bullsnakes & cornsnakes

[spyderman]

we're thinking of getting a cornsnake and didn't know whether we can put it in with our bullsnake!!

We know people who keep corn snakes and boas in the same cage

or do they have to be separate

[drewlowe]

SEPARATE!!!!

LOL sorry but i wouldn't keep them in the same cage. I cant belive some one would keep corns and boas in the same cage completely different requirements.

[Samba]

BullSnakes will find that a Cornsnake is a delicious delicacy served from you to it! Keep them separate. On another note: Samba's Reptile Rescue has received a young (female?) bullsnake today with a broken tail... (awwww). We will be rehabilitating her and then we will find her a happy home!

[spyderman]

ours is a ?female, pity you live in new mexico....because she would have a very good home waiting for her here....ours has been out of her viv nearly all day today, spending most her time asleep in the arm of my t-shirt...we've only had her a month,previous owners reckoned she was vicious,I think she just wanted a bit of gentle handling

[Linds]

Holy geez that's awful. Boas and corns. Yikes :eek: Anyways... snakes are solitary animals, they only come together in the wild to breed. By forcing them to live together they can cause undue stress which may lead to behavioural problems and feeding problems. If one snakes defecates or regurges, you won't know which one it came from - it's impossible to monitor each snake individually. If one gets sick, another may get sick, and when housing different species together from different geographic locatoins, it is an increased concern, as they each have their own unique host specific bacteria and tolerances, which can make others very sick. Although that may not be a concern as I do believe they can be found in the same environments, but nonetheless it doesn't make it any better an idea. I'm not sure if Bullsnakes are indeed cannabilistic, but its better not to try that out. And even if you made the decision to disregard everything thats been said in this thread and decided to hosue them together anyways, you would still need to quarantine the new addition for at least 6 months prior to housing it near any of your established collection. If all above, snakes must be matched in size, if you have animals that are inequal in size, one may be injured, possibly fatally. Please pass these points on to those people you speak about that house corns and boas together :(

[spyderman]

thanks for the advice....looks like I'll be building another viv. at least I'll be getting plenty of practice in my woodworking skills.

the people who had the boa and corn together are selling the corn because the boa is to big for them to live together.....which is pretty logical as I'd imagine the corn getting squashed in beside a boa

[Samba]

Linds... just a note... not all snakes are solitary, although they aren't that social either! Some rattlesnake moms and kids reunite in the same place every year to hibernate together! No one knows why... since rattlesnakes aren't seen as particularly maternal creatures, but researchers do know that it is not for mating purposes! Just thought I'd throw that in!

[Colonel SB]

Obviously your friend don't know squat to keep a Boa & a Corn together....You should not keep any snakes together unless for breeding purposes.

[Linds]

Originally posted by Samba
Linds... just a note... not all snakes are solitary, although they aren't that social either! Some rattlesnake moms and kids reunite in the same place every year to hibernate together! No one knows why... since rattlesnakes aren't seen as particularly maternal creatures, but researchers do know that it is not for mating purposes! Just thought I'd throw that in!

Actually I recall seeing a documentary on that last year on the discovery channel during snake week, as well as a small tidbit of it I think was in a Crocodile Hunter episode??? As far as I know, only red-sided garters and rattlesnakes have displayed this behaviour. Even still, these species remain solitary for the most part of their lives, when not hibernating or breeding, which doesn't take up a huge chunk of the year.

[Oliverian]

Some other garters are too. I often find them out in the wild curled up together or slithering close to one another. (not mating) But a bullsnake and a corn together doesn't sound like a good idea... Better keep them seperately. And if you don't have the means to support both of them, I would suggest not getting any more snakes until you can house them all properly. Good luck. ~TR~

[Jeff_Favelle]

Ha ha, just because they hibernate/brumate together, does NOT mean they are gregarious!!!

Its just means that suitable sites to over-winter are not abundant and/or the need for congregation for immediate spring breeding superceeds the need for other things at that time of year.

[Smilts]

i promise the bull will eat the corn you can send that little broken tail my way

[spyderman]

We've got a 2ft by 1ft tank ready for her as she is only a baby,
what size tank will she need by the time she's fully grown?
our bull snake has got a viv 4ft by 2ft by 2ft will she need a viv about the same size?

[Smilts]

yep

[SCReptiles]

not all snakes are solitary, although they aren't that social either! Some rattlesnake moms and kids reunite in the same place every year to hibernate together!
Point of fact, all North American Pits are more social then other snakes. It’s not uncommon to find more then one pit under a board or piece of tin. Researchers have found coppers and timbers in the den. We keep the majority of our collection in groups of two and have had lots of success with it.
snakes are solitary animals, they only come together in the wild to breed. By forcing them to live together they can cause undue stress which may lead to behavioural problems and feeding problems.
I have heard this before, and I buy that on some species, but most keepers do not house individually. I do not think you will have problems housing snakes of comparable size and requirements in an enclosure together, so long as there is enough space.
we're thinking of getting a cornsnake and didn't know whether we can put it in with our bullsnake!!
For this specific example, I am sure they would survive, if they are of comparable size. Neither is a notorious snake eater, however, I do not think they would flourish. I am not up on bulls, but aren’t they a desert species? If so, the corn certainly isn’t. good luck.

[Lisa]

I would not mix species. It's one thing to house a pair or trio together of the same species, but mixing isn't the best idea, even snakes that don't regularly eat other snakes have been known to do so when housed with other snakes of different species in captivity.

[Vanan]

Same simple thing I tell everyone who want to mix species. One thing which is a sure thing is that the bacterial content in the gut of different species vary in levels. When one snake poops it releases some of this bacteria into the enclosure which the other snake may get contaminated with. Now if the other snake somehow ingests some of this bacteria (via water bowl, digging through substrate) it upsets that snake's intestinal bacterial fauna and you may have a sick snake on your hands.

I agree with Chuck (finally! lol) as rattlers have been found to be pretty gregarious. Let's even discuss den sites but mom's have shown maternal instincts by keeping her babies in a rookerie and preventing them from wandering off by budging them back in. Sometimes there are communal rookeries with a few post-parturition moms sharing one spot for this purpose alone.

[Oliverian]

Ha ha, just because they hibernate/brumate together, does NOT mean they are gregarious!!! Its just means that suitable sites to over-winter are not abundant and/or the need for congregation for immediate spring breeding superceeds the need for other things at that time of year.
No need to laugh at other people's comments. Even if they arent 'gregarious' (which i'm assuming means social, please correct me if im wrong), two of the same species can still be housed together, as long as the vivarium has plenty of space for both snakes. There are definitely exeptions, such as kingsnakes who might decide to eat each other, or putting an adult snake with a juvenile. But in many cases more than one snake of the same species can be housed together without problems.