Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted this in the general forum accidentally, but i think yall might know better how to answer my question.

I have kept my 2 corn snakes in the same tank since i got them about 8 months ago. The last time i fed them, after i put them back in the tank one of them went up to the other, sniffed her out, and then casually put his mouth around her middle to see if she tasted good.

He let her go real quick when he found that she wasnt a rodent. I assume that he tried because he just ate a mouse so he was in feeding mode, and she just ate a mouse so she smelled like one.

My question is, should i be keeping them in the same tank (it's more than big enough for both of them)? Has anyone else encountered this and how did you handle it? I was thinking maybe i would feed one while the other was asleep or something. Or soak them after they eat to get the mouse smell off. I would like to keep them together if i can.

Does anyone else keep 2 corns together? Mine are yearlings.

>>I posted this in the general forum accidentally, but i think yall might know better how to answer my question.
>>
>>I have kept my 2 corn snakes in the same tank since i got them about 8 months ago. The last time i fed them, after i put them back in the tank one of them went up to the other, sniffed her out, and then casually put his mouth around her middle to see if she tasted good.
>>
>>He let her go real quick when he found that she wasnt a rodent. I assume that he tried because he just ate a mouse so he was in feeding mode, and she just ate a mouse so she smelled like one.
>>
>>My question is, should i be keeping them in the same tank (it's more than big enough for both of them)? Has anyone else encountered this and how did you handle it? I was thinking maybe i would feed one while the other was asleep or something. Or soak them after they eat to get the mouse smell off. I would like to keep them together if i can.
>>
>>Does anyone else keep 2 corns together? Mine are yearlings.

COHABITATION
MY OPINION

I feel it is best to keep snakes separate.
I know a lot of people keep multiple snakes together without problems and it can obviously be done without being detrimental to the snakes. I just feel the possible drawbacks need to be expressed.
When a person gets the experience and knowledge of each individual snake and wants to try co-habitation, it is up to them. They just need to be careful 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. Or simple hunger accompanied by a ready food source.
Although uncommon, 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 or raise the hatchlings. With hatchlings comes the responsibility to raise them or find them homes.
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 egg-bound. Although uncommon, 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” changes. These could all be signs of stress.
You would also want to feed them in separate containers and give them an hour or so before putting them back together.
My 2 cents

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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

_____

First off, thank you for your quick reply.

I had them separated for about a week, because this incident freaked me out. I just put them back together this morning. The reason i was wanting to do this is because the spare tank i have is kind of small and i dont have anything in it for her to climb on. In my other tank there is lots of stuff, i even built an add on out of wood for them to crawl in (it sits on top of the tank).

I understand your reasons for keeping them separate, and those reasons are compelling. I do have a few more questions for you though. I picked my two snakes out of a litter(right word?) of about 12. They were laying on top of each other at the time. They have been around each other since birth and with a cage as big as it is it seems like they do seek each other out to sleep. i have lots of hides, but they always goto the same one. And which one they goto is often different. I know they dont "like" each other but could they feel more secure around each other? saftey in numbers, like a school of fish?

Also, my snow corn crawls around the tank alot (no matter which tank she is in), and i dont want her to get bored, or feel trapped. I want her to have things to crawl on and for the tank to be complicated enough that there is always something to explore. Could having multiple snakes aid in giving them intellectual stimulation? Even if they dont like each other, as long as they dont get too stressed, it seems like it would be good for them to interact with other critters. Not socially interact, but at least see each other. One of my snake books suggests stuff like varrying their eating schedule, letting them go hungry for an extra week, or giving them a bigger meal one week to keep them on their toes, err... well, you know what i mean. Could keeping them in the same (very large) tank help this too?

Also, i know kings are very cannibalistic, but do corns eat each other alot? This would be a very big deciding factor
If i keep them the same relative size, so one isnt alot bigger than the other, would this help reduce the chance of one trying to eat the other?

"I picked my two snakes out of a litter(right word?) of about 12. They were laying on top of each other at the time. They have been around each other since birth and with a cage as big as it is it seems like they do seek each other out to sleep. i have lots of hides, but they always goto the same one. And which one they goto is often different. I know they dont "like" each other but could they feel more secure around each other? saftey in numbers, like a school of fish?

---They choose the same particular hide becasue it's the best choice, the most secure, most comfortable, ideal conditions, at at the present time, not because the other snake is in there. Having more then one per enclosure causes undo stress, not including the other factors that were mentioned in Draybars post.-----

"Could keeping them in the same (very large) tank help this too?"

