tankmates update..

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
synapse989;1199006; said:
yeah. and I know I didn't mention anything about shedding yet... but that's one very good way of telling if your animal is healthy and happy...

watch for changes in common stuff. ...they're both VERY GOOD EATERS... and last time they shed, it was like a pair of rolled up tube socks..

am I wrong to use this as an observation point?? eating and shedding?

and I do agree that too many reptile owners are very opinionated and argumentative...
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I agree with everything said about there being more than one way to do things when it comes to captive reptile husbandry.

What is undeniable, though, is that there have been instances where housing snakes together has caused cannibalism, spread of disease, stress, etc, and the ONLY reason that happened is because the keeper chose to keep them together in a confined space. These are FACTS that are not debatable. It has happened, and will happen again, and it's just a matter of whom it happens to and when.

Now, if someone who chooses to do that and gets by without any problems - good for them - but for me, I am NOT willing to take those risks on my collection, and I feel that I'm not in the wrong for warning others not to do so either. You can call that being "opinionated" if you like, but I call it "genuine care and concern."
 
I can respect that.. ..however in my case I don't believe my enclosure is by any means "confined"... COMPARITIVELY!!!! ...the tank at the LFS that held the snake was like 15 gallon... this is a 90.. most everyone I know that has snakes or had them kept them in much smaller habitats. ..like 20 gallon reptile enclosures.

...then there are those that believe that having them in a big tank causes stress...

...why is it that EVERYTHING that people do with snakes in captivity causes stress and disease and promotes cannibalism and domestic violence and the next thing you know my male will be wearing a pimp chain and the female will be out on the street corner..

*sigh*... I guess I'll never win.
 
Unfortunately, a 90 gallon is still a confined space and your snakes will eventually come across each other and compete for space/heat/etc. Now, I will agree that the larger enclosure does reduce the amount of time that they may end up on top of one another (like you said in the case of a 15 or 20 gallon) but the risk is there. By no means am I saying that anything bad will happen - I'm just saying that it could and you need to assume full responsibility when and if anything happens.

I look at it like this...the "new school" of herpetoculture isn't keeping snakes together anymore. Back in the day, if you got a reptile and it lived for 6 months, that was a success. Things have changed today. All of the large captive ball python breeders are housing their snakes individually because they thrive like that in captivity. Why should I try to re-invent the wheel and dismiss their findings just because "there's more than one way to do things?" I can't rationalize doing anything that jeopardizes my collection and I do anything within my direct control to ensure that nothing bad can happen to any of them. Housing them all separately is just one part of the picture.
 
You CAN keep snakes together, you know. As with EVERYTHING in the animal keeping hobby, its a matter of if you do it right. But unfortunately, not just with snakes, most people cant or choose not to.
 
loconorc;1203350; said:
You CAN keep snakes together, you know. As with EVERYTHING in the animal keeping hobby, its a matter of if you do it right. But unfortunately, not just with snakes, most people cant or choose not to.
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I think I can agree with something along the lines of "you can keep snakes together, but usually doing so isn't practical for the average keeper."

That's as far as I go though...unless you're a zoo or have a zoo style enclosure (bigger than any size glass aquarium), please keep your ball pythons separate. They'll love you for it.
 
well.. so far so good. both are eating very well..
 
Did anyone mention pre-mature breeding of the female?

We should have a logo in this section:"If you want to keep reptiles together, we don't want you here"

Z
 
Well Z at least he is trying to to it "keeping 2 together" right, I will give credit for that. Not the way 'I' keep snakes but to each his own.
Better then "someone" that buys reptiles on impulse and then doesnt bother to even try to take care of them properly.........hint hint.
 
thanks walls..

I wonder when someone's gonna pipe up and say that handling snakes is a bad thing too.. ..some dude I know that had them in the past claims that simply handling any snake is bad because it stresses them out. ...and I know perfectly well that's true for some snakes... ..but not ALL snakes. ...especially the male I just got who's been handled a lot since it was small.. it's so used to being handled, that I can pick it up and move it around while it's EATING, and it doesn't phase it. ..he also has a wierd fascination with my glasses.

wouldn't you agree that almost every pet we keep exhibits some kind of unique personality traits? these two snakes are a perfect example. the female is kind of a ***** and the male is really laid back.
 
elevatethis;1203449; said:
I think I can agree with something along the lines of "you can keep snakes together, but usually doing so isn't practical for the average keeper."

That's as far as I go though...unless you're a zoo or have a zoo style enclosure (bigger than any size glass aquarium), please keep your ball pythons separate. They'll love you for it.
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Thats it, man. ;)

Synapse, handling isnt bad. AS WITH ALL ASPECTS OF HERPKEEPING, you just have to do it right. Sadly, few people do. Very few.
 
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