Update on enclosure story

[Stargazer]

Dear friends, as the story goes....I have 2 rtbs housed together in a 40 gallon tank as per below:
One is a BCC male and the other is a BCI female. They are both yearlings. They reptile store guys who are also breeders told me it was perfectly fine to house them together. They said as long as the temp is high, they will not breed, and they are not cannibalistic. HOWEVER, everyone on this site said I should separate them! After much research of enclosures, I have decided to get a 75 gallon tank on a stand to go against the TV wall in the pic--for the fast growing girl. Just thought I'd see if ANYONE out there thinks it's still okay to house them together in the bigger cage. What d'yall think? I will go ahead and separate them, but I wish so much that they could still be together. They love to cuddle up together, and BOY could I use the extra space in my tiny condo.

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[owen.richards]

i wouldnt...what happes if one poos out bugs? then you will have to wait till they both poo to find out which one it was...by then the parasites may travel to the other snake and you will have 2 spend 2 times the money on vet bills

[Xeikeness]

In all honesty, it is your own personal choice. I keep some of my snakes together in the same cage if they seem to enjoy it. If they seem stressed, start getting aggressive or headshy, stop eating, etc., then you know you need to seperate them.

There are, and always will be, a lot of "ifs" surrounding multiple animals being housed together. It is ultimately your descision, entirely workable or not depending on your own preferances, and how far you intend on going to insure that they both stay happy and healthy.

Parasites are a problem, as with even a lone snake. Diseases can be a problem by the same coin. But strict care, daily cleaning, weekly disinfecting, seperated out-of-cage feeding in (duh) seperate boxes, I think it's entirely doable. Know your species, know your snakes.

When you know all the facts, everything else is up to you, as their owner, to decide for yourself.

My BP and RTB both throw fits if I seperate them, they go off food, and won't stop searching their cages for weeks on end... I put them together, and all returns to normal.

Other people put animals together and they get stressed, or worse. Every animal is different. Know your snakes is foremost in the descision to do multiple housing.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

[Stargazer]

Wow, I've never heard of snakes going off feed if they are separated. You're the first person on the site that is not totally against housing them together. My BCC is very thin, and so I will need to separate them to check him for parasites. I think I will separate them for a while to see how they do. He is very thin and seems a little too nervous when I pick him up. So I will see if separating them will make a difference. Ultimately I want to do what's best for them but it's so hard to know what that is.

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

[deadliestformula]

Originally Posted by Xeikeness

My BP and RTB both throw fits if I seperate them, they go off food, and won't stop searching their cages for weeks on end... I put them together, and all returns to normal.

What cage temps are you using in this setup? And although their temp variations and humidity ranges are not too different,Housing a Boa with a Ball is asking for bad luck.
Here is a link that you should check out about a particular incidence of a Boa EATING a Ball that was its cagemate. The story is about halfway down the page.
Boa constrictor Page

[Yungair23]

One will outgrow the other (most likely the female bci). Then you will have a big snake laying on a little snake stressing it out all the time. I wouldnt unless they are in their for breednig purposes which there not right now. Tubs work well for quick housing solutions and are cheap and some are really see through. I use the big VE175's (reptiletubs.com) for my adult boa. I get them at walmart for alot cheaper.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.