introducing pythons

[John_lisa]

hey guys i not to long ago bought 2 12 month old jungle pythons we belive they are male and female but a lil unsure but i would like to keep them in the same enclosure seen as they are going to be a breeding pair it would help to have them there all year round if that is a good idea? but i was hopeing someone could help and give me advice on the best way to intraduce them seen as iv never done it before and dont wont to stuff it up lol if thats possable but i also have the problem of one being very calm and the other can be agro so not sure how to handle this and advise would be very helpfull plz thanx

 

[lgotje]

they should be fine just keep an eye on them when u put them in there put female in first then male and have a few hides/ branches in there so they can go to a different hides each or branch they should be

 

[John_lisa]

what if they strike at each other should i stop or just let it go and see if its just a warning or what lol sorry i have looked for info but didnt find much at all and we are still unsure of the sex if there the same or male and female

 

[onthillside]

If possible they would be better off housed separately. It can be difficult to feed them if they are together, one may finish the food quicker and then try to eat the other end of the mouse/rat that is already being eaten by the cage mate.( i have seen this) Also you will have better luck breeding them when the time comes, as the male can sometimes loose interest in them female if housed together all year round.
Hope this helps.

T

 

[John_lisa]

wat if i was to feed them sepretly??and i didnt even relise they lost or even really had intrest in each other lol

 

[Fantazmic]

there is a great article on Southern Cross Reptiles site
Reptile Husbandry Articles by Southern Cross Reptiles
there are also articles on breeding
Simon stones recommendation is not to keep them together but read the article it explains quite graphically why you shouldnt !!
Mine have separate enclosures and i wouldnt have them together ever!!

Elizabeth

 

[pythonmum]

If you were to keep them together you would really need to feed separately. Removing one to a tub would be a good solution, but you have to decide which can handle the disturbance of being moved right after feeding. Read the SXR articles. When introducing during the breeding season, even with a known pair, I watched very closely and kept a hook at hand until it was clear that things were moving in an amorous rather than aggressive direction.

 

[euphorion]

Much safer all round to house them seperately. Quarantine, feeding, breeding, record keeping, etc. all much easier when they're kept seperate. How would you feel if one day someone got eaten? In my opinion it's just not worth the risks. Sure, saves money from only having one enclosure, saves on heating bills, only one tank to clean and it looks good but... Still, the benefits do not outweigh the risks for me.

 

[sookie]

We have our young Bredlis in their tank together and they do seem to get a bit defensive if you are trying to remove just one,and the remaining one does at times does stress.Feeding is waaaay more organised between the two.It does look cool,but at times what a stress.

 

[euphorion]

That's a very good point Sookie. These animals don't interact all year round in the wild. Forcing them into close confines with other snakes is unnatural and likely to cause health problems from exposure to long term stressors.

 

[AM Pythons]

you must watch that one does not dominate the other, one can hog the hotspot & may not let the other thermo regulate properly... i never house pythons together but alot of ppl do... each to there own..

 

[wranga]

flame me. i keep 3 jungles, 2 males and a female together. their allways fed separately. they have been kept for over 4years like this and has never been a problem. have even breed them while keeping them together.

 

[John_lisa]

ok guys thanks heaps for ur advice i am thinking i might not intraduce them but going to be intresting doing it cuz one is a nasty peace of work lol the other is very placid lol

and wranga ur crazy not even id be game to keep 2 males together lol

 

[hornet]

having them together for short periods of time is fine but housing together is not recomended, it can end in one of both of the animals dying

 

[John_lisa]

ok cool once i have them sexed to make sure it is male and female i might place the grumpy one in with the placid one for a few mins/hours so they know each other