Who houses their Corns together?

Roy Munson said:

I read somewhere that tribbles have twice the nutrient content of rats (but you have to shave them down).

Click to expand...

They are more prolific as well. That's the trouble with tribbles.

Tribbles?

Can someone tell me what the heck is a "tribble" please?Am very intrigued!Had my amels one night now,no regurgitation,was watching them both mooch about till the early hours.Both in thier hides this morning,Both have pooed.What should the consistency be of hatchling poo?It looks a bit like bird poo to me!I decided to use kitchen roll in the end for substrate,and was also wondering when i can change this as it is soiled and have been told by peeps on this forum to not handle my hatchlings for four to five days..I really don't like to leave them with poo in thier enclosures.I don't like to sit in filth and i don't expect my kids or my other animals to either.Any good ideas?Also,I've not managed to name them yet either,has anyone got any ideas as to a nice wacky name for them.I must also say i found that the end of a pringles tube makes an excellent hide,I just cut the bottom end off and cut an entry hole into it,it is lined with foil or something,so reflects and holds the heat inside.My hatchlings took to these,they have a choice of toilet roll tubes,upside down plantpots and these pringle things and they went for these.Just thought that might be usefull to someone out there..I think I just named my amels...Cheese and Onion!

Bird poo sounds about right.

You are best to clean up after them. Just fish out the soiled stuff as best you can and replace it with fresh stuff. If you can do it without disturbing the snake, all well and good. If not, you're best to change it anyway.

Tribbles are a Star Trek thing ..... :grin01:

tribbles

Cheers for that!will use beech or that coconut stuff you get in a block in future,have got some here from my water dragon,am missing his little green face already..He's got a good home tho,and his new owner is getting him a ladyfriend..If i use the chippings or cocut stuff then it would be easier to clean them withouy disturbing them too much,although they were very calm when i put them into thier new homes yesterday,i was very tempted to hold them for more than a few fleeting seconds,but took all the good advice all you guys have been giving me and left them well alone.\\If they've pooed then does that mean they are settling in?cheers everyone!

Heh, one of the best ways to get a corn to poop is to put it somewhere clean.

Pooping!

So does this mean that every time i clean them they are going to poo?Its no hardship for me,I clean poo all day![two babies in nappies,two dogs etc!]My water dragon would poo in the nice clean water i put in for him,Usually just as i shut the viv door!Iam missing him dreadfully.Does snake poo smell?Can't smell what they did last night,but obviously as the snake grows its poo will get bigger..

I think some of it is just the timing, since mine often poop right after they've eaten, which is when I'm putting them back into their newly-cleaned box. But I have had plenty of incidents where I clean them out at some other time and right after I put them back, they're making a brand new mess.

Does snake poo smell?Can't smell what they did last night,but obviously as the snake grows its poo will get bigger..

Click to expand...

I can smell it, but it's not that bad, generally.

Poo!

Just as long as it doesn't smell like cat poo i' ll be fine!Would be best to clean them babies out though.Would it be best to clean them at night being as they are nocturnal?I was planning on doing all the handling,cleaning and feeding at night as this seems to be when they are most active.One came out from its hide this morning when i inspected them,Don't know if they get to be "friendly" like my water dragon was,but i'll live in hope!

congrats on gettin two, i have two corn's i bought them as hatchlings one month apart on in December 04 and one in Jan 05 (Pay Day) and i have housed them together since i got them and have had no problems at all, they both feed very well and shed quite often, i would recommend that if you are going to house them together to wait till there both about 1 - 2 month's old, and not as snappy or as jumpy as they can be when they are babies, and have at least two hiding places so if they do want to get away from each other they can. My viv is 3'(L) 18"(D) 18"(H) and this is perfect at the moment both my corns are about 3 1/2' long and have plenty of room. although when i get back off holiday i am goin to buy a bigger viv as i want to put my Bearded Dragons in the one my corns are in. If you still feel a bit sketchy about putting them together then try putting them in a tank together for 5 - 10 mins each day and see how they react to each other and gradually extend the time they are together till you feel safe enough to let them live with one another.

