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18 Posts |
 Posted - 03/04/2009 : 00:23:06
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Hi everyone, I'm new here, so hope I don't bore you with tthings you all heard before.
Iv owned 2 beautiful cornsnakes for 1 year and 3 months now. We bought them when they were tiny. They are 2 females and have been housed together since day 1. we have never experienced any problems, and we were assured when we bought them that housing them together was not a prob as long as it was done from the start. About 3 weeks ago when removing one corn from the vic, she struck the 2nd snake around the neck and begain constricting. this was a horrible ordeal and had to pull her off. Now last week, I fed the two snakes and put them back in together, all fine. The next morning I hear scuffly noises and on investigation see them darting off super quick, I think fighting. So due to being scared have put a temp divide in their viv. Have had snake 1 out for handling more this week as she seems to be the vicious, was just plucking up the courage to put them back together when o saw the other posts on sharing vivs,and the pic of a snake eating another and don't know what to do??
Sorry for rambling on, hope somebody can help with a solution, the thought of nott putting them back in together is horrible, the the thought of them eating eachuther is worse!!
Thanks for your help, esme. |
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Kehhlyr
ǝʞɐɔ sǝʌoן
United Kingdom
8173 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2009 : 00:41:27
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Hiya, and welcome to the forum.
I'm assuming that up until now, they've always gotten on well?
If so, are you sure they're both female? If you were told they were by the person you got them off, it may be worth trying to find out how he sexed them, or even having them probed by a decent reptile shop.
It's the 'scuffily noises' and 'darting off super quick' that makes me think you may have opposite sexes. In which case, then you'd be better off keeping them both apart until they're at least 3 years old.
I'm just trying to think why one might've struck the other when removing from the viv. Was she hard to remove from the other, or did she let go easily?
Snakes eating snakes is the worst case scenario. 2 of mine fairly often have a nibble of themselves halfway through feeding time, especially Kelloggs, after getting mousey scent on his body, he then has a taste to see if it is.
I'm wondering if you had not long fed one corn, and was getting the other out for feeding and it smelled dinner on the 2nd snake. That could explain a lot of things.
How big is your viv?
What heat source are you using?
what decorations/substrate do you have in the viv?
Do you feed in the viv? |
-=Kehhlyr - The Resident Loon
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Blackecho
The Corn Snake Admin
United Kingdom
4379 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2009 : 06:47:14
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Is there a reason you want them back together? - I'd leave the partition there and get another setup when they're too big for that.
As you've just proven, there's never a problem until it happens. I have read of someone keeping a pair together for 10 years perfectly well and then one tried to eat the other and they both died. It's just not worth the risk to me. |
www.theroyalpython.co.uk/forum
Location: Rotherham
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18 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2009 : 09:44:41
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thanks for your replies,
yes up until now they have always been fine, and what i thought was affectionate towards eachother. We bought them from a reptile shop, and they were probed in front of us, is there any way that they could still get the wrong reading by doing this? as when it was done, the girls both said they thought one was male , and then were surprised when found it was female.
when caramel struck pearl, she was quite difficult to get off, she began constricting as soon as she felt a force pulling her off, ie me. when this happened it was just before feeding them. i was literally about to get one out to feed and moved the branch inside the viv, this movement must have started her off, and the next thing that moved, ie pearl, she went for.
viv is approx 35 inch x 17 inch x 17 inch. the more iv looked around on here, im thinking this is too big, but again when we went to buy the setup they told us it was perfectly fine??
iv got a heatmat in there with thermostat and light,all at one end.
im not sure what the substrate is called, but its a light coloured wood, chippings. there is also a big branch, 2 hides ( i each end) a bunch of plastic leaves hung on the wall, and a few scattered around.and of course a water bowl.
we normally feed one snake in a sepearate box outside of the viv, and the other inside. and dont put them both back until both have completly finished feeding.
It just seems like they have always been fine together, and sad to not see them get on and have to seperate them. im thinking i will have to keep them seperate because il just be worrying that il come home to a missing snake! however the partition iv put up in the viv is very temp, it seperates the cage the wrong way, as in one end warm one cold, i have turned the lamp off, so the warm side doesnt get boiling, but i know i have to do something about it very soon. pref today. would it be better to get a plastic box with air holes in and to leave it inside the viv?
thanks |
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Ell
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
1640 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2009 : 19:49:58
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| I've never co-habited snakes but I wouldn't say they are affectionate towards eachother, more that they share the same areas because its best for heat or best for hiding and tolerant of eachother. It may be a good idea to get them probed again anyway as its more difficult to tell their sexes when young. |
 
1.0.0 Normal corn snake - Dusk
0.1.0 Strawberry Snow Stripe corn snake - Dawn
0.1.0 Harlequin Crested Gecko - Stickles
1.0.0 Sable Syrian Hamster - CoCo
0.1.0 Hognose snake - Truffles |
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deleted
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/04/2009 : 00:19:43
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| Hey thought I'd just update you all, thAnks for your replies, I happened to be talking to somebody about my situation. They used to have a corn and coincidently still had a vic they were trying to get rid of- for free!! so itook them up on this. For now if had to use kitchen roll and shredded paper for the bedding, is this ok? And how thick should it be? it just seems really thin compared to the chippings in the other vic. I'm scared she will burn herself on the heatmat! ? Thanks |
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Kehhlyr
ǝʞɐɔ sǝʌoן
United Kingdom
8173 Posts |
Posted - 05/04/2009 : 01:22:04
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Kitchen roll and shredded paper will be fine as a substrate.
Provided you have a stat controlling the heat mat, she wont burn herself on it.
You kept that quiet about a free viv didn't you?? Seriously, well done on that, not often it happens. |
-=Kehhlyr - The Resident Loon
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Blackecho
The Corn Snake Admin
United Kingdom
4379 Posts |
Posted - 05/04/2009 : 08:36:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Ell
I've never co-habited snakes but I wouldn't say they are affectionate towards eachother, more that they share the same areas because its best for heat or best for hiding and tolerant of eachother. It may be a good idea to get them probed again anyway as its more difficult to tell their sexes when young.
Agreed. |
www.theroyalpython.co.uk/forum
Location: Rotherham
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deleted
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/04/2009 : 12:18:00
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lol! i know, when he said about it, i was amazed! but yeah i cant imagine it happening very often!
i need to get another hide, and a branch etc, then they should be both happy.
im going to try feed them 2 fluffs tomorrow, instead of the normal 1. should the 2nd be given straight after fluff 1 is down?
thankss |
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Kehhlyr
ǝʞɐɔ sǝʌoן
United Kingdom
8173 Posts |
Posted - 05/04/2009 : 22:01:55
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I tend to give the second about 2 mins after 1st has gone down.
Just wait until food bulge is down and snakie is hunting again and give second one. |
-=Kehhlyr - The Resident Loon
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