Do snakes prefer a companion?

[scooby]

Hey everyone,

First off, thanks for all the help recently! :

I have one female braziilan rainbow boa and she is about 10 months old now. I was debating about getting her a male friend after I move in another few months. The cage I have her in is 4X2X2 so I think it would be big enough for both of them. However, will she be nice to her new companion? Will they all of a sudden one day (when reach sexual maturity) just start mating? Will she get protective about her space as soon as a new BRB is introduced?

Just wondering all these little questions [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Thanks!
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[Boaguy]

no , snakes arent social ,... only when mating.
it will only stress them.. make them share decieses.. parasites ect.
i once kept mine together they fought. so i dont think its a good idea
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[Reticu-Lady]

I also read somewhere that breeding attempts are usually more successful if the snakes are seperated and only allowed together for breeding purposes. I am guessing that may be due to the stress factor, don't know for sure, though, but it seems a good guess.
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[Dragon]

I gotta say that some of our snakes are allowed to free roam the reptile room when we are in and they very often follow each other about. I don't mean that they both find a warm spot and hug it, I mean that one of them will watch where the other is going and follow it's every move, curling around each other and seeming to enjoy the company of the other.

Has anybody done any studies in the wild to see if snakes congregate together in "social groups"? I find it strange that supposedly non social animals spend so much time together when free to do so.
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[Clairebear]

Hi Boaguy [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] What species of snake were they that fought with each other?

Ive seen it said that snakes aren't social a few times and it surprised me..
Here we have pairs of boas, carpets, corns, garters,hognoses that snuggle up and often follow and watch each other.
Our blood pythons dont seem particularly 'aware' of each other but they dont seem stressed either.

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[east_stingray]

I don't know how much relevance this has to the discussion, but I know that Southern Diamondback Rattlesnakes and other types of rattlesnakes retreat to huge "hybernation caves" when it gets cold in their habitat. These caves have been known to have hundreds of rattlesnakes, sometimes of different breeds. So in my opinion, anyone who has had experience with snakes not being social... perhaps the snake was of poor disposition.
Just my .02

-East
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[NYCSpeedcore]

I don't believe you should mix species of animals together or house like animals together for that matter, but I also think there are cases where it works out. I have a friend that owns a JWorlds custom enclosure that is around 6x8x3' and it holds a 7' Colombian, a few turtles, and a few geckos. They all seem to co-exist just fine. I have also observed multiple rattlesnakes sunning themselves without seeming to care the slightest about one another. I would be curious if rattlesnakes could be somewhat of a "social" snake along with a few others.
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[Jamie]

I keep a pair of Hog Island Boas & a pair of Surinams together with no problems. The Suri's very rarely get pi$$ed with each other, but they don't fight. It should be said though that breeding is unlikely if I keep things as they are. It is fairly well known that they will usually only mate if kept separately & only housed together when mating should occur. If you ain't worried about them mating or not, go for it, but if they fight, be prepared to get another cage!
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	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.

	Hog Island Boa hogg