---- Sure, you could get one large, massive tank. But like I told another poster last week, you end up going through three times the trouble, headache, more expensive price, wasted space in your house, all because of this massive cage. Where all you have to do is buy one little enclosure, be it a rubbermaid or sterlite container. I have 13 snakes. Every last one is in there on enclosure. I value my animals way too much, and if there's any risk, it's not worth it.-------

"Also, i know kings are very cannibalistic, but do corns eat each other alot? This would be a very big deciding factor
If i keep them the same relative size, so one isnt alot bigger than the other, would this help reduce the chance of one trying to eat the other?"

----If you place two corns in the same enclosure, there is a risk that one could eat the other. It does, and can happen. You may get away with it, and never have a problem, but you do place undo stress at the very least on your animals. There has been a case of an adult corn that killed a ball python that was sharing the same enclosure. If you would like the email, I'll let you write one of the best known & respected breeders in the business, and he can give you his opinion on keeping snakes together in the same tank.-----

Steve

First of all, you witnessed first hand that corns will eat each other. You were just lucky that he decided he didn't want to go through the trouble of that particular prey item at the time! Secondly, I know we love to give our animals human characteristics but snakes don't need or get mental stimulation. They are driven purely by instinct and impulse.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

They're your snakes, but you're taking quite a risk. A second tank doesn't take up much room. Of course you need two of everything (heat, hides, etc), but if you're taking the responsibility of two animals, you need to be able to support them monetarily. If you're keeping them together to be cheap, you're risking their lives. Is it really worth it? If you think they need "company", they don't. They're not like mammals.

Walt

JUimmy,
Your Pics are awesome!!!! And I am so thankful you have the patience to keep putting up your excellent piece on why keeping two snakes together is not a good idea.. Hopefully it does the good it should.
Pat

>>JUimmy,
>>Your Pics are awesome!!!! And I am so thankful you have the patience to keep putting up your excellent piece on why keeping two snakes together is not a good idea.. Hopefully it does the good it should.
>>Pat

Thanks PP...LOL...Pastor Pat
It is a simple matter of cut and paste.
No trouble at all.
I used to keep a few snakes together back in the 80's.
I had several black rats in a tank and a couple of corns in another. I had several other species but they were a couple of kings, a milk, a hognose and a burmeses python. It was obvious each of these should be housed seperately.
As far as the rats and corns were concerned I was never told it shouldn't be done and at that time the books I could find told more of natural history as opposed to captive care.
I would have to seperate the snakes to feed them.
I actually had one black rat try to eat another when they were put back together....This was a good indicator of possible problems.
There would be an occaisional refusal to eat.
The snakes didn't really want to tame down. They seemed constantly nervous.
I knew something wasn't right so I experimented.
I seperated the corn snakes first.
I began to noticed they calmed down when seperated and feeding time was much easier.
Then the black rats. Same basic results although they didn't quite calm down as nicely as the corns....lol
They were wild caught so that was understandable.
Anyway with the computer/internet, information has become much more readily available but someone still has to be willing to provide it.
It would have been nice to have a forum like this in the 80's

here is a pic I took a little while ago...Thought you might get a kick out of it.

-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

_____

I keep two adult snakes in the same cage. Make sure the cage is large enough and I only keep the same sex together. I also believe it depends on the temperment of the snakes. Make sure you have plenty of hides, maybe the same kind at opposite sides of the cage, so they can get away from each other if need be. I have never had a corn bite another corn except when they are fed in the same cage (I do not recommend this). Corns are not canabalistic. I would try keeping them seperate for a bit after feeding, just until they get the "feeding frenzy" feelings calmed down.
if there is any chance that the corn might be a jungle corn(corn king combo), then you might have some aggressive tendencies. It sounds to me like they were thinking of the mice, but thats my opinion. Keep an eye on them and make sure it doesn't happen again. If it does, I would suggest seperating them.

"Corns are not canabalistic."

I'm sorry, but that is simply wrong. It does not happen often, but it most definitely DOES happen that one corn eats another. It is almost always among hatchlings, and usually among problem feeders.

Make no mistake though...some corns are cannibalistic!
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Darin Chappell
Hillbilly Herps
PO Box 254
Rogersville, MO 65742

I apologize. I was thinking comparative to kings who make a habit of it, and under normal circumstances, not underfed.