Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I'm new here and have a female ball python named Pisces who I bought from a pet store. She is a wonderful snake and my roomate has another female ball python about the same age and size and wanted to house them together. Both came for habitats that contained other ball pythons. Since both are about the same size I didnt think it would be an issue but wanted to get some advice before putting them together. Thanks for any help!

You can do what you wont to but I say NO! this would increase there stress level and they may stop eating . It is always best to house them separately . David of DS Reptile Rescue , Removal & Rehabilitation

Many people argue both points of this question. Many have had success with more then one snake in a tank, others prefer solitary snakes.
Personally, I keep mine seperate. Less stress, no wondering who is sick if I find a regurgitation (Haven't yet, luckily.)
And most of all...what if his is male? Are you ready for surprise eggs one day...because it will happen.

Just some things to look at.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

I'm against housing them together. This is why:

http://ballpython.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3358
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~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

Ewww...
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

All snakes being solitary by nature, it only makes sense to house them seperately. As stated, there can be issues with passing disease from one to another. Dominance may or may not be an issue. This usually only occures between males during breeding season, and is not likely, unless there's a significant size difference, to cause one to go off feed or be canibalized. The canibalism, I believe, is more related to the canibal being underfed to begin with. Balls aren't canibalistic by nature, like King snakes or some others, and probably won't resort to this unless they aren't given other choices. Yes, all snakes are opertunists, but I think this is overexagerated.

All that being said, I have a pair of Balls that have lived together for 16 years now with NO issues.

Quig
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

Hate to spoil your fun but all snake are cannibalistic by nature and that has been stated by more than a handful of Biologists and Herpetologists , All it take is the right Secom stances . David of DS Reptile Rescue

Carnivourus and opertunistic by nature, yes, but not canibalistic. Some snakes naturally eat nothing but toads(hog nosed snakes), frogs and fish (garter snakes), worms (DeKays snakes) and birds (GTPs). Other snakes like king snakes and cobras, to name just a couple, are snake eaters almost exclusively. There is the difference.

I think if a snake is hungry and can't find what it normally eats it will certainly eat another snake if it happens by at the wrong time, but this isn't the norm. I don't think that makes them canibalistic, just opertunistic.

If given no other choice humans will eat other humans. Does that make the whole race canibals? Just my thoughts on the matter.

Quig
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

I agree with you Quig...

Its called survival of the fittest. And animals like humans will do what it takes to survive.
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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

2.1 chocolate labs and bassett (Harley, Barker and Capone)
1.0 leopard gecko (Nacho)

Quig you explain it better than I took time to and I agree with what your saying but any living thing that will eat it own kind rather than perish IS CANABOLISTIC BY NATURE . Thanks David

Dave, it's early and I don't mean to beat this to death but to be canibalistic by nature , in my mind, would mean to prefer eating ones own kind. An animal that would do this soley to survive is doing it out of necessity. And after reading what I just wrote, I guess naturally or out of necessity still makes one a canibal, at least for the time being . Maybe I'm beating a dead horse here.

Quig
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

by saying this do you mean that humans are canabalistic by nature, because humans have been known to eat each other in cases of survival.

Nope, by necessity There are things that happen in a life, anythings life, that cause them to do things out of the norm.
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

Yes !David

Thank You!!!

That is the best reply I have seen

I usually post the book pics when I reply to some thing like This...

Bottom Line... 2 snakes - 2 enclosures ...3 snakes - 3 enclosures!

Generally - snakes are solitary animals and do not need or like the company of others. This being said many people have successfully raised balls together - and if you practic excellent husbandry - then all the "issues" with raising them together aren't really big issues.

I wouldn't recommend putting juvenile or adults together - but if you are willing to put in the extra effort involved - raising babies together might be ok. I would recommend that you have them properly sexed first as well. I would not recommend raising a male female pair together - nor two males as there are other issues that will come into play upon their maturity.

I definitely would recommend separate cages - but I've learned that people generally will do what they want to do even if advised not to - if you are going to try to raise them together - please use every caution to insure their comfort and health - do not make them compete nor sacrifice their sense of security for their needs.
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Tosha
JET Pythons

Very well said . David

Thank you all for the input sounds like I will not be housing the two snakes together.