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I want to get a corn this spring but my 11yo wants one too, is it possible to keep two in a large tank.If not its no big deal I will let him get one as I have a couple other snakes already.Also I need to know this first, as juviniles are they pretty tame? I want something he can handle right away. I have been considering a bullsnake but I really want something with a minimum of taming..Right now he owns a wild caught skink with a seriously bad attitude but my son loves him anyway and continues to handle him even if the little bugger trys to bite him everytime. But he is just a little scared of my very tame ball which I dont really understand. Anyway soryy this is so long I just want to help him make the right choice for a first snake..Thanks

alot of people say no to housing corns together for several reasons...its been a pretty heated debate on here heh but IMO i think if u knew what you were doing and had a large enough enclosure with lots of hides i think it would be ok as long as u knew signs of stress, knew the sex so there wouldnt be breeding unless wanted. still though lots of people say no..i personally wont try it. as for the corns being tame, most are very tame from juvi's i have a very nice baby corn she is about 18 inches long and hasnt bit once, she also stretches out from my hand to the feeding bin sometimes and brings the mouse to me heh anyway i couldnt see it being a problem for your son, they say they are great starter snakes ...thats what i started with and already i love snakes cal king and corn soon to be more heh
Chuck

n/p

I found a really great cage for my ball which leaves me an extra tank so If I want two I do have the housing available now.So problem is solved. I thank you for all your advice I have learned more about snakes since I found this site. Thanx all

There are many beliefs, ideas and opinions on the subject so why not voice my own.
It is not truly worth the risk. Yes, there are a lot of people who keep multiple corns together with success, BUT,
there are things to consider.
If one of the snakes regurgitates its food or has a runny stool there is no way to tell which one has the problem.
If one gets sick it is a pretty high likelihood that the other will also.
Some corns are stressed by the presence of other snakes. You might have one or both of the snakes have eating problems and possibly other problems due to stress.
There is always a chance of cannibalism. Even if you separate the snakes when feeding there is the possibility that the lingering smell of mouse could trigger a feeding response in one of the snakes. On feeding day you have two and the next day you look into the container to see only one and that one is extremely full. There is also a good chance that this hatchling could die if it can't digest a meal of that size. Cannibalism isn't common but it has happened. It is a possibility.
If you keep a male and female together you could be asking for trouble. There is always the chance they will breed before the female is actually old enough or large enough to carry the eggs successfully. She could become eggbound and even die. Also fairly uncommon but it too has happened.
So, you say well I'll keep two males or two females together. Most people who acquire hatchlings do not know their sex. It is easy for even experienced breeders to miss-sex very young snakes. Some people won't find out the sex of their snakes until later on but will rationalize "well, they've been together this long, it shouldn't be a problem." but it Can be a problem.
There is no real clear argument as to why you should keep them together but there are clear arguments as to why you should not.
I don't consider "well I have done it for years without problems" to be a valid argument as to the advantages of keeping two snakes together. Other then space I see no valid advantages.
So, in my opinion, although people do it successfully I just don't think it is worth the risk.

Personally, I wouldn't start with a bull snake. I think a corn would be a better option. Much calmer in my opinion. Especially for someone that is seemingly timid around snakes.
If you have a large tank you could always partition it into halves. This would allow for two habitats in one.
I have done this and it has worked well. I will take a few pics and post them tomorrow evening.
Or instead of purchasing one large tank you could go with two 20 gallon "longs".
Or even go with RubberMade sweater boxes. They are cheap and work quite well.
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Remember, my posts are MY opinion only.
Jimmy (draybar)

Unless im breeding them, they stay in there own tanks.As for bullsnakes there a bit nippy as juvies.The one plus about bulls is there alot more active than corns.One of the snakes on my wishlist is the texas strain from John Cherry.I emailed him with alot of questions and he answered me the next day.The texas strain can get eight feet and John assured me there very mellow and he would rather use them, than any python in presentations...Paul.

>>Unless im breeding them, they stay in there own tanks.As for bullsnakes there a bit nippy as juvies.The one plus about bulls is there alot more active than corns.One of the snakes on my wishlist is the texas strain from John Cherry.I emailed him with alot of questions and he answered me the next day.The texas strain can get eight feet and John assured me there very mellow and he would rather use them, than any python in presentations...Paul.

Interesting...I've have seriously thought about a bullsnake as my next addition when I decide to branch away from corns. I might have to check John's bulls out.
Thanks for that little bit of info, Paul.
Jimmy