I am not sure I agree with that idea. If you aren't prepared to do twice as much work, maybe you shouldn't have two snakes?

This statement makes utterly no sense; it has no significance to what I said. Basically, I was implying you'd still be cleaning up two snakes' feces, and of course you'd have to be able to handle it.

Just because it is easier, doesn't mean it is better. Another way to look at this is that you will have two snakes crawling through each other's feces (at least temporarily).

A very good point I would agree with, except that, have you ever noticed--when kept in a big enough enclosure--that snakes (especially hognose snakes now that I really think about it) always crawl around or over freshly laid feces, even each other's? Yes, they may crawl over the feces after they have dried and hardened, but that is not as unsanitary and unhealthy as if they were to crawl over freshly laid feces which would stick to them and definitely cause some health problems. Just notice how they avoid them. And occasional baths wouldn't hurt...

Have I ever kept more than one snake in a cage.....of course. Did I think it was optimal.....no.

Perhaps not, and perhaps I agree with you, unless--as I quickly mentioned previously--you have a big enough enclosure and stay on top of it well. But perhaps if you can afford separate enclosures and have the space, all specimens would be better off being kept separately, you're right.

Both Heterodon nasicus and platirhinos have been recorded eating snakes in the wild. They may not do it often, but they do eat snakes. Westerns have been recorded eating Thamnophis and Coluber. I doubt those were wild feeding accidents.

Alright, now this where you obviously didn't understand a word I was saying. Please read again:

'No species of Heterodon, Lioheterodon, or Lystrophis will naturally prey on themselves, not even if they are famished. Cannibalism in hognose snakes has only occurred in captivity, by accident of course, and during feeding time I'd be willing to bet.'

Yes, hognose snakes have been known to eat other snakes in the wild, but that's OTHER snakes, such as Thamnophis and Coluber, as you mentioned; and those were not feeding accidents. Hognose snakes have NEVER been known to naturally prey on themselves.

There have been instances of them eating each other in captivity. Just read the archives for this forum and see. Some of those may have been feeding "errors", I don't know. I just know I don't risk keeping my hogs together.

I suppose you have a legitimate reason for prefering not to house hognose snakes together, but even here, you say, "...in captivity." Indeed cannibalistic acts that have taken place in captivity were feeding errors, for my mian point in this argument is just the fact that hognose snakes do NOT naturally prey on themselves, it is not their intention. Trust me...I've had several close calls in the terrarium where my hognose snakes have almost eaten each other, but I could see they were clearly mishaps, they were not really trying to each other. Again, the only point I've been trying to make in this argument is that no species of Heterodon, Lioheterodon, or Lystrophis are naturally cannibalistic, yet I understand cannibalism has occurred in captivity, but only on error. Hognose snakes may be kept together, but caution should be taken during feeding time, simple as that.

I don't keep my eastern kingsnakes together either for the very same reason. The only difference is one of probability, but both probabilities are unacceptable to me.

Now, this last statement--used as an 'analogy' if you will--is very ignorant to me because kingsnakes actually are cannibalistic, so of course you wouldn't keep them together. It was just useless to mention this because it's a whole different ball game than with hognose snakes.



Thanks,

T.J. Gould

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