Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what would you reccomend for a close to if not foot long corn snake, what other reptiles would he get along with i have him in a 55 gallon aquarium and he looks lonely...lol do you think maybe another same size snake or a lizard...im just wondering im talking to a breeder about their reptiles and thinking about getting him a friend

As far as I know, snakes don't need buddies. They live alone in the wild.

yeah i know thats why i am asking cause i see at alot of reptile shops 2 snakes to a cage and they seem to be best friends lol and i have a big enough cage for 2 snakes to stretch out i just dont know if i should or not

Snakes don't curl up together or hang out because they are buddies or friends. The only time they do by choice is during mating season and thats really only when copulating. The reason you see several snakes in the same enclosure in pet shops is because the pet shop enclosures are temporary housing for those snakes. Also the good pet shops have isolation enclosures in the back that they use to seperate and treat snakes from any enclosure where someone gets sick.

The biggest problem, other then cannibalism depending on species, is being able to identify health issues. If there is only one snake in an enclosure then you know which one regurged but if there are multiple then you might have no way of knowing. Similarly you won't know which one dropped that disturbing looking pile of excrement. Lastly if they are housed communally then if one gets sick then it will most likely get the other snake sick so you can lose two snakes for the price of one.

There are numerous reasons not to house snakes communally and the only real reason to do it is for a display setup. If you decide you just have to do it then be sure to do yourself and the snakes a huge favor and have a seperate appropriate enclosure for each snake on standby so that at the first sign of trouble for either of the snakes you can move them all into individual enclosures for identification of the problem and treatment.

Sean.
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1.1 BRB
0.1 Pacific Gophersnake(unproven Hypo)
1.0 Amel Pacific Gophersnake
0.1 Striped Anery Pacific Gophersnake
1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
0.1 Silver TPRS
1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
0.1 Reeve's Turtle
0.2 Amstaff's
1.0 Pudytat

only snake I have ever heard of that likes and needs to be in a group are baby garter snakes (wandering garter snakes to be exact, they seem to thrive and eat better if housed in a group than individually).

Snakes at petstores or reptile shows are housed together for convenience and not for the animals benefit. They don't need a buddy nor want one. They are NOT social animals. In cages they may coil together or use the same hide but they only do this because they have no other choice if they want shelter or heat or both.

Snakes are not humans...they do not have desires for companionship, being held, etc. They are very primitive live forms with very basic needs... shelter, warmth, food, procreation. They can learn to recognize the scent of their owners and become comfortable with being handled simply because they realize they are not in a danger situation. (ie they learn we are not going to eat them so they don't get defensive when held).

Though some snakes can be housed with other animals I dont' recommend it for beginners. Any mixed species style setup should only be done by those very familiar with the needs, habitat and nature of each individual species and have experience keeping each species separately so they can recognize danger signs. Reptiles are not very forthcoming in showing why they are not eating or thriving.

Best to just stick with your one snake or do as another posted suggested, divide your cage into two then have two snakes individually kept.
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PHLdyPayne

ok thank you much better explanation...ill probably just get another habitat set up

>>what would you reccomend for a close to if not foot long corn snake, what other reptiles would he get along with i have him in a 55 gallon aquarium and he looks lonely...lol do you think maybe another same size snake or a lizard...im just wondering im talking to a breeder about their reptiles and thinking about getting him a friend

Corn snakes can and do eat lizards so that's not a good idea. Don't think of a lizard larger then the snake because some lizards will eat anything that moves...not to mention the simple fact that their living requirements will be different.
Corn snakes are solitary animals they do not need companionship.
I will add a little list of reasons to think long and hard about keeping corns together.
What you can do is partition the 55 gallon tank to allow you to keep two snakes in the tank. I will add a photo at the bottom.

now a little to think about when it comes to co-habitation

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.

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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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I have not read the other posters, so forgive me if I am repeating.
I am just going to list instead of posting
1. Mixing different speccies in the same tank is not recommended
2. Mixing different size snakes in the same tank is not recommended
3. Snakes are solitary creatures by nature, so don't need "friends"
4. Cohabitation is not recommended even if the animals are the same size and species. There are many reasons for that and I am sure Draybar will post his reasons behind that.

If you are really sure you want more than one snake in a cage, make sure they are the same type, size and sex. Also make sure the snakes are not known to be canabalistic. Hope this helps
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****Misty****

www.sneakyserpents.com

"Due to intense Mind fog, all thoughts have been grounded."

looks like you were posting when I was on the phone, with the posting screen up. When I finally posted, you had already done so!
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****Misty****

www.sneakyserpents.com

"Due to intense Mind fog, all thoughts have been grounded."

>>I don't really have any thoughts on the subject
I like to keep my opinions to myself.

oops, April fools day already passed didn't it?

Ok, maybe I do have a few thoughts on the subject...LOL
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

_____

LMAO. Everyone knows that you have an opinion on cohabitation. You can't fool us now!
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****Misty****

www.sneakyserpents.com

"Due to intense Mind fog, all thoughts have been grounded."

Jimmy Im gald to see you comment on this. I have cage that I do keep two males together in. They seem to be ok but when my rack system is finished they will be housed in seprate bins. They are in what we call the town house and they are never on the same level or in the same hide which is always good. Both fed in seprate boxes and are in seprate feeding boxes over night it gives me time to clean. I dont recomend this to anyone I have had the animals for a few years and didnt put them together for about a year. I got to know how they act and the personality. I have just got to the point that I now need to build a rack system 10,20,40 gat tanks take up alot of room when you have quite a few snakes .... lol i want part of my house back..
Tom