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pair bonding?

T

Temerairecorns

New member
okay so my little sister just called and asked me a cornsnake question i cant answer so here it is. my little sister bought 2 corn snakes when she left for school and put both hatchlings into a small 10 gall tank because it was all her dorm allowed, she recently moved into an appartment and decided to get another cornsnake and a bigger tank as petco was having a sale of fish tanks she bought a 29 gallon tank and a lid and put the new snake in after keeping her in a kritterkeeper for 2weeks. it's been with the other two for about a week and she's noticed that the 2 who spent almost 5months together stay together at all times and the other one is always alone. i've heard of pairbonding in other animals have her corns pairbonded? will the other one bond to them as well?
she wants to know if she should get another snake and add it to the tank so that has company help i need hard facts i dont have to deal with this one.
 
Do a serach on co-habitation and you will get your answers and shocking facts.

Cornsnakes are not pack animals, they can be cannabalistic, mate before they are ready, in general keeping more then one snake per viv is not recommended.
 
The two together aren't pair bonded. They've just worked out how to compete for the same hide/temperature without fighting (for the moment). The new third snake now has to try and work out how to do the same thing, but with two other snakes. The problem's going to get worse with every new snake your sis adds. Two living together is risk enough and I'd strongly recommend "One Corn, One Tank".

I've certainly experienced problems when separating a couple of Corns that had been co-habbed long term. One of them was fine, the other went into an extended feeding fast and became much less active for some months.

It isn't that pairs bond, it's just that two Corns living together in a small enclosed space, is unnatural. They have to adjust their behaviours in order to cope with the added stress. When separated, this involves another period of adjustment to the fact that they no longer have to work out how to deal with another Corn in their immediate vicinity.

So yes, there can be problems when separating them and this does seem to manifest as behavioural and feeding problems.

But no, it isn't to do with pair bonding.

However, most will cope with being separated without trouble and I'd really recommend that this is the way to go. Persevere and all should be well. If a separated Corn appears to be having trouble in this way, treat it as though it was a new arrival. No handling/feeding for a week, minimal disturbance, then very gentle handling and a lot of patience.
 
I totally agree with Bitsy, the pair have worked out how to compete with each other for warmth and security(hide space). It's not bonding, it's survival. Better to allow each it's own space. I agree with one corn, one tank.
 
Reptiles do not have the companion instincts that mammals possess. If someone implements mammalian standards on them problems will arise. It is best to consider a pet snake as a symbiotic relationship rather than a companion like a cat or dog. What they need is individual space, proper heat, diet, plenty of quiet time, and regular handling.
 
bitsy said:
The two together aren't pair bonded. They've just worked out how to compete for the same hide/temperature without fighting (for the moment). The new third snake now has to try and work out how to do the same thing, but with two other snakes. The problem's going to get worse with every new snake your sis adds. Two living together is risk enough and I'd strongly recommend "One Corn, One Tank".

I've certainly experienced problems when separating a couple of Corns that had been co-habbed long term. One of them was fine, the other went into an extended feeding fast and became much less active for some months.

It isn't that pairs bond, it's just that two Corns living together in a small enclosed space, is unnatural. They have to adjust their behaviours in order to cope with the added stress. When separated, this involves another period of adjustment to the fact that they no longer have to work out how to deal with another Corn in their immediate vicinity.

So yes, there can be problems when separating them and this does seem to manifest as behavioural and feeding problems.

But no, it isn't to do with pair bonding.

However, most will cope with being separated without trouble and I'd really recommend that this is the way to go. Persevere and all should be well. If a separated Corn appears to be having trouble in this way, treat it as though it was a new arrival. No handling/feeding for a week, minimal disturbance, then very gentle handling and a lot of patience.
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I agree it is bad enough for 2 snakes in one take but 3 is really bad...inless you have a HUGE TANK.
 
Should have just bought another tank for one instead of getting another snake already... Its just unnecessary stress for all three snake IMO, and NO definitely don't get another snake.
 
that's what i thought, but she never listens to me, she pointed out that i have three corns in one tank but i got them that way and plan to get them a bigger enclosure as soon as i move out in a years time. right now my roommate has a no more tanks or bigger tanks rule, so they're stuck for now. as to my sister i'll try to get her to get another tank. speaking of my snakes has anyone heard anything about the bigapple pet's screen tanks? they're 2ft by 2 ft by 4 or seven feet tall. any idea how those would work in an area that gets cold as all hell?
also would that be enough room for my corns they are all climbers but they are still babies. 2ft each
 
I would not suggest using screen tanks, they don't hold heat well at all, especially in a cold area.

And I seriously advise against housing your snakes together. I know they've been together for a long time, but it's just not a good idea. If you can find a way to seperate them, I'd really suggest it. I'd hate for you to wake up one morning and find that something bad happened. It's no fun. It's all a learning experience, but just think about it. And as for your sister, you can tell her to read this thread and then maybe she'll think about it.
 
I would not suggest using screen tanks, they don't hold heat well at all, especially in a cold area.

And I seriously advise against housing your snakes together. I know they've been together for a long time, but it's just not a good idea. If you can find a way to seperate them, I'd really suggest it. I'd hate for you to wake up one morning and find that something bad happened. It's no fun. It's all a learning experience, but just think about it. And as for your sister, you can tell her to read this thread and then maybe she'll think about it.
 
Your roommate gave you a no more tank rule? Whos name is on the rent papers? Who pays the rent? If its a 50/50 split and both of your names are on it then tell her that you will do what you want, as long as they are in your area why does she care? She sounds kind of overbearing to me. But then again I dont take wellt o people telling me what I can and cant do.
 
I agree on that, maybe you could talk to your roomie about getting a shelving system so that you can stack your tanks? And then maybe that would be acceptable for both of you? I think that would be a good solution. Sit your roomie down and have a chat.

My roomie from a while back told me no to snakes entirely. I told her that I pay my portion of the rent for my room, so I was getting one regardless. So, I compromised by getting a locking tank, and double triple quadruple snake proofing the enclosure. It was a ball python, but she was still scared of it. Made me sad.

Just talk about it and see if you guys can come to an agreement that makes everyone happy. Can't hurt to try.
 
the apt is in both of our names and we pay 50/50 but it's a one bedroom bc it was all we could afford so we have no personal space, my bed is on one side of the bed room her's is on the other. my bed is a couple of feet off the ground come to think of it, would the stackable vivariums from LLL reptile work if i put uth on them?
 
Yes, undertank heating would work, but I would suggest maybe trying RHP, radiant heat panels instead.

Although, I am really not familiar with those setups and could be completely wrong on that. I don't see why a heat source like that wouldn't work, but it'd be best to get an opinion from someone who has maybe worked with them before. It may be beneficial to start a thread in the housing section about it, and see what opinions or ideas you can get.
 
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