Reptile & Amphibian Forums

sorry for bumping this up, but it was buried in another post. someone was concerned that i was keeping two BP's in the same cage. this was my response.....

Of course no one at the pet store objected, and this salesperson seemed a bit more knowledgeable than the usual idiots, so far i haven't seen any signs of stress, in fact they seem to get along quite well together, they always share the same hide, have never seen any aggressive behaviour. there is one thing tho i chalked it up to different personalities. the smaller snake is very active especially after handling, constantly moving and checking out his cage. the other also likes to be handled and is active for a short time after it is put back into the cage, but then tends to be inactive (not curled up in a defensive posture) just kind of chilling out. until morning when they both head to the low temp hide.
housing is in a 20 long with 3 hides a cool, a warm, and a rough cork bark hide covering the water bowl in the middle.
artificial vines along one side and the back, and a wooden climbing perch.
mike

your setup sounds pretty and congenial, but things can change quickly.

My son and I put six young balls (2.4) into a six foot long 125 gallon tank. One night he thought one of them had gotten out - until he realized that one of the males was significantly heavier than he'd been the day before . . . .

We're now at 2.3, and looking at rack systems.

~Bruce (No, there weren't any mice in the cage that day - why do you ask?)

yikes! sorry to hear about your bp becoming snake chow,how old was it btw? I'd like to hear from others that have kept more than one bp in a cage, good or bad.
thanks
Mike

They're all '07 youngsters, though some of them are larger than others due to how much they've eaten. For some reason, my son's remaining three snakes are all better eaters - and larger - than my two. One of mine has eaten two day-old mouse pinks since she arrived, and the other hasn't eaten yet. (Beginning to consider making a forced introduction between snake and ratpinkie - I've so far tried live, freshkilled, frozen/thawed mice and confining the snake in a small space with a live rat pinkie. End result was a cranky, hungry rat pinkie.)

~Bruce

Two day old mouse pinks? Really? Maybe you meant two day old rat pinks?

I wanted to leave live prey overnight with my hatchlings so I used large, fat mouse fuzzies that were a day or two away from opening their eyes. Large enough to be a meal, small enough not to hurt the babies. That worked for me.

If you are still housing them together, that could be a major reason some are eating better and growing better than others. It's a natural curve - the 'fittest' will grow fast, eat well, and thrive, while some will not do quite as well, still grow, eat, and do okay...while some will seem to always be at the bottom. Look at any group of young animals or humans, and there will always be that curve - some at the top, some (or most) in the middle, and those few that are at the bottom just not doing as good as the rest.
Seperating your babies should help with the ones on the bottom. No more competing for resources, less stress, more growth!

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

well i feed then mouse fuzzies , and i always use a separate tub for feeding (same tub for both snakes, but one at time of course). right now it is just an empty plastic tupperware container, maybe 9x15" too big? too small?. should i put some bedding in it? or a hide? while i preheat the mice using the hot water method i don't have any heat on the feeding tub. should i put a basking light, regular lightbulb or ceramic heater on the tub? my thinking was max temp difference between food and environment would make it easier for the snaked to find prey. but if the snake is cold it might be stressed and not eat.
thanks
Mike

1) Mouse fuzzies are too small for anything except maybe hatchlings. Yours look like they can take adult mice without a problem.

2) 15 minutes in the bare, empty feeding tub is not a big deal. The snakes will either adapt to being moved from their home to eat or they will not. Changing things, especially lots of things at once, is stressful to the snake. Some snakes don't handle it well being moved from thier comfort zone to be fed, while some snakes don't seem to care at all. This potential situation is why it's usually easier all around to keep the snakes seperately. A shy snake can be fed in the cage where it feels secure and safe.

3) If the rodent is warm to the touch all the way through, it should be warm enough to feed to the snake. If you really want, you can stick it under a heat lamp for a while to really toast it up, but my snakes that eat F/T will take it when it's warm to the touch.

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

I used to keep to BP's together in the same tank. I never had any issues at all. Mine were not babies though. The female was adult and the male wasn't as old or as big, but was catching up. Made sure to take them each other for feedings and kept them well fed. I had these two BP's together in a 20 gallon long for a while and then moved them up to share a 55 gallon. Mine were always fine, but that doesn't mean that all will be.
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Ball Python
Great Basin Gopher snake
California Kingsnake
Corn Snake
Western Hognose

They are your snakes and you seem to be doing a good job caring for them. I say enjoy your pets and keep doing things like you are if it has been working. In my opinion, keeping them together really isnt that bad a thing as alot of people make it out. Many, many people do this and just dont mention it.

There is a holier than thou element on here that loves to criticize. Ignore these types and do what is best for your situation. The same people that always act SO concerned about the way everyone else cares for their animals, are usually the same people that will sell snakes to anyone and everyone with money and not give two craps what condition the snake will be kept so long as they make some money...

One thing however, I would make sure that you never feed them in the same cage. I can see the situation where one snake is starting to eat the mouse and the larger snake could grab the prey item from the other end and just keep on swallowing until it eats the other snake.

Best of luck and ask alot of questions.