Cannibalism

[Fuscus]

I've got two Water pythons housed together. One is growing faster than the other. At what size differential does the largest become a threat to the smallest?

 

[wattso]

Ive read of snakes swallowing or attempting to swallow snakes as big as or bigger than themselves, sometimes with fatal consequences because they could not regurtitate. I would watch for dominance displays quite closley or rehouse one depending on how brave you are. :wink:

 

[junglesrus]

Last year i was running 2 hatchling maccies together,3 weeks of age both the same size neither had had there first feed sense hacthing,
Woke up 1 morning to find one had eaten the other then reguritated it back up.

Spoke to another breeder who also had the same exsperience last year.

No longer house them together.

 

[lockman]

a friend of mine just lost two macci hatchlings to the same problem so i separated mine days after hatching

 

[marc]

I dont like putting snakes together all the time, there are benifits for not, like lesson the chance of cannibalism, stimulating breeding and isolating any deseases or health problem that may occure, but the only benifit to housing them together I think is room space. However large enclosures with plenty of hides you shouldnt have much of a problem. I found the scareist time is after feeding when the sent of prey is on one snake and the other/s are still hunger, even I have seen some of my snakes try and eat their water bowls because of the smell