Your one stop reptile community - Anyone keep multiple snakes in one enclosure?

SteveJor · #1 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 06:58 PM

I have seen a lot of this lately. Multiple BP's in one cage, burms and RTB's in one cage, even a pair of BP's and a pair of RTB's in the same cage. I had always thought that one snake per cage was the correct way. Now these are hobbyists not breeders so they are pets and not put together for breeding. Although some of the combos I have seen wouldn't breed anyway. Does anyone here keep multiple snakes of the same or different species together? All the people I have talked to who do this always say they have never had a problem. They either put them together at the same time as babies or added one of about the same size as the snake already in the cage. There is even a petstore by me that gets top quality high end morphs in and they do not see a problem with it. What do the people here think about this? Does anyone already do this? I think I would be too worried about it not working out to try it.
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#2 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 07:46 PM

I keep 2 watersnakes together, both siblings, both almost identical in size, both acquired at the same time. They've been housed together for almost a year with no ill effects. They are still only 16-18" long (~ 8" as babies) and they are in a 20L that has 5-6 hides in total, at least 2 pairs in identical locations....still almost half the time, I find the two of them together crammed into the same hide, yet there is a vacant hide physically touching the one they're crowded into. *shrug* they don't seem to mind each other...but then I got them almost as soon as they were born and they were still kept with all their brothers and sisters at that time.

Having said that, I would never keep different species together (boas & pythons) and obviously wouldn't keep cannibalistic species (Lampropeltis) together. Truth to tell, if I had gotten one and then the other, I probably wouldn't have kept them together.
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Ed_r · #3 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 08:02 PM

Well same species I can see and have done living together. BCI and BP Should NEVER be kept together. Their living requirements are totally different. Ideally all the snakes should be seperate, unless breeding them. Mine only live together if I just got in an unexpected snake and need to make immediate room.But then its BP with BP and BCI with BCI. Oh And ALWAYS seperate them when feeding.

_________________
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Joltman · #4 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 08:06 PM

that is a very good point there mr. ed. I keep my bci together in some of my cages but I ALWAYS feed separate.
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SteveJor · #5 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 08:57 PM

Personally, I do not think BP's and BCI's should be housed together but I have seen it. That is what caused me to bring up this topic. They lay around on top of each other, soak together, and use the same hides. I was always under the impression that this would stress a BP and they need privacy. I don't get it. Definitely feed seperately but how in the worls do people get BP's to eat period when they have BCI's as cage mates. The cage I saw had a pair of 3-4 foot BP's and a pair of 5-6 foot BCI's. I would think that the size difference alone would cause problems. Not too mention the temp and humidity requirement differences.
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coferj · #6 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 09:17 PM

Not to mention a BP and a BCI react differently, and host different types of bacteria and germs that may, at times, be lethal to the other. I've always read and heard that, anyway.
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Ed_r · #7 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 09:26 PM

This is going to sound wierd but from my experience my BPs really seem to enjoy another snakes company. Granted I have never tried putting them with a BCI but with the other BPs they all curl right up and enjoy themselves.
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pincess_wy · #8 (**permalink**) 08-05-2002, 09:38 PM

I agree with ya, Ed-- my BPs are in fact curled up right now, in the same hide log. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

About keeping BCIs and BPs together.... it would seem like the size/weight difference might be kind of dangerous (for the samller ones.)
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#9 (**permalink**) 08-06-2002, 08:13 AM

Enclosure ? Isn't that a type of CAGING for a reptile ?

UMmmm.. Are you the same person who keeps repeatedly placing posts in forums that have absolutely NO binding relationship to where you place them at all ? Thus making more work for me [ now if I could just get other admins to "move" incorrectly placed forums it would lighten this up even from my end ] in having to serve an eviction notice, pack the posts baggage up and then send em on the "fly" to the correct forum.. Of course not until after I place a note such as this one on the thread also. REALLy, HONESTLY... There is NO need to try and make sure that I have enough work to do here on RTb at all. I find plenty to do and a bit of time by NOT having to do things like this with postings would give me even more time to post around the forums or do other admin stuff as well. Thanx though for making sure that there is always plenty to do here
Soo were you the one that placed the tree boa/python post in the wrong area that I recently left a note like this one on also ?

moving this post to caging forum...
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Kent K25 · #10 (**permalink**) 05-31-2003, 05:28 PM

Just goin through lots of old posts to try and acquire knowledge, but have seen a few posts with different ideas on this subject.
Here is a more specific question. 2 BCI's in a boaphile 421d (4x2x1). does that work or should it be strictly a temporary thing and not advised?
Now i know that if they are very different in size it would be bad and if they are both quite large but the same size that would be cramped, but how about two small ones, not litter mates together?
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Bry · #11 (**permalink**) 05-31-2003, 05:41 PM

Well, as long as the two boas aren't too large, which would make living space cramped, I think it would be okay as a temporary solution. Just make sure you know both snakes are healthy, and keep an eye on them for any possible signs of stress. When keeping snakes together, I like to add 1 or 2 extra hides. Due to losing a few cages while moving, I currently have two female hog island boas temporarily residing in a rather large cage (4' x 2' x 18&quot

for their size. I also have a young bullsnake and an albino gopher temporarily living together until I can afford to buy new housing. All these snakes living together are of similar size, and it doesn't seem to affect their health or appetites, but, I do pay a little more attention to these four. You know, just in case.

Bry
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