more then one in a tank

[slimtim2001]

i have always been told you only have one snake per a cage now i keep seeing people that have 2 or even 3 per a cage couldn't that be bad?

[seeya205]

Yea, it is bad! Bps like to be alone! Pet stores do it because of lack of space but it is not recommended!

[slimtim2001]

but its not only in pet store i was just wondering why is it so bad do they attack each other i mean i stick by the rule one tank one snake

[Fallout32]

Snakes, by nature, are solitary animals. Some snakes, such as king snakes, will eat other snakes if housed together. Other snakes like ball pythons will become stressed if housed with another. Basically, housing any snake with a "roommate" is bad news

[WingedWolfPsion]

For those who think cannibalism never happens, I have it on good authority that ball pythons can and DO...every once in a great while...eat each other.

Local place was housing two young ball hatchlings together, and having trouble getting them to eat.
One day...there was only one fat hatchling left... ^_^

[seeya205]

Local place was housing two young ball hatchlings together, and having trouble getting them to eat.
One day...there was only one fat hatchling left... ^_^

That is too funny!

[JohnAvilla]

I have seen many posts on other sites with pics of instances of cannibalism involving p. regius. The main concerns with housing multiple snakes together are stress and not knowing who is sick if their is an odd bm, a regurge or some other problem. Accidental cannibalism can also occur if one snake smells rodent on the other. In short, don't do it.

[cinderbird]

Incoming GIANT canned reply on why you shouldnt do this:
_______________
To quote another post on the exact same topic (PS: search feature is your friend). Take this post with a grain of salt, but please understand why it is better for your animals to each have a home, than to have to share one. (This post was also made for someone who was already housing animals together).

NO, you should not.

it is NOT good for the animals to be housed together. There are a multitude of reasons for this, including but not limited to the following;

1. You didnt quarantine your new addition and if its carrying something, chances are your older animal has it too anything from parasites, worms, sickness and disease, (even if there arent any symptoms yet)

2. Did you get these animals sexed from a reliable source? Or are you trusting the pet store.. This means you could have two opposite genders and you have the chance that they could now breed early causing the female (if one is a female) problems and possibly killing her

3. Cannibalism is known to occur in a few documented cases involving BPs

4. If one of your animals is sick, you probably wont know which one because you cant tell their feces/urates/regurges apart

5. If one gets sick, they both get sick and now you have to spend 2x the amount of money in vet care.

6. Actions we see as "cuddling" are actually one snake dominating the other. They both may be eating fine now but how long is that going to last? The smaller one is especially at risk for stress which could lower immune levels.

housing two animals in one enclosure when they arent social isnt something novice keepers should do. Each animal should have their own space to thrive. If cost is the problem then maybe you need to take one back or rehome him until you can provide a sutible environment for any animal that comes into your home.

[bad-one]

Cinderbird, you should make a sticky on why it's best to house bps seperately!

[Vypyrz]

There is no rule against it as long as you can accept and afford the problems that may or may not arise from it... $200 for another set-up or $200 for vet bills. The choice is up to the keeper...



Rob