Twice as nice

[tonymul]

Hi,
I was wondering - . I have kept corns, royal pythons, burmese and boas over a number of years but generally always as a single animal. I would certainly like to breed boas some time in the future.

I have found a reputable breeder in the UK - recommended by the IHS here in the UK and I am considering a purchase - he has a variety of boas that are carrying clutches currently - BCI, BCC, Mexican BCI - I was thinking of purchasing a male and female with the view to breeding in several years time. My question really concerns the viability of housing them both together. Is this something that is recommended or not, given that you have sufficient enclosure space to accomodate them. Obviously when small this is not an issue - I have a variety of cage options available from the 20 gallon setup to custom built 2ft X 2FT X 5FT wooden enclosures.

I always feed outside the cages they are kept in - generally in a seperate tote box - any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks
tonymul (Ireland) [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]
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	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.

[Reticu-Lady]

Hello,

I always keep my snakes housed singly, even if I have plans to breed. Of course, while breeding, they obviously need to be together [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] hehehe.
My reasons;
1. less stress to each animal, they do NOT get lonely,
2. easier to keep tracks on stools, sheds, etc. (record keeping is very important, especially for breeding animals,
3. if one gets sick, ONLY one gets sick. If kept together, they will both 'catch' it.
4. I think it is actually easier to keep separate cages instead of having to make one big enough for two hides on each side (cool and warm sides;one for each), two basking spots, etc.
5. maybe I am just lazy, but if one snake poo's and slithers through it, I only have to bathe one snake, not both because they both slithered through it. Plus, you know they will never poo on the same day, so you will be moving two snakes every time one poo's instead of just one snake.
I am sure there are ligitimate reasons for keeping snakes together, but I don't have any.
Best of luck to you in your breeding endeavor!
Oh, Welcome to RTB! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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[tonymul]

Thanks Just-Me - I hadn't thought about all of the practicalities that you have mentioned - I was concentrating more on the things in the early part of your message - i.e. Stress on the animals etc.

Tonymul [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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[Reticu-Lady]

heheh, well, maybe I do get carried away. I just want to help, though.
Take care!
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