That's nice, but it still doesn't answer the orginal question, which was about quarantine time.
While I appreciate your input, I do feel inclined to present the counterarguments. First of all, I've been keeping corns for six years; the little butter is the third snake. The big adult has a tank to himself. Second, I have every intention of feeding the co-habitating baby snakes in separate enclosures, so there is really no risk of them trying to eat each other in a mistaken prey strike. Third, these snakes are less than a foot long; they're not sexually mature, so they're not going to get pregnant. They weren't hibernated, either.
I've never had a snake regurgitate its food or have a stool problem. Their husbandry is very carefully monitored. They're my pets, not breeders, so they share my room and get daily attention. Should a problem present itself, I would of course immediately separate them.
On a slightly irritated note ... I'm not an idiot; I know that snakes don't have emotions like humans do and that they don't need company or like each other. I am aware that their attachment to me amounts to "Oh good here comes the warm tree that drops food." My reason for having them together is mostly for the convenience of saving space and equipment (one heating pad instead of two, one water dish instead of two, one large tank instead of two ... etc.)
I will, of course, separate them before they're sexually mature (probably next year) to prevent the female from becoming pregnant, at least until I intend to breed them.
Thank you for your input anyway; to a novice, it would've been invaluable.
Original Message:
>>I know a lot of people keep multiple snakes together without problems and it can obviously be done without dangers to the snakes. I just feel that for new people in the hobby the possible drawbacks need to be expressed.
>>When a person gets the experience and knowledge of their individual snakes and wants to try cohabitation that is up to them. They just need to be carefull and able to read the subtle signs of their snakes.
>>There can be definite drawbacks.
>>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 but 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. The smell of a prey item could trigger one snake to eat the other.
>>Like I said, this doesn't happen often but it has happened and is a possibility.
>>Another possibility is unwanted pregnancy. A female might get pregnant and you may not have the knowledge, desire or ability to incubate the eggs properly and raise the babies. With babies comes the responsibility of caring for them until you can find them a home.
>>A lot of people rationalize by saying "I will just put two males or two females together". That can work but mistakes can easily 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 eggbound. Although not common it is a possibility and can happen.
>>With multiple snakes in an enclosure you stand the chance of loosing all of them 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.
>>One or both of the snakes could be stressed by the presence of the other. Stress can cause a drop in appetite and lead to 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 is NO 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.
>>If you decide to keep multiple snakes together, watch closely for any signs of appetite loss, regurgitation or any kind of personality change. These could all be signs of stress.
>>You would also want to feed them in separate containers and give them an hour or so to allow the smell of they prey item to dissipate, before putting them back together.
>>My 2 cents
