Share a habitat?

[marionsclan]

As you know I have a 9 mts old female BP and she is in a 55 gal tank and seems to be pretty comfortable in it. I would like to get another BP which is smaller and male and was wondering if, after quarantine, I could house them together. The tank set up would easily house them because I've got 3 hides in it as well as branches. Input, plz.

[ilovemypets1988]

its not recommended to co-habit snakes especially males mixed with females as they may breed and at that age, there may be tremendous complications that can make you loose the female through egg binding.

[NennaMeerkat]

Not only that which was mentioned above but how can you tell when someone isn't pooping, or if there is a weird poop who had it. If one gets sick the other is guaranteed to unlike if you had them in separate homes.

[marionsclan]

Excellent points. Thank you very much.

[Ch^4]

BPs are very solitary creatures. Housing them together will cause unnecessary stress. Don't get another snake unless you can provide it with its own enclosure.

[marionsclan]

BPs are very solitary creatures. Housing them together will cause unnecessary stress. Don't get another snake unless you can provide it with its own enclosure.

I do have a separate habitat. I was just curious because they're selling pairs online, some mated, some not, so I wondered if that was good bad or otherwise. I know there are always exceptions but I certainly don't want to stress the snake in order to try it out.

[stephanbakir]

That and feeding them together is scary, never something to try. You would need to separate them anyway for feed time.

[marionsclan]

I have a separate feeding tank because I want the snake to know that whatever enters her habitat, like my hand, is not food.

[SnakeyJay]

I have a separate feeding tank because I want the snake to know that whatever enters her habitat, like my hand, is not food.

I may be wrong but I believe that is a myth.. They use all of their senses to find prey, sight smell/taste etc. we neither look like a prey item nor smell like one.. By the same theory if you feed outside the viv then surely they would associate being taken out with food and bite once out.. See my logic? good luck with getting a new bp tho.

[ilovemypets1988]

thats a very gd point snakey, thats 1 of the reasons why i feed in the vivs and with my bare hands, that way, they know when there getting fed as i put my hand into the vivs differently with there food to the way i put my hand into the tank for basic handling and getting the snake out, but im luckily enough to have snakes that are so relaxed tbh

[SnakeyJay]

Yeah my corn will always swing around on me when im removing him from his viv... But he dont like me lol... However my brb gets fed in her viv as she stresses when out and ive never had her strike or show any aggression outside of feeding time..

[ilovemypets1988]

ive never had a problem with my boa and he has been fed both in and out of viv - in all the time now though - and funnily enough, when i put my hand in without food, he sticks his head out of his hide, flicks his tongue once and goes bk in lol, with food, its out, flick out abit more, strike and constrict lol, my bp has bitten me twice but shes still a hatchie so it can be expected, the rest of the snakes are just pure lazy, they literaly cant be a**`d to do what i want them to and when i want them to, its always like an hour afterwards lol

[Lankyrob]

Even with my retic i will put my bare hand into the viv with no worries to do cleaning or to pick him up etc. he knows when its feeding time (in his viv) cos the plate appears.

[marionsclan]

They use all of their senses to find prey, sight smell/taste etc. we neither look like a prey item nor smell like one..

Yes, I do understand what you're saying but if we don't look like food to them then why would they still bite us if they smell food on us? It would require some sort of intelligence on the snake's part to discern that those are your hands vs. an eatable object. In my example with the separate tank there is no intelligence required just habit by associating food with an empty tank vs. no food in their habitat.

I've heard both sides from very experienced snake owners and their own theory works well for them so maybe that is why they think theirs is the right way, idk.

[Lankyrob]

They bite because they see us as a threat - as we would if something 20 times as big as us scooped us up of the floor. 99% of bites from reptiles are the fault of the person getting bit - tho there are the odd snakes that will bite just cos they can!

[marionsclan]

They bite because they see us as a threat - as we would if something 20 times as big as us scooped us up of the floor. 99% of bites from reptiles are the fault of the person getting bit - tho there are the odd snakes that will bite just cos they can!

So you're saying they don't recognize us at all by sound and smell and therefore don't trust us even after several years of feeding and handling them?

[Lankyrob]

I beleive that after a time they accept us as a non predator - and that they therefore tolerate some handling by us. But even after 20 years if you stick your hand into a bucket of rats and then try to pick them up you WILL get bit.

[SnakeyJay]

I beleive that after a time they accept us as a non predator - and that they therefore tolerate some handling by us. But even after 20 years if you stick your hand into a bucket of rats and then try to pick them up you WILL get bit.

So true.. Feeding instinct will over rule "trust"...

[Gungirl]

Even with my retic i will put my bare hand into the viv with no worries to do cleaning or to pick him up etc. he knows when its feeding time (in his viv) cos the plate appears.

I am going to start doing this! ^^^ I love the idea and it would make life much simpler.

[Lankyrob]

I am going to start doing this! ^^^ I love the idea and it would make life much simpler.


It is great to be "in charge" of his feeding response - kinda the same theory as hook training - they respond to the same stimulus in the same way so they know no plate=no food and plate=food. Hook on head=no food, no hook on head=food.

Kinda the only "training" that you can do with regard to feeding response i think.