Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Recently I was told that you can house adult Grey Banded Kingsnakes together? Is this true? I realize kings and milks are canabalistic so I dont understand how this can be true, but I'd really like to house two Blairs together in the same terrarium...let me know, thanks!

Ralph

yes this can be true! i have been housing one of my pairs of blairs for two years, without problems. they even choose two sleep in the same hide. i do feed them separatly though that might cause a problem if you dont. i have seen adult gb kings housed with trans pecos rat snakes at the san antonio zoo. i thinnk the most cannabalistic of the kings come from the getula complex but gray bands seem different. i would make sure they equal in size. though. good luck and i hope this helps.
max draper

There may be a few who might say I have been lucky, but I have kept alterna together in pairs for 20 years w/out one incident of cannibalism. Alterna, as a rule, are not agressive snake feeders like the getula group.

You do have to take the precautions that Max mentioned previously. I might add that I have found it best to keep only adult sexual or female pairs together to avoid any sexual agression during the spring that can occur if you house males together. I also feel it's best to keep juveniles separate, waiting for the snakes to mature before caging together.

My set up allows for the 2 cage mates to be separated in the same cage during feeding. I will keep them separate for many hours after feeding, if not over night. This allow for the feeding response to subside before allowing them to be together, thus decreasing the chance of a negative outcome.

Good Luck. Now you can have twice as mamy alterna. After all you can't have too many. DB

Kind of like broomsticks! Right Nancy B!

BA,

Maybe you shouldn't throw broomsticks Mr. Ebay!
Nancy B.