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I got 4 corn snakes 15 months ago for my classroom(2 males/2females) and I caged them togehter. I had all intentions to seperate into 2 cages when they turned about 8 months old - I never did this. They now live in a 55 gallon tank with plenty of hides and crawling areas and seem to be happy. They all are over 3 feet long and have a nice waist line. Am I asking for trouble? Can I leave them alone? They aren't seperated in the wild. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

from snakes that are probably younger than is healthy for breading. Send me the hatchlings : )

They aren't separated in the wild, but they also don't live together in the wild - especially in a 48x13 area. Snakes are not social and keeping them together can cause stress that may lead to illness. And if one get's ill it is possible that they all will become ill = big vet bill.

Some people do keep multiples together with no problems - these are usually very experienced herpers. If you insist on keeping them together despite the risks, you need to be certain your setup is correct (temps, tank size, etc), that they are feed in separate containers and that they have plenty of hides all over to choose from.

Hope this helps!
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1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
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0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
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Also, see the post a few threads down called "Keeping Corns Together".
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My Album

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

If one gets irritated it may eat another one...

Also, normally it's not safe to breed corns under three years...you could cuase major damage toy your females.
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Chris Vanderwees
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With two males in the same cage with 2 females, both who are of breeding age (though most breeders recommend waiting till the females are at least two years old before being bred), there is a high chance the males will fight eachother to breed the females. Also, the size of cage is rather small for 4 snakes.

I would separate them all into their own cages right away. It being winter it is a chance the females may not have been bred yet but be prepared for eggs if they have. If you can't get 4 separate cages, then at least, separate the females from the males.

I would seperate the males...maybe put one male and one female in each cage, that way you don't have 4 cages to deal with in a classroom.

Yes you are, the females are to young to breed. With the males in the cage copulation will happen and you will probably loose the female.

I put a male in with a female for just a few minutes to clean a cage and the 15 month old female breed and 45 days later after laying the eggs she died. Learn from my mistakes.

tom

Instead of 1.1 in each cage, you should do 2. and .2 for the next six months to a year.