housing corns together

Thanks for the response,I have introduced Scylla and Medusa to each other,two days after I fed them.They wern't worried or stressed by each others presence so have decided to keep them apart for thier first year in separate containers inside the viv,and have them both out at the same time for handling,then at least if there were going to be problems then they would be spotted and I will have plenty of time to get another viv made[I may well do this anyway] then if it happens that they are not "compatable then I at least have somewhere to move the "naughty one" to.But,so far so good.I got S&M on the 14th aug 05 and they haven't missed or regurged any meal.They are right next to each other and must be happy with this so am thinking that when they are about a year I would be able to introduce the both of them to thier viv "proper" and watch very closely indeed...Both are in shed right now too.

Mostly off topic:

ScottyK, are those branches just propped in the corners, or are they anchored in some way? I want to put branches in my tank just like that, but Deianira knocks them askew no matter how well I think I have them wedged into the tank.

were your canabalistic hatchlings of the same clutch?

This whole thread makes me twitch. To see smart people do some pretty dumb things. To each their own, I agree with that. But like Cav said, animals don't get to choose their caretakers. If something goes wrong, the animal is hurt or dead and you're out some cash.

Unlike Roy, who was man enough to admit his mistakes (kudos to Roy), I housed all of mine separately from the day I offically stepped into this hobby and had more than one snake. They each had their own viv and that is the way its been since 2000. The only time my snakes ever spend any amount of time together is when they're all tossed into a tub in the event of severe weather (packing 50+ boxes to the basement is a chore in limited amount of time), or when males and females get together to mate, or for picture purposes.

As Serp said there is no guaranteed method for sexing. Until they lay eggs, its up in the air IMHO. I am a great example of this. I bought a male snow in the Spring of 2003. I kept trying to get it to mate and it was always petrified of the females and more interested in the males. So I thought, nifty a gay snake. Until this year I saw it start to show the same signs as an ovulating female and I tried it out. She readily accepted the matings from 4 males and laid a total of 35 eggs this year. Some male.

I think the main reason most people over in Europe house their snakes together is simply they don't have the room most of the time. Unless you're incredibly wealthy in most cases, people don't own a house in the conventional sense of the word. They own or rent an apartment with limited space. But still, I think if you can't afford the space or money towards housing them separately then one shouldn't get more snakes, simply put.

If I can't afford another viv, I don't get another snake no matter how much I want to. That's being mature and educated. Buying impulsively and uneducatedly is gross negligence. Snakes are solitary animals. You don't see them slithering through the woods happily together. You see them curled up under a board or a log all by themselves.

If you can't afford another $40 for a viv and supplies, how are you going to afford a very expensive vet bill should something go wrong? All vets are expensive, and all reptile issues I've ever had to attend with a vet are doubly more expensive. Most people simply don't think of the worst case scenario right off the bat. Me, I'm a pessimist, so it comes naturally.

This whole discussion has been beat around the bush until the bush is almost dead. But to do informed research and asking for our opinions and then to put your snakes together is like the oxymoron of the snake world. There is a whole wealth of knowledge on this forum from people who've tried it in their more inexperienced days and shared their tales of woe. If bad things can happen to them, Murphy doesn't make distinctions it spits on everyone any chance he can get.

Yes snakes look beautiful draped over one another and the color palette goes wild! But they look even more beautiful when they're unstressed, healthy, happy, and alive.

I can only think of one reason to house snakes together: laziness. I can think of a whole bunch not to.

*steps off bucket*

rhinecat said:

Mostly off topic:

ScottyK, are those branches just propped in the corners, or are they anchored in some way? I want to put branches in my tank just like that, but Deianira knocks them askew no matter how well I think I have them wedged into the tank.

Click to expand...

Sorry- Just saw this. You can get them locked in two different ways...

1- Aquarium cement: You need to take the snake out for 24 hours to do this, but the glue dries odorless and non toxic. It is also relatively easy to scrape it off with a razor if you decide to redecorate.

2- Wedge them in: To make this work, you need to leave the branch a bit long. If you are doing it right, you'll need to bend the branch and apply some force to get it in there. I usually do this if the piece is long enough to begin with, as they hold in place very well without glue. It helps that I live near the ocean and can walk the local beaches for more driftwood than I could ever use.

