Can Two Corn Snakes Be Kept Together?

If you own two corn snakes, or you’re thinking of getting another one, housing them in the same vivarium may seem like a good way to keep your costs down.

And while many corn snakes owners will tell you that their corn snakes have cohabited for years without any problems, living together is not advisable.

Read on to find out why corn snakes should be kept separately and when it is okay to keep them together (as long as you’re very careful).

2 Corn Snakes

 

Living alone is preferable

Snakes are asocial creatures and even though you’ll save money by keeping two corn snakes in the same vivarium, there are benefits to housing them separately.

First and foremost, you will avoid the most common dangers of two corn snakes living in the same tank:

  • Cannibalism (one snake eating the other).
  • Early or unexpected breeding (this can be fatal for young corn snakes)
  • Stress (which may lead your corn snake to stop eating).
  • Spread of disease.
  • Aggression (particularly between male corn snakes).

Not to mention that corn snakes are solitary animals. In the wild they don’t live, eat, sleep or hunt in groups and if you see two snakes huddled together, they’re not “cuddling”, they’ll be competing for the best spot in the enclosure. Constant competition can cause a great deal of stress for your corn snakes and may cause them to stop eating or regurgitate their food.

 

Living together

Even though it’s preferable to house your corn snakes separately, ultimately it is the owner’s choice. If you do decide to keep your corn snakes in the same tank, make sure you stick to these guidelines:

  • Only house adult snakes (of a similar size and the same sex) together.
  • Never cohabit immature corn snakes until they are old enough to breed.
  • Always feed them separately (so the more dominant snake doesn’t steal the other one’s food).
  • Add twice as many hides so that one snake doesn’t dominate the best ones.


How to house two corn snakes together

It goes without saying that if you decide to keep your corn snakes together, you’ll need a large vivarium. But we’d recommend buying a vivarium stack.

They’re a great space saver and allow you to house up to three corn snakes in separate tanks, in the same unit. These popular vivarium stacks would be perfect:

Now you know whether more than one corn snake can live together, stay on Vivarium World for even more corn snake care advice:

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