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Housing snakes together/ Cage sizes??

M

Monica S

New member
Hi guys!

I have a few qusestions and I'm hoping to get a few opinions on this.

I have a good number of corns right now and they are all around 6 months old. So far I've been keeping them 3 to a tank and the tanks I have them in are 30 gallon (longs). All of them seem very happy and even seem to "pal around" together.
I've been hearing a few different things on how to house your snakes. So here are my questions:

Do you think it is OK to keep corn snakes together?
How about as they get older..(my plan was to keep them two to a large tank to save a bit of space)

If it is OK to keep them together, what is a good size tank to keep them in?? ( I was thinking of 3 feet by 1.5 or 2 feet for two adult corns)

Also, I asked someone at the EBV what he thought and he told me that he personally wouldn't even house hatchlings together because corns are not social animals and are known to eat each other when hungry. I didn't think that that was true of corns. Am I wrong? Also, he said that a 15-20 gal. long tank is big enough for a full grown adult corn. It seems a bit small to me.

I'd love to hear opinions on these questions!! My main concern is for my snakes so whatever it takes will be fine! Thanks in advance for the input!!!
-Monica
:cheers:
 
Here are numerous old threads on housing multiple corns together: multiples

Cannablism can and does occur in corns. One story

I personally don't believe in housing together.
 
my cut and paste reply

There are many beliefs, ideas and opinions on the subject so why not voice my own.
It is not truly worth the risk. Yes, there are a lot of people who keep multiple corns together with success, BUT,
there are things to consider.
If one of the snakes regurgitates its food or has a runny stool there is no way to tell which one has the problem.
If one gets sick it is a pretty high likelihood that the other will also.
Some corns are stressed by the presence of other snakes. You might have one or both of the snakes have eating problems and possibly other problems due to stress.
There is always a chance of cannibalism. Even if you separate the snakes when feeding there is the possibility that the lingering smell of mouse could trigger a feeding response in one of the snakes. On feeding day you have two and the next day you look into the container to see only one and that one is extremely full. There is also a good chance that this hatchling could die if it can't digest a meal of that size. Cannibalism isn't common but it has happened. It is a possibility.
If you keep a male and female together you could be asking for trouble. There is always the chance they will breed before the female is actually old enough or large enough to carry the eggs successfully. She could become eggbound and even die. Also fairly uncommon but it too has happened.
So, you say well I'll keep two males or two females together. Most people who acquire hatchlings do not know their sex. It is easy for even experienced breeders to miss sex very young snakes. Some people won't find out the sex of their snakes until later on but will rationalize "well, they've been together this ling, it shouldn't be a problem." but it Can be a problem.
I have kept snakes together without problems but have made a choice to keep them separate.
There is no real 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.
 
Mother Nature is the only one in my opinion who can successfully keep snakes housed together, and she uses the vast wide open expanse of the Southeastern US in which to do so.

On a smaller scale, I do not house together nor do I recommend it for all of the reasons Jimmy has already stated. It's not good husbandry, not fair to the snakes, and invites potential problems.

You don't see herds or flocks of snakes in the wild, they have their own area in which to conduct their lives. The only time they seek out each other is for the event of breeding (unless we're talking king snakes, and then its for food).

I think 2 per inclosure is bad enough but 3+ is ludicrous.
 
I think 2 per inclosure is bad enough but 3+ is ludicrous. [/B][/QUOTE]

Thanks for all of your help everyone. I spent a good 1 1/2 hours reading up on all of the past posts. Sounds like many people have had success keeping more than one snake together, not too many problems out there, but the potential problems are not really worth the risk. I thought the abouve comment was a bit harsh. Especially since I have these guys in larger tanks than most people keep an adult sized corn in. My intentions for the snakes are all good. Not a single snake has had a feeding problem, all are healthy,and they have large enough space and places to hide to be able to move about the tank and seperate if they felt "stressed" about living with another snake. However they seem to cling together and have no problems with stress.
STILL, I do agree it is probably wise to house them seperately, so it is what I plan to do. Already in the market for some stackables.
Hey, if snakes hate each other and are so unsociable how do you explain all the snake dens out there in the "wild" where snakes are found in great numbers Together ??? Just a thought.
Thanks again for all of the input. It helps a lot!!!
 
in the wild

Two reasons...
First, those aren't corn snakes. You have probably seen the garter snake or possibly rattle snake groups.
Second, the snakes that gather in such large groups in the wild are usually gathered in a place that has optimum temperatures and conditions for brumation. They are only wintering together. They are not "living" together and most importantly they are not eating together. They brumate, wake up and mate and then spread out as far away from each other as possible.
 
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