kimbyra said:
Putting two snakes in one tank is often very stressful to both snakes. One will usually become dominant and bully the other. They do NOT enjoy company. They're not pack animals.
Also...
Sexing as hatchlings is not always a surething, which could create problems with breeding to young and eggs getting stuck, etc...
Cannibalism happens. There are tons of pics. ( Do I really have to include them?) I've actually seen it happen in a pet store. Ewww.
I could go on, but I'll just say that there are a lot of reasons NOT to put two snakes in one cage, and absolutely no good reasons to put them together.
IMHO, this is not so much a debated issue (the vast majority are against it)as an issue between those who love their pets and want them to live safe and happy lives, and a few selfish (or ignorant, usually just selfish) people who don't care about there pets welfare and quality of life.
Yeah, I said it.
Nicely put, and covers all the bases. But, there are more people that do this than let on because they know how others feel about it. I know for a fact that both Rich and Don do this with hatchlings as they have said it before. I kept a pair together for well over 2 years and never had an issue with them.
Yes Cannibalism happens, but again it is very rare. The most common mistakes that happen when multiple snakes are kept together is that there are not enough hides, the tank size is too small, and the snakes are either fed together, or placed back together with the mouse scent still on them.
Just because you keep 2 snakes together doesn't mean that you are ignorant or selfish. Obviously, Lawrence isn't ignorant as he has asked this question and gotten answers about it. Nor is he selfish, just may not have the space to keep to 20 gal vivs in his room. Selfishness is wanting something for yourself that isn't in the best intrest of the item. Just because you keep 2 snakes together in one tank, doesn't mean that they aren't kept the way they need to be. As long as heating, humidity, water, hides and anything else husbandry related is met, 2 snakes can and will thrive with little to no stress involved.
BUT, as I said before, I am not saying all this to say that keeping snakes together is fine and dandy. I don't do this anymore except with clutch mates. I state that it is the owner's responsibility to know all the consequences and make an informed decision after reviewing all the risks associated with keeping 2 snakes together. I strongly suggest that they don't be kept together if the person is never planning on breeding or if they are only doing it because the want more snakes. If you want more snakes, then make sure that you have the room for it. What I am saying is that instead of jumping all over someone, telling then what to do and what not to do, is not really something that we should be doing (that would be like telling a person how to live their own lives). All we should really be doing is giving all the facts of what can and has happened in our experiences with snakes kept together, make sure the person asking the question knows all the risks involved. Then it is left up to the owner to make a decision based on what he has learned. If he decides to keep them together, then he assumes all risks inherent in the decision and therefore can't complain when something happens to one or both of the snakes. And, if he does complain, then you just point him back to his original thread and say, "look, we told you what might happen, you still put them together, so you only have yourself to hold responsible."
As for the bullying part, yes that may happen, mostly if 2 males are kept together, or if there is one snake significantly larger than the other, but 2 hatchlings of the same size that grow together will be unlikely to have this happen.
