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Hey, I am considering getting a little Green snake (Opheodrys aestivus) to live with my two year old motley corn. My only concern is the green snake is quite small and my corn is a little over three feet and seems to want to eat anything it could fit in its' mouth.

Corn snakes don't often eat other snakes I know but does anyone have any experience with this? Is it too much of a risk or should it be fine?

Thanks,
Stuart

and my corn is a little over three feet and seems to want to eat anything it could fit in its' mouth. >>>

In my opinion it's not a good idea.. but, I think you have answered you own question

~ Mike

I agree with Mike and am sure Jimmy will post his wonderfull thread. But here are a few more in depth reasons why not to do it.
Almost ALL smooth and rough scaled green snakes are wild caught. So there is a major risk of parasites and disease, You need to provide a LOT of climbing space for the green snake and this will take up a LOT of your corns tank, the green snake eats insects and (A) the corn won't appreciate the bugs climbing all over it, and (B) the insects can actually injure the snake if left in there too long. Furthermore, the green snake needs uvb light and (assuming) your corn hasn't been exposed to massive amounts of overhead lighting it will most likely stress it out. Since they both need extremely different housing I don't see why you wouldn't just get them their own enclosures. Go get yourself an exo terra vivarium it looks great and should only be like $60!
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.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"

"Have you ever tried simply turning off the T.V., sitting down with your kids... and hitting them?"

>>Hey, I am considering getting a little Green snake (Opheodrys aestivus) to live with my two year old motley corn. My only concern is the green snake is quite small and my corn is a little over three feet and seems to want to eat anything it could fit in its' mouth.
>>
>>Corn snakes don't often eat other snakes I know but does anyone have any experience with this? Is it too much of a risk or should it be fine?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Stuart

Hey Stuart,
They have answered your question quite sufficiently so I will not expand on their answers but I will add my little "post" on co-habitation.
This is generally for corns but I think there are some issues touched on here that would cover your situation.

COHABITATION
MY OPINION

I feel it is best to keep snakes separate.
I know a lot of people can and do keep multiple snakes together without problems. I just feel the possible drawbacks need to be expressed.
When a person gets the experience and knowledge of each individual snake in his care, and wants to try co-habitation, it is up to them. They just need to be careful and observant enough to see and understand the subtle signs of stress in their snakes.
There can be definite drawbacks in co-habitation.
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 and 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. Cannibalism can and does occur with corn snakes. The smell of a prey item could trigger one snake to eat the other. Or simple hunger accompanied by a ready food source could do the same. Although uncommon, it has happened and is a possibility.
Another possibility is unwanted pregnancy. A female may become gravid and you may not have the knowledge, desire or ability to incubate the eggs, care for the hatchlings and find homes for them. With hatchlings comes added responsibility.
A lot of people rationalize by saying, "I will just put two males or two females together". That can work but mistakes can 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 the same enclosure you could easily loose them all 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.
With multiple snakes in an enclosure, one or all of them could be stressed by the presence of the others. Stress can cause a drop in appetite and 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 are NO good arguments as to why you SHOULD keep them together but there ARE several good 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, shedding problems, regurgitation or “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 Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

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