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i have 2 corn snakes and 1 cage. they are both babies; one is a male and the other is a female. i've heard that raising them together in the same cage stresses them out. is that true? should i keep them together?

thanks,
rachel

>>i have 2 corn snakes and 1 cage. they are both babies; one is a male and the other is a female. i've heard that raising them together in the same cage stresses them out. is that true? should i keep them together?
>>
>>thanks,
>>rachel

Rachel,
I posted this below and quite a few other times. This is my stock answer to that question.
I just cut and paste when needed.
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.
I have done both without problem but have made a choice to keep them separate. There is no real clear argument on why you should keep them together but there are clear 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.
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Remember, my posts are MY opinion only.
Jimmy (draybar)

I've kept pairs and trios together for 13 years and had none of the above problems.

Re the health issue, in reality, if you have two or three snakes together and one of them is sick, it's easy to spot which one it is if you know your animals well enough. The sick animal can then be isolated so that you can collect stool samples, monitor for symptoms etc.

Much respect for the previous post and not saying it's wrong by any means - this is just my experience.

So your saying a someone new to snakes should just put them together?I cant agree with you there...Paul

As a person gains experience and learns what to look for as far as stress and other factors then let them do as they please. With enough experience they can keep snakes together successfully.
Sometimes.
Sometimes it just doen't work.
Unfortunately the part about removing the sick snake when it shows symptoms can sometimes be too late for it's cage mates.
Once one shows symptoms the other snakes could already be sick.
So, this brings me back to the question. This question is usually asked by beginners. It just isn't right to advise beginners to put multiple snakes together. They need time to learn their animals and time to adjust their husbandry as they gain knowledge. I just don't think it is worth the risk.
More then once I have seen someone come on here and ask "my snake is sick but I don't know why. I had one die just a few days earlier and I don't know what was wrong with it either."
first question asked..."were they kept together?"
"yes"
need I say more!
Remember, we want to make it as easy and safe as possible for new people to the hobby.
my ten cents worth...lol