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newbie from long island with some questions! :)

B

berrinmichelle

New member
Hi guys! As the title states i'm a newbie from long island & i just have a few questions. first off, i AM going to touch upon the two snakes one viv topic & i'd really rather not get any negative feedback since keeping them in one viv is my ONLY option right now. that being said, i have one ball python, about 2 maybe 3 years old, his name is kilo and hes an absolute sweetheart. he's currently in a 55 gallon tank by himself. i also have an albino corn snake named kitana, also about 2 1/2 years old in a 55 gallon tank. today i purchased a snow corn snake (patternless) about a year old, and i put her in the tank with kitana. the owner of the pet shop is very knowledgeable and i truly do believe what he says when he says that i shouldn't have anything to worry about with the two of them. now my question is not necessarily is this a good idea, because as i said it's the only option right now unfortunately. my question is: when they first encountered eachother, they both seemed to be moving mechanically.. almost in an animated fashion, it was weird! it's hard to explain, but if you've seen it you know what i'm talking about. they were not doing this consistantly, but only when they got close to eachother, mostly near eachother's faces. my mom says they were simply "checking eachother out" but she doesn't know the first thing about snakes, so i figured i'd check here to see what you guys have to say. ANY INPUT HELPS ! but like i said, if you're going to tell me to seperate them because it's dangerous not to, please find someone else to lecture. thank you ;)
 
Well... not looking to lecture you BUT one reason to not just put them together (there are many) is what if they're opposite sex? Are you sure you know what sexes they are? Are you prepared for breeding? Are they? Breeding too young can lead to the death of your female as well as all of the possible offspring. They're definitely "checking eachother out", hopefully they'll find that they're not too attracted to each other after all.

You might want to youtube corn snake breeding to compare with what you're seeing...
 
Most corns do the jerky, twitchy thing when confronted with another corn its a 'i'm a corn snake' thing. They also do this when they mate so you need to be sure that they are both females then just keep an eye on them. Try to make sure there are enough hides so they can get away from each other if they so wish.
I once tried to cohab one of my females but she refused to eat until i removed the other corn. Some don't seem to mind and some do, i think that mostly its older snakes which have lived alone which seem to take offense at being forced to share space. So be careful and watchful is my advice.
 
I really appreciate all the feedback! Probably gonna get some lecturing at THIS point but.. here's the other thing. The albino corn hasn't eaten in 2 days.. it's not a big deal right now and she's done this before but yesterday was he normal feeding day, in fact she was a little behind schedule this time. I gave her the normal mouse she's used to eating, a little big for her size but she doesn't usually have a problem. This time she killed it and refused to eat it. So today, I bought her two - one smaller than yesterday but still bigger than a hopper, and another little baby fuzzy (i guess it would be considered a hopper but its eyes were still closed) and she killed the first but didn't eat, and the second she just stayed away from! I mean this thing was right in front of her face and she wouldn't eat it. Shortly after I put the the snow in her tank and they did the "dance" but seemed okay. when I left for work they were under the same rock together so I guess that's a good thing?
 
@cornsnakeforsale_com - I know the snow is a female but haven't sexed the albino partially because I thought she was too young! Found out differently today. I plan on having her sexed either tomorrow or Friday though and I'll post what happens. Not really into breeding at this time but if it happens it happens.
 
She may be stressed from the new company. They'll share space together generally because the temp, humidity are what they both feel are optimum.

Welcome to CS.com btw. You can check some of this sites FAQ's or do a search onsite on "cohabbing".

Separate them. You won't hear it, but they'll thank you just the same ;)...
 
thanks for the welcome! the not eating began a few days ago and the introduction to the new company was today, although i can't lie and say it may not effect the not eating further.

heres the babies in question by the way :


25hkdwk.jpg
 
sorry! i don't mean it like that. i mean; i will deal with the consequences. i realize its a different story, but i dealt with a pregnant scorpion before & i'm willing to do the same for my corn snakes.. kitana is my baby (the picture on the bottom) and i know ill develop the same love for kiara.
 
Can I just ask... Why get another snake if you can not provide them with their own space?

If she stopped eating before you added the second snake, than more than likely it isn't going to get better with company. However, with that said. How are your temps, how are you heating the cage, and how big is the cage?

I have two rescued corns that were cohabbed. One was so stressed he had stopped eating.

Also, if they are m/f and they breed early, you run of the risk of losing the female due to egg binding and other issues related to breeding too early.
 
