Two juvenile western hognose together? feeding?
 

I have two female(sisters) western hognose snakes in and educational 75 gal exhibit. One is about 20g and the other 28g. They have been housed together for the last two months while I have had them. They have been doing really well together, even curled up next to each other. My main question is regarding how much to comfortable feed them to not eat each other but not so much that I over feed them? I have been feeding them 3 to 4 f/t pinkies every week and they eat them without hesitation. Any help would be great because this is my first time housing two snakes together!

I do not believe you should have any problem with them eating each other. I would feed separately but other then that should be fine.

Thanks for the reply. They have been doing pretty good together, I have been holding them at the same time almost everyday and feeding them two pinkies each per week. And yes I feed them separately in their own 5 gal tank behind the exhibit.

I would separate them. Cannibalism is not just a kingsnake behavior!

Here's a thread from another forum that actually shows a western with a sibling in its belly!


Here's another enlightening thread featuring some constrictors who decided to expand their diet.

I have personally witnessed a bullsnake eating a dumerils boa, a spotted python eating a sibling, several instances of cornsnakes eating siblings...and in addition to the above thread, I have seen photos of dumerils boas eating a BP, a red-tail boa eating a BP, and a burmese python eating a BP.

Hmm...I forgot Fauna is prejudice to other forums.

Here is a photo of a western who recently chowed down on his sibling.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b4...918_195415.jpg

Thanks for the info. Do you believe that most of those cases are due to the animal not getting enough food or just being opportunistic? I am trying to keep my westerns well fed without overfeeding them.

In most of the cannibalism cases I've heard of, the animals were being fed enough. They just did it anyways. The owner usually comments on how it was being fed properly and how they had always gotten along up until then. :rolleyes:

There's a lot of other reasons not to house them together though - stress, disease spreading, and health monitoring come to mind. If one has a bad bm or you find a regurgitated rodent, how will you be able to know which one isn't doing well? Also I hear "cuddling together" is often their subtle way of fighting for dominance over the best hide/basking spot etc. etc. etc. Being cold-blooded, they can't "huddle together for warmth" like a lot of people think. They're just curled up together there because that was the most comfortable place to be temp/security wise, the fact that it was already inhabitated by another snake was probably stressful for them if anything.
Hoggies are solitary animals in the wild, they usually only come together during the breeding season. I don't think it's best to house them together otherwise. A lot of people say they've done it for years without problems, but that's like saying you've (dumb random example) smoked for years without any health problems. Yet. There's a few well-known and accepted cons/risks, but I can't think of a single pro for the animal... I don't think it's worth it. I would suggest you seperate them just to be safe. It's better than "sorry" and all that. Two tanks half that size would still work for your display.

It is a very nice display you have going on by the way, with simply adorable lil' hoggies! :thumbsup: I'd just suggest that you add more cover and hiding places for them though~

I'm one of those who have always housed snakes together and never had a problem - I just make sure that there are many, multiple hides and always feed in a separate tank. I've always had boas though, not sure if hognoses are different in this respect.

(Plus I usually give my snakes a quick dip in a basin of water after feeding to ensure there is no prey scent left on them...)

I used to be, too. Thankfully, I was lucky not to ever have it happen in my own collection.

Glad you've been lucky so far...but there's always a first time and then I'll guarantee you'll never do it again. Especially if the animal(s) lost is particularly valuable!

It's just one of those things where you really have to ask yourself, "Is it worth the risk?" For me, it is not.

The photos in the thread are certainly convincing! I know this is a contentious issue, and I'm not pressing it, obviously there have been cases. I'd love to hear a really scientific breakdown of what leads up to it though. I've been co-housing snakes for years (and certainly don't want to be the one next to say "until...")