought of getting a 75gal for both of them, also i can't keep them apart other than for quarantining, i currently live in a small apartment so the two setups take a lot of room , so i insist on housing them together(i'm pretty persistent, sorry) So in the case of housing them both together, what would be a good size tank at adult growth?

I don't mean to upset you, but what is more important, your need to house them together or their comfort/quality of life?

[blackcrystal22]

Really? I thought of getting a 75gal for both of them, also i can't keep them apart other than for quarantining, i currently live in a small apartment so the two setups take a lot of room , so i insist on housing them together(i'm pretty persistent, sorry) So in the case of housing them both together, what would be a good size tank at adult growth?

Two setups is not a lot of room.
An adult ball python would never EVER go in anything over a 40 gallon. I usually suggest 20 gallons for adults. Ball pythons do not like a lot of space, it stresses them out and keeping more than one snake in the same enclosure is dangerous and also very stressful and difficult on the snake.
I'm going on 14 snakes, and they are all kept in a single bedroom. I also have a very large turtle cage and 2 lizard setups.

I do not advise ever keeping ball pythons together except for breeding which is a temporary (couple days) thing. If one snake gets sick, gets mites, or has parasites, they both automatically get sick. With an RI, that means two vet bills and double the prescription costs. You run the risk of early breeding with a m/f and fighting with a m/m. Ball pythons have occasionally been known to eat their room-mates as well. Feeding two snakes in the same enclosure is difficult, and it's just generally a bad idea.
2 20 gallon enclosures for the adult stage. 2 10 gallon enclosures for the juvenile stage. That's all you need. 2 20 gallons take up a whole lot less space than any 75 gallon or 100 gallon. Not to mention, any tank that size would only be meant for fish, so it would probably have the floorspace of a 40g breeder at most and you would just be wasting money.

If your super worried about space, and don't care how it looks.. get yourself some tubs. They stack and take up very little space and are 10x more comfortable for the animals.

Good luck. :]

[Rejekt]

i think this is my first post, but if your able to purchase a 75-100 gallon you can make a divider and seperate the tank into 2 that should be more then enough for each . one on one side and one on the other, or buy 2 20-30 gallon tanks and ge ta shelving unit or something of the sort. i personally am building a cage, 48x18x18 and am adding a divider that is removable for when and if i decide to ever breed. but thats just my 2 cents. good luck none the less

-Jon