The problem is you just don't know. No one speaks "snake", know what I mean? If she stopped eating and you've just added another snake to her enclosure you are probably compounded any problem that may be what stopped her from eating. And possibly some way affecting your new snow.

Cohabbing corn snakes in the hobby has been done moreso by EU and UK keepers. They would be better able to advise you in this regard. Google "Ians Vivarium", a popular reptile site based in the UK.
 
I wanted her to have company to be honest, as silly as that may sound. The reason that the eating has not fully concerned me just yet is that she's done this before. Not using that as an excuse, for the record.. just saying. The tank is heated by one 75 watt lamp, as is the other for my bp, and the cage is 55 gallons. And yes I know they breed/lay/hatch completely different, I'm just saying that I don't plan on them breeding but if they do I will take on full responsibility (obviously)
 
Snakes are solitary animals!!

Why on earth would you think she "needed" or "wanted" a friend?

Honestly I'm with Beautifullywild77 why would you go and get another pet without being able to give each of them their own space?

I think you should of done more research before bringing home that second baby..
snakes don't want friends, that to me is just a silly/sad excuse to buy another pet, which you obviously had no intention of properly taking care of in the first place.

Not trying to "lecture" BUT if you KNEW that they were not supposed housed together to begin with why do it?


(I'm sorry but this is just one of my BIGGEST pet peeves: people buying animals and not researching their stuff first, and then not taking the advice of people who clearly know what they are talking about when they do try to help.. ughhh :( )
 
I strongly suggest you read this: Can I Keep Multiple Snakes in One Enclosure?

Here's the thing, cohabbing is only a huge deal because 99.9% who try to do it, do it horribly wrong.

Huge wardrobe sized tanks where the snakes have many warm and cool spots to choose from is totally fine. It sort of mimics overlapping territories in the wild. VERY VERY few people actually do it that way. (I'm talking huge, zoo level sizes type enclosures)

What you see 99.9% of the time is people being too cheap and wanting more snakes than they have space for. Jamming two full grown corn snakes into a 20 gallon tank is cruelty. They are forced to be right in each others face at all times. Even two adults in a 50 gallon is not acceptable. Still not nearly enough room to get away from each other.

Cohabbing like that can lead to stress, cannibalism, premature breeding, unwanted breeding, illness and death. That is not speculation, it's a fact. There are many threads on this site with evidence of cohabbing misfortunes.

Snakes live alone in the wild, numerous scientific researches studies prove it. They may have some areas of territory that overlap, and once in a while a few may share a den, but then they move on. Having a few kilometers of land to run around on and once in a while bump into a mate or other snake, is not the same as being stuffed in a tank with other snakes.

Snakes do not form bonds, cuddle, or mourn for cagemates. That is people putting anthropomorphic feelings on animals. Snakes are very basic creatures. They do not want company, it's not how snakes work. They are not social animals.

Cohabbing done strictly for the keeper's benefit. The is no health or well being benefit to the snake.

Keeping a pair together for a stretch of time during breeding is okay depending how it's done. You have to keep a regular check on them and make sure you are not seeing aggression. There have been instances where males have killed females, and females killing males. Don't keep them together longer than necessary. In the wild they mate and move on, they want their own space.

The bottom line is we as keepers should strive to provide the best care possible for our pets. Snakes get exactly zero benefit from cohabbing, so why would any caring keeper do it? It makes no sense.
 
wow.. I guess I'm guilty of not reading before buying. this makes sense I just honestly didn't know.. I have nothing but love for these wonderful creatures and only want the best for my babies. I will keep them together only until I get another tank within the next few days
 
berrinmichelle said:
wow.. I guess I'm guilty of not reading before buying. this makes sense I just honestly didn't know.. I have nothing but love for these wonderful creatures and only want the best for my babies. I will keep them together only until I get another tank within the next few days
Click to expand...

It's totally okay, that why we are here to help you learn. Sometimes it sounds a little harsh, but for the long term health and well being of your pets it's the very best way.

They will happy as a clam in a 20 gallon with nice hides and some neat fake plants. They can be neighbors, but they don't need to be roommates. ;)
 
yayy!

your babies will love you for it trust me!

I'm glad that you changed your mind on this topic that soo many people feel so strongly about!

and sorry for being soo rude! I never properly gave you a welcome,
Welcome to CS.com its a great place to chat with others about your babies! :)
this is a huge group of passionate people, that love their animals I'm sure you'll love it here!
 
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