bullsnakes & cornsnakes

[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.