Cohabitating Snakes
Written by Ian Bradley
Are you thinking of keeping two snakes together in the same viv? Read on, you might just change your mind........
Keeping a male and female (or even 2 same sex) together is a bad idea for loads of reasons...
- The risk of them breeding too early - males mature earlier than females, so if they were to breed before the female is ready she can become eggbound and possibly die.
- Overbreeding - the male will constantly pester the female and repeatedly try to breed with her. This is extremely stressful to the female both mentally and physically.
- The risk of cannibalism - this is mostly associated with hatchlings because anything that moves is food. With some species theres only a very small chance of this happening, other species are naturally cannibalistic, but is it worth taking the chance? If one eats the other, they both die.
- Health - if one snake gets ill, it will pass the illness onto the other.
- Who did what? - if theres one runny poo, or one regurgitated mouse, or one shed skin which snake was it? One of your snakes could be ill and you won't know which one.
- Feeding - If you feed in the same enclosure what would you do if both snakes strike at opposite ends of the same mouse? They won't let go, and because of their teeth you won't be able to pull them free. When they meet in the middle they won't stop swallowing and one snake will swallow the other - if this happens they will both die.
- Competition - there can be competition and even fighting for the best spot in the viv. People will say they keep two together and they curl up together - this is NOT because they are best friends or are in love - its because they both want/need the same spot in the viv for thermoregulation.
- Snakes are naturally solitary animals. They do not need or want 'friends'. they do not actively seek out other snakes, preferring their own space. If they do meet in the wild they will ignore each other and go their seperate ways. The ONLY exception to this is during breeding season.
There are definetly more cons than pros to cohabitate two snakes, and feeding them together is only the beginning of it. Your snakes will be happier and healthier (and alive!) if kept seperately.
If you don't have the space for or can't afford two set-ups then please consider only getting one snake.
For people who don't believe that snakes can and do eat each other, there follows some photo evidence of corn snake cannibalism. This is a species that is not naturally cannibalistic, but these photos speak for themselves.
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