Housing Snakes?

[bio6464]

I know this has been discussed...and opinions vary but what would YOU do? I now have 2 easterns and 2 brown snakes. Would you put the garters together and the browns together...or would you have 4 seperate enclosures. The first garter is almost double the size of the new one. The first brown is a few inches longer than the new one. There may also be an issue with one or more of them being gravid...I'm no expert. Anyways, all I'm looking for is opinions. Thanks and take care all.
Jerry

[Stefan-A]

I would set up 4 different enclosures, two of them would be temporary and just until the new garter catches up a bit and until the brown snake gives birth.

Then again, I'm pretty paranoid about cannibalism. Maybe the garter would do fine in there with the bigger one. Maybe someone else has an opinion on that issue.

[infernalis]

The brown snakes should actually be placed together, unlike many other snakes, Dekay brown snakes will interact and "mingle" (for lack of other words) We have kept a trio of browns in a 30" x 12" 30 gallon for nearly 3 years now.

I removed the babies as soon as born, and placed all of them in a 10 gallon tank away from the adults.

If you wind up with baby Dekays, ask me how to feed them. with 2 litters and about close to 50 babies raised, and a litter of red bellies (hers was 28!!!!) we got them all fed and started, it is hard work, but fun.

I have a couple WC garters together too, no problems.

[bio6464]

Wayne, thanks for the advice...I'll put my browns in the same enclosure. I'll definitely contact you if she is gravid.
Jerry

[infernalis]

Then again, I'm pretty paranoid about cannibalism. Maybe the garter would do fine in there with the bigger one. Maybe someone else has an opinion on that issue.

Stefan, I cannot really give an observation, my thoughts have always been better safe than sorry. The babies just seemed safer to me alone.

So I too share in your paranoia... Here we can get new 10 gallon aquariums for 10 dollars at wal mart, so for 10 bucks, I'd rather not see if they would eat the babies.it just makes sense.(I think anyways)

Concerning 2 garters of similar size, or even off by a few inches, I don't forsee a problem. However some people have seen food fights result in a missing snake.

[Zephyr]

I house my snakes collectively. However, I also feed collectively but am always there to observe and usually "fight off" other snakes who come to eat when it's not their turn. Or, I make sure everyone's eating at the same time. I don't even see cannibalism as an issue in captivity unless your snakes are underfed.

[adamanteus]

Just a word on cannibalism..... To my knowlrdge the worst offenders are vagrans and marcianus... but there may be others.

[lestat]

I house garters together. I have bought 6 garters that were in two sets of 3.
A male in both is larger than the others. As for feeding i tend to take them out of there vivs and place them into a hagen tank and feed them seperately that way. Unless you have babies in which case i feed in them in there vivs as not to stress them too much.

[adamanteus]

Please don't misunderstand me.... I house all my Garters in groups. But certainly gravid females are separated out, and in the case of vagrans I would want to house them individually or the sizes would have to be very similar. Maybe that's just me.
Just a reminder that occassionally Garters can be cannibalistic.

[infernalis]

My gravid honey is all alone, her accommodations are top notch, but nothing to stress her at all, I have a hot rock set on low so she can gently warm herself.

before any nay sayers chime in, the hot rock is a zoo med with a thermostat control. I would never buy the cheap junk that can burn my snakes. And momma seems to like it just fine, she sits on it in the early mornings.