Housing Ball Pythons Together

[Erica118]

I recently bought my third ball python and the guy at the store told me not to house them together. I have had my other two together for the past year now and haven't had any problems. I was just wondering your guys opinions on wether I should keep them together or separate them.
Thanks,
Erica

[infernalis]

For a solitary species like royal pythons, it's stressful to the snakes.

Garter snakes and Storeria are the only species I'm aware of that even display any sort of social behaviour in nature.

Pythons are loners, they hook up to mate and go on their way to return to solitude.

[Aaron_S]

I'm going to say the short answer is no.

[Erica118]

Its weird thou because I kept the new one separate for the first few days and she seemed very stressed when she was alone (very heavy breathing) and once I put her in with my other ones she seemed to clam down immediately and I haven't noticed her breathing heavily since

[marvelfreak]

All new snake should be quarantine for at least a couple month before even putting them in the same room as your other snakes. I would remove it right away. If it breathing funny it could be sick and make your other two sick. All it takes is one sick snake to wipe them all out.

[Erica118]

Alright, thanks!

[marvelfreak]

Years ago i got a Red Tail Boa that seem health put it in a giant cage (8x6x4) with 5 other snakes the same size. Next thing i know two of the other snake got sick and died. When it was all said and done all my snake in that room die. Even killed the snakes in a cage across the room. Last thing you want is to endanger your snakes you all ready have. The funny part was the boa that was sick was the last one to die. Took it to the vet found out it had IBD. That also the reason i started keep all my snake separated.

[Will0W783]

Dont' house snakes together unless it's a breeding pair during the breeding season. It's just stressful and dangerous. Besides, as Chuck brought up, if one gets sick the other will too.

[Damion930]

Anyone know wher to get that autopsy pix of the ball that ate the other seems to get the point acrossits just never a good idea

[Damion930]

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/demon930_2008/Cannibalism1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/demon930_2008/Cannibalism2-1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/demon930_2008/Cannibalism3-1.jpg
Found them strangely enough the smaller ate the larger

[TeaNinja]

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/demon930_2008/Cannibalism1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/demon930_2008/Cannibalism2-1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/demon930_2008/Cannibalism3-1.jpg
Found them strangely enough the smaller ate the larger

wow......that's terrible.

[infernalis]

Ever see the one where the rat (from feeding live prey) skinned the python?

That picture is horrible.

[Will0W783]

Yes, infernalis- that is a terribly sad picture. I don't feed my guys live. I get them all onto f/t as soon as possible and preferably buy from breeders who've already got their hatchlings on f/t from the start.

[mykee]

"All new snake should be quarantine for at least a couple month before even putting them in the same room as your other snakes. I would remove it right away. If it breathing funny it could be sick and make your other two sick. All it takes is one sick snake to wipe them all out. "

Too late.
All it takes is contact for one snake to infect the others.

[Will0W783]

I know it's too late in this case, but for future reference. Too many people don't understand proper quarantine procedures and so many unnecessary deaths and illnesses could be avoided if only new animals and sick animals were isolated.

[infernalis]

On this note, I would like to point out, It's always wise to wash your hands with hot soapy water before handling the next snake.

However unlikely it may seem, if one snake has a bacterial or viral infection, that you can pass it from snake to snake by handling them, even one at a time, unless you wash your hands between handling.

It will also pass mites, so even if you handle a snake in a pet store or at another person's house, you can transmit the disease with your hands unless proper hygiene is exercised.

[infernalis]

I would also like to point out (so I don't seem like a hypocrite) that my communally housed garter snakes are put together as babies, many shipped to me from the breeder in the same deli cup.

Garter snakes (Thamnophis) are a "communal" species of snake that den in large masses, they are about the only species that can be kept in multiples per cage without problems.

Even then, they must be very similar in size.

Thamnophis Elegans Vagrans (Wandering Garter snakes) have been known to be cannibalistic, so there is even an exception there. No one I know of who works with wandering garters keeps them in groups.

[edens]

I know it's too late in this case, but for future reference. Too many people don't understand proper quarantine procedures and so many unnecessary deaths and illnesses could be avoided if only new animals and sick animals were isolated.


sheesh believe me i am going to be checking all of this out before i start to get any more! is it only other snakes that can make them sick? can snakes sick or otherwise make other animals sick? my mom has a dog, and sometimes he comes over....

[Lankyrob]

As far as i am aware mamals and snake ilnesses are different and not transmitable apart from the reptiles passing salmonella to us if we practice bad hygiene.

We have hamsters, guinea pigs, cats, dog, snakes and lizards all in the room with me right this minute and dont expect any of them to afct the others in any way.

[infernalis]

True rob, but if you have a snake virus on your hands from animal number one, and then handle animal number two, you just cross contaminated your snakes.

Mites have been known to find their way home from pet stores by riding on a human host long enough to get transmitted.

It's just prudent to keep your hands clean when working with your critters.

Certain reptiles have an intolerance to salt, so if you eat a sack of crisps (salty chips) and then immediately pick up a pinkie to feed say a baby snake, you can possibly transmit enough salt to the food to make the snake sick.

when using dish-washing soap to clean bowls and such, rinse as much as you can and make sure no detergent remains.

[Lankyrob]

Yeah, the question was more cross contamination between snakes and mammals which issnt possible tho?

[infernalis]

Yeah, the question was more cross contamination between snakes and mammals which issnt possible tho?


Not really Rob. Reptiles are cold blooded with a completely different physiology.

Most all mammalian virus infections require warm blooded hosts.

I often forget I handled a snake and then wind up eating something like a sandwich without thinking about it.

Still it's not the best idea, but I'll wager almost all of us have at some point.

If you have clean cages and practice hygiene, I doubt you would ever get sick from properly cared for snakes.