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Cohabbing and Astroturf?

Dakafall

Dakafall

New member
I decided to save space and make only 1 thread. The first question I have is would it be okay to cohab 3 snakes for only about a day or two until my flexwatt arrives for my rack (2 yearlings (1 male and 1 female) and 1 is about 6months (male) if i had to guess). I know cohabbing is usually a definate no, but I wasn't sure if there were exceptions to the rule.

The second question I have is why is astroturf not a good choice as a substrate. I've seen places say that it's a good choice if you have pieces that you can rotate out and wash and other places say to stay away from it. Including the Husbandry and Basic Care FAQ section
 
No it's not okay because it's a male and female + 1 that's smaller as the other 2 so increasing the risk of cannibalizing. Also there is stress enough with a move and if you are gonna move, cohab, move again and separate them you can be sure there will be lots of stress involved. I'd suggest you keep them like you are keeping them now until the flexwatt arrives.
IF you are already keeping them together you should've thought about a very important rule in herp keeping: Always run your viv empty for as long as possible before buying a snake.

I have no experience with Astroturf but corns like to burrow which is more than enough reason for me not to use it. On the other hand if you have asthma i would understand.
 
Cohabbing- I would go to the dollar store and pick up a few temporary tupperware holding bins. The few bucks you spend could head off a major problem. Plus, a snake hobbyist can always use some more containers...

Keep in mind that astroturf and reptile carpet are two different things. Astroturf has been reported to be hard on snakes undersides. You can use reptile carpet, but keeping it clean can become labor intensive. The main problem is that waste gets trapped beneath and stays moist between cleanings. It then becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, mold, etc. You really need to stay on top of it...
 
Cohabbing- even though you only want to do it for a day there is a huge risk of early breeding between the two yearlings which can cause an early death to your female if she is unable to pass the eggs. The smaller of them could become a meal in no time. I would do the same as Scotty mentions and pick up a few extra tubs. They will be just fine for a few days without any flexiwatt as long as you have them in a warmer area.

I have not used any astroturf before, but I would imagine that it would hurt the snake's scales because it is so rough.
 
Dakafall said:
I decided to save space and make only 1 thread. The first question I have is would it be okay to cohab 3 snakes for only about a day or two until my flexwatt arrives for my rack (2 yearlings (1 male and 1 female) and 1 is about 6months (male) if i had to guess). I know cohabbing is usually a definate no, but I wasn't sure if there were exceptions to the rule.

The second question I have is why is astroturf not a good choice as a substrate. I've seen places say that it's a good choice if you have pieces that you can rotate out and wash and other places say to stay away from it. Including the Husbandry and Basic Care FAQ section
Click to expand...

There are always exceptions to any rule. You own the snakes so you make the exceptions. Atmox and ScottyK pointed out why they would not do it and now you have to make the choice because you own the snake we do not.

ScottyK said it best "The main problem is that waste gets trapped beneath and stays moist between cleanings. It then becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, mold, etc.". I did use astroturf 20 years ago when I had boa and pythons but found out what ScottK said was very true and threw the turf out after a short period of time.
 
The only reason the astroturf or out door carpet type stuff is no good is because of the way it holds in bacteria. This crap about being too rough on the snakes underside? When in the wild they live in fields, in barnes, crawls on rocks all day, across sun heated pavement....etc, etc...I highly doubt astroturf is too rough for them :)
 
Oh ya...and don't co-hab them, get a couple cheap bins, if they are that young, three $1 6qt tubs will be fine for just a couple days...may be a little small, but it's temporary. And they won't die without heat for a couple days, just don't feed them till you get some heat for them and they'll be good :) Good luck!
 
I used to use astroturf when I first got my snake. I didn't have any problems with it, except everytime she used the bathroom I had to empty everything out of the cage, clean the astroturf, wait for it to dry completly, then put it and everything else back in the cage. It takes hours for it to dry completly. I use aspen now, and it is much better, in my opinion. Plus, my snake enjoys making tunnels around her tank and burrowing to sleep.
 
I've never heard of using Astroturf for them. Coming from a guy that used it 20 years ago and what he said, I'd say no. But 20 years is a lot of improvement to get more grass like so today it may be another story. And as Dakota stated, it takes a long time to dry out completely and we all know that wet = breeding ground for mold, bacteria. So if you didn't feel like waiting the whole time I'd recommend you get two and swap the old for a clean and clean the dirty one and let it air.

I'd much rather stay with aspen so the snake can burrow and hide as it feels needed, make its' own maze road system. I think psychologically its better for the snake and makes them much happier. (IMO)

If you ask me, I'd much rather use aspen, snake can burrow and hide as he wants, make his own maze road system. I think physiologically it's better for the snake and makes them much more happier. (IMO)

And seriously, there's a dollar store in almost all the towns now days even a small one of 2,500 - 3,000 people in it. Keeping them in some holding bins till then won't hurt them any.
 
I've never heard of using Astroturf for them.
Click to expand...
It's reasonably common for folks starting out, as it looks very good in the tank.

However, keeping it clean and dry is a pain in the behind as stated above, so we do tend to see them convert to something easier to spot-clean. A few weeks of having to completely dismantle the setup for each poop, and looks can become a secondary factor!
 
I was just looking for something a little more appealing than newspaper or paper towels but something easier to clean than the wood chips I have in their now (having a brain fart, starts with a c, not cedar) since they're really dark it makes the poop hard to spot right away. Also was just contemplating astroturf for how cost effective it is vs say aspen, sani-chips or newspaper
 
Aspen is very easy to keep clean and I find it very economical to use. The poop clumps in it and you just have to remove a small amount when spot cleaning. The snakes love it. They burrow in it an make tunnels while exploring at night.
I do feed my snakes in a separate feeding tank with paper towel substrate.
 
I have tried every type of substrate and have switched to aspen because it is easiest. If you want to use astroturf, go ahead! You may be ok with the time required to keep it clean and dry.... I have too many corns to care about looks, so I would never contemplate astroturf.

About the cohabbing.... two stories come to mind. The first is someone on this board who bought 2 snakes at a reptile expo. He thought they would be fine in the same container on the drive home. Nope. One ate the other and they both died. I think he spent about $400 on the pair. Ouch.
The second.... who was it who decided to cohab during the breeding season this year? It is supposed to be fine to house your breeding pairs together. After one week, two of his males were dead, killed by the females.
Lesson: cohabbing is a risk, always. I would never risk it. I have left snakes in temporary plastic bins for a week with no problems in an emergency. Shoebox size for a grown snake. They aren't comfy, but they aren't killing each other.
 
Naagas - wow! those are scary stories.

My friend and I were just talking about what if a snake ate another and what would happen to the snake who ate - if it could actually eat a snake it's own size. Apparently not, I couldn't imagine that it could.

I've got some carefresh natural coming to try. I have aspen now and like it a lot. I was ordering online and they were out of the big bags of aspen and I was curious about the carefresh so I got that instead.
 
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