MegF. said:
Have no fear, the Cornsnakes.com FAQ's will be here shortly, I <b>PROMISE</b>.
In the meantime...
"Housing snakes together - my very, very long opinion
I see that this subject has been discussed here A LOT lately, with lots of opinions and experiences that have supported both sides of the question. A number of members have privately emailed to me and asked me to post my opinion over the past few weeks, so here it is, and very long winded it will be, lol! Sorry for the length, but it seems such an active subject that I want to say everything I have to say at one time.
I generally do not house babies or adults together myself, but might consider doing so under certain conditions. I have colony bred Sinaloan milks in the past with good luck. And I have kept partial litters of baby corns together until their first meal, since that is when the most problems, stress or cannibalism, are likely to start. I have had at least 2 occasions since 1985 when a baby corn did eat another, even though they had never fed on anything before. Both cases were bloodreds, but I don't know if that means anything.
I am going to post 2 relevant FAQs that I email to those who write asking for advice (I have written a number of them on commonly asked questions). They are long and are meant for those who have little experience and need help getting started. Those who are already experienced don't really need to read them, as they will already have heard enough to make up their own minds on whether the risk justifies the benefits. Some will agree with me, and some not. But they are my opinions based on my experiences. So here it is, for what it is worth:
FAQ - Housing Snakes Together:
Please DO NOT keep babies (or any newly obtained corns) together!
Although some people have done it successfully, many more have had a lot
of problems. If you have to keep some together, do it with the well-established corns that have been in your collection for a long time.
The babies are already under stress with new homes, travel, and just
generally growing up. Please don't add to the stress anymore than you
have to. Cannibalism is possible, although not likely. More likely
problems include: going off feed, regurge, passing disease, early /
difficult pregnancy, etc.
It is a much better idea to get a bunch of little plastic shoeboxes or
"critter keeper" type terrariums and stack them on top of, or next to,
each other. After you have had the snakes for AT LEAST 3 or 4 months
and have gotten to know them individually, you could try combining some
of the best feeding, best growing ones in groups of two per cage.(be
sure to separate while feeding, and for 1/2 hour afterwards) There will
always be differences in feeding habits, timidity, etc. Some animals
are more prone to stress than others. You won't know which ones at
first, but after a few months you will know. Be ready to separate them
at the first sign of one going off feed, regurging, behaving unusually,
etc. They may look happy all curled up together, but that doesn't mean
they aren't stressing out. Snakes are not really social animals and
generally only willingly spend time together during mating or
hibernation, although they may sometimes choose the same basking or
hiding spots when vying for the best places. In my opinion, optimum
site selection is what you are probably seeing when they are curled up
together, rather than friendship. However, once they have gotten very
used to a cage-mate over a long time, they probably grow to prefer that
situation, since any change is stressful. Just remember that they are
individuals and that each individual is different. Knowing your
particular animal is paramount to providing the best situation for it,
and that takes time and observation.
The reason I keep referring to babies is because that is what most
people buy from a breeder. But the same would be true of newly
acquired yearlings or adults - they would also be new and suffering
from the stress of travel and adjusting to a new home. Any new animals
should be quarantined and their habits observed for a 2 - 4 months
anyway. I would not suggest that you put two (or more) together unless
they have both been in your collection for at least a few months and are
approximately the same size.
If you follow these instructions, you will often be able to EVENTUALLY
keep 2 or 3 together once they are well acclimated. Just depends if you
get a shy one. The more you keep in one cage, the more likely
complications will occur (as mentioned above, going off feed, regurge,
passing disease, etc.)
Please feel free to call if I can answer any other questions for you."
Good luck!
Kathy Love