Hope this helps......

If you don't have money for another viv why don't you just use a rubbermaid tub? I know of a lot of people who do that. Or just get a small plastic viv for now if its a hatchling. Thats what I did, its a 5gal and cost me $10 at the pet store. You don't need a huge elaborate setup at first.

Nick

Taceas said:

I think the main reason most people over in Europe house their snakes together is simply they don't have the room most of the time. Unless you're incredibly wealthy in most cases, people don't own a house in the conventional sense of the word. They own or rent an apartment with limited space. But still, I think if you can't afford the space or money towards housing them separately then one shouldn't get more snakes, simply put.

Click to expand...

I think you should rephrase that!!!!
i live in the UK i own a HOUSE im not incredibly wealthy my house is not rented and it's not an apartment!
it's a house i have plenty of room if i wanted to split my corns up i could, but the fact is i prefer to house them together and IMO i think they like being together!
I think you should step of your high horse and stop preaching b/s about ppl in Europe!!! :twoguns:

I own my house too and find that there isn't enough space for our kids,which was why in the first place I was making the decision to swap my water dragon for the amels,I was told by the chap that bred them that they would be fine together and was in fact keeping them in pairs as they "pipped".I didn't want to seperate a pair which was why I went for two.They have since been separated but can see each other in the viv set up.Every time I handle them,it is together and neither of them seem bothered by the other one's presence.Both have eaten for me with no problems,both have had good sheds,and poo a lot!If only I had a camera...you would see that my amels are fine,separate for now,and absolutely lovely!!!One very proud snake owner!!!Cheers!V

traf2006 said:

I think you should rephrase that!!!!
i live in the UK i own a HOUSE im not incredibly wealthy my house is not rented and it's not an apartment!

Click to expand...

You're 18 and own your own house? When I was 18, everyone I knew was either heading off to the military or to college, or working at the local gas station.

it's a house i have plenty of room if i wanted to split my corns up i could, but the fact is i prefer to house them together and IMO i think they like being together!

Click to expand...

Yeah, especially the ones who eat their cagemates. They REALLY like being together.

traf2006 said:

think you should rephrase that!!!!
i live in the UK i own a HOUSE im not incredibly wealthy my house is not rented and it's not an apartment!
it's a house i have plenty of room if i wanted to split my corns up i could, but the fact is i prefer to house them together and IMO i think they like being together!
I think you should step of your high horse and stop preaching b/s about ppl in Europe!!!

Click to expand...

For the record, I said most people. I didn't say ALL. Most of the people I have met from either the UK or the rest of Europe don't have the priveledge of owning their own home. Why that is, I have no idea. I don't live there nor am I subject to the different incomes/taxes over there. And these are people from all age groups, for the record.

I heard a quote not too long ago: "If you go through life and expect to be offended by someone or something, you won't be disappointed".

I personally saw nothing wrong with what I said, and I think you must have taken it out of some sort of context. Last time I checked there was no rule for stating "an opinion", like you just did. Guess whats good for the goose isn't as good for the gander?

traf2006 said:

IMO i think they like being together

Click to expand...

Did you ask them for their opinions on the matter?

What I said wasn't offending to anyone in particular nor was it meant to be when I typed it. It was just a correlation that I have noticed the past few years concerning Europeans and their fondness for housing snakes together that generally do much better apart. Would you have felt better had I said "it must be in the water, that the European corns get along famously whilst our native American corns are cannibalistic in such situations"?

Its nice that you own a home, but like Serp wondered, how do you have the means to own a house at 18? I've just been finally able to purchase a house at 25, and even then I feel like I'm mortgaged to the hilt.

And you can feel offended at the following all you want, having the means to house your snakes separately and knowingly disregarding the risks, in my book constitutes sheer laziness and disregard for the safety of your 'pets', period. I'm sure a few do it for years with no problems. I like to err on the side of 100% safety and be assured that I'm not coming home to one less snake because I missed a feeding day.

If anyone needs to step off of their horse and apologize, I think its you.

Traf, do you keep your Beardies together?