Seperating boa's?

[Matt_K]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
FIVE boas in one cage? Hmmm... and the pet store down the road from me keeps 30 baby Ball Pythons in an aquarium. Perhaps I should re-think my methods for caging?

LOL, I was wondering what it would take for you to change your ways.. It's about time you see the light Jeff..

[Jeff_Favelle]

Well SPEAKING of lights Matt, I should use a spot light in every cage! Right over the hot rock that's on top of the sand, under my screen lid!

[Ivan (NL)]

sorry was just wondering...

[Jeff_Favelle]

No no Ivan, no harm intended. I was just having some fun, but reading back, I realize that it would be a little harsh from your perspective.

Its common belief that housing snakes together is not really a good thing to do. Just because they seem to congregate together or they eat fine, or they look ok, doesn't really tell you a whole lot. Reptiles can't talk. They can't tell you how they feel. They can't tell another conspecific that they need space. They don't outwardly express stress. These are all things that are hidden, or non-existent. It is you job as an owner of these animals to not let those bad things happen, and to promote the good conditions that allow the animals to complete life events and to be snakes.

You boas don't really like each other. They tolerate each other's existence/prescence, but they don't crave companionship. The mechanisms for those responses and emotion simply aren't there. When one boa meets another boa, one of several things can occur:

1) If its two males during breeding season, they fight.
2) If its a mature pair, they might mate.
3) If its just two snakes not interested in mating, they get the impression that they have yet another animal to compete with for resources, and they get stressed and move on, or they sit and wait until he other one leaves.
4) They try to eat each other. Rare, but happens with Epicrates and Eunuctes.

Point is, its just not worth it to keep FIVE boas together in the same cage. That is out of convenience to YOU and not out of good husbandry towards the boas.

[BoidKeeper]

In my opinion, which I'm basing on things I've read and things that I know large breeders do, I feel that snakes should never be housed together. Here are some points that I keep in mind and reasons why I do not house snakes together.
1. The presence of another animal in their space represents competition, competition leads to stress.
2. Stress leads to loss of appetite and or disease.
3. If one sick gets sick they can both get sick.
4. How do you know who is defecating and who is not?
5. Snakes are not social animals so although captivity its self is not natural forcing two animals to live together is even more unnatural.
Now keeping two different species together can open up a whole new can of worms. Different species can be more susceptible to different diseases. Also they can differ in heat and humidity requirements.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Matt_K]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
Well SPEAKING of lights Matt, I should use a spot light in every cage! Right over the hot rock that's on top of the sand, under my screen lid!

So you're saying you don't already?? i guess i'm light years ahead of you..

sorry was just wondering...

Don't appologize..

[Linds]

Originally posted by MouseKilla

I don't, however accept spread of disease as a reason to keep a pair seperate because they will obviously end up having plenty of opportunity to swap diseases or parasites when you put them together to breed.

I don't think you will find anyone that wil dispute that breeding snakes isn't risk-free. All the same problems as being permanently housed, plus more (associated directly with breeding such as injury), are very real. However, it is only temporary, as well as it is completely natural for the snakes. They do come together to breeding the wild, however, they certainly do not spend time together otherwise.