Reptile & Amphibian Forums

thanks for replies

Always best, for MANY reasons, to have ONE snake per cage. If you absolutely insist on cohabitation...Snakes of vastly differing sizes is not the way to do it. Do yourself (and especially your snakes) a favor...Get another cage. Duffy

What the other poster did not mention are the reasons.
1. There is always a chance that you could have a male and female. The male will try to breed the female too early and stunt her growth
2. Although unlikely, corns Can be cannabalistic. I have never seen it myself, but have been told it happens.
3. this could put stress on both snakes
4. I had two yearling females together and one layed eggs. I confirmed they were both females. i was told that it happens sometimes, and a reason is competition and stress from the other snake.
5. with two housed together, if there is a health issue, you are not going to know who has the issue. Sometimes by the time you figure it out, its too late.
6. same thing, but if one has a health issue, it could get the other sick

thats what I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure there are more reasons.
I believe that telling someone No without the reasons, why is not going to get the point across. I hope these reasons help you understand why its not a good idea
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**********Misty**********
I don't suffer from insanity.... I enjoy every minute of it!

>>thanks for replies

COHABITATION
MY OPINION

I feel it is best to keep snakes separate.
I know a lot of people keep multiple snakes together without problems and it can obviously be done without being detrimental to the snakes. I just feel the possible drawbacks need to be expressed.
When a person gets the experience and knowledge of each individual snake and wants to try co-habitation, it is up to them. They just need to be careful and able to read the subtle signs of their snakes.
There can be definite drawbacks.
If one snake becomes sick there is a very good likelihood the other/others will get sick as well.
It may also take a while (usually too long) to determine which one is the sick one.
If one regurgitates its food you won't know which one unless you happen to get lucky and see it.
If one has a problem stool you won't know which one. Once again one may have a problem but by the time you figure out which one the other/others could end up with the same problem.
Although this is only a slight possibility, it is still a possibility and has been know to happen, one snake could eat the other. The smell of a prey item could trigger one snake to eat the other. Or simple hunger accompanied by a ready food source.
Although uncommon, it has happened and is a possibility.
Another possibility is unwanted pregnancy. A female might get pregnant and you may not have the knowledge, desire or ability to incubate the eggs or raise the hatchlings. With hatchlings comes the responsibility to raise them or find them homes.
A lot of people rationalize by saying, "I will just put two males or two females together". That can work but mistakes can easily be made, especially with hatchlings. You could easily end up with a male and female.
There is also a chance of a female breeding too young or too small and becoming egg-bound. Although uncommon, it IS a possibility and can happen.
With multiple snakes in an enclosure you stand the chance of loosing all of them if there happens to be an avenue of escape. Instead of losing one you could loose two or more depending on how many you decide to place together.
One or both of the snakes could be stressed by the presence of the other. Stress can cause a drop in appetite and lead to other health problems as well.
People will put multiple snakes in an enclosure and ask why one isn't eating.
When they are told it is probably due to stress caused by the other snake, the response is almost always the same "they like each other, they are always under the same hide together". Well this probably just means "that" hide or area of the tank has the optimum conditions they are looking for.
Snakes do not LIKE each other or ENJOY each other’s company.
There is no capacity for snakes to "like" or "enjoy".
I have kept multiple snakes together without problems but have made a choice to keep them separate. There is NO clear argument on why you SHOULD keep them together but there ARE clear arguments as to why you SHOULD NOT.
So, in my opinion, although people do it successfully I just don't think it is worth the risk.
If you decide to keep multiple snakes together, watch closely for any signs of appetite loss, regurgitation or any kind of “personality” changes. These could all be signs of stress.
You would also want to feed them in separate containers and give them an hour or so before putting them back together.
My 2 cents
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

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Hey Jimmy, do you have that saved on your PC some where? It seems you have to post it quite often and I'd hate to type that up everytime. LOL
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**********Misty**********
I don't suffer from insanity.... I enjoy every minute of it!

>>Hey Jimmy, do you have that saved on your PC some where? It seems you have to post it quite often and I'd hate to type that up everytime. LOL
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cut and paste....lol
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

_____

It must get old doing it 5x a week
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

>>It must get old doing it 5x a week
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As long as it helps.
If I can get the information out there without stepping on toes or hurting feelings I feel it can only help us all in the long run.

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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

_____

Ive heard that the larger snake could smother the smaller one because they curl up together.....I agree with the others(seperate enclosures)
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Amel,Green Snow,Okatee,Motley Stripe,Hypos X 2,Snow females. Anery male, and pairs of Candys,Butter,and Motley Creamsicles