Reptiles are a diverse group of animals. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Some people keep them as pets while others use them for meat or medicinal purposes. Reptiles also have complex needs when it comes to living environments. What reptiles can live together? This article will discuss what you need to know about reptile compatibility before bringing your new pet home!
What snakes can you house together?
There are some species of snakes that can be housed together, especially younger ones. These include: Corn Snakes (Elaphe guttata) and King Snakes (Lampropeltis getula). Another example is young Milk Snakes (Lampropeltis triangulum), which may become aggressive as they mature but only if constantly handled or maintained in high-stress conditions. Adult milk snakes will definitely fight with one another! This holds true for most other snake species too; hatchlings under two years old usually do well together but you should always research each individual species before purchasing them to ensure compatibility. If the animals look like they might not tolerate living near one another then separate their habitats immediately because it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Reptiles Which Can Live Together
The most popular pet reptiles are lizards and snakes. These two types of reptile can be very difficult to keep together as pets, but you may find your snake is more social than it seems! Here’s a list of some lizard species that can live with certain types of snakes:
Desert Banded Gecko – Can Live With Many Snake Species A desert banded gecko is probably the best choice if you want an easy-to-care for lizard that will get along well with a majority of snake species. This particular type of gecko only reaches about five inches in length and isn’t likely to cause any problems around larger venomous or constricting snakes. Leopard Geckos – Can Live With Many Snake Species Leopard geckos are a great choice if you want to add on another lizard for your snake. They can grow up six inches or more and come in colors of yellow, orange and white. Some leopard geckos may even change color depending on their mood! These lizards need temperatures that will allow them to regulate their own body heat so they do not have any issues with snakes that require lower temps at night time such as boas and pythons.
Rusty Spotted Gecko – Can Live With Many Snakes A rusty spotted gecko is also known as the “true” house gecko because it enjoys living inside homes rather than outside like most other species. This means neither reptiles nor humans will have to deal with the weather extremes of winter and summer! These lizards will reach a size of four inches or more. They also come in colors such as yellow, orange and red so they can be very pretty pets on their own.
Rhacodactylus Ciliatus – Can Live With Many Snakes The Rhacodactylus ciliatus is another species that doesn’t mind living inside homes rather than outside like most types of gecko do. This particular type of house lizard has been known to live for up to 30 years if cared for properly which means you could even pass your pet down from generation to generation if it lives long enough! A fully grown adult rhacodactylus ciliatus can reach sizes of up to 16 inches in length so you’ll need a large enough tank for it.
Crested Geckos – Can Live With Many Snakes Crested geckos are another colorful lizard that makes an easy-to-care for pet since they do not require live bugs or other foods like most lizards would. These animals only grow about six inches long but come in colors such as red, orange and white which means their coloration will change depending on what mood they are in! The crested gecko also has ridges along its back instead of smooth scales which is why these types of reptiles get the name “crestie” when kept as pets.
Tokay Geckos – Can Live With Many Snakes Tokay geckos are large lizards that can grow up to 18 inches long. They come in various colors such as red, orange and yellow but they all have common traits like sticky toe pads which make it easy for them to climb walls or other vertical surfaces. If you happen to be looking for an animal with excellent night vision then the tokay gecko might just be what you’re looking for!
Green Anoles – Can Live With Certain Snake Species Green anoles may not seem too exciting on their own since these reptiles only reach about eight inches when fully grown but there is much more than meets the eye here! These small lizards will eat almost anything so they don’t require a special diet which means you won’t have to worry about your snake being picky when it comes time for feeding. These animals also do not require large tanks so they could fit in an enclosure with other types of reptiles no problem!
Green Tree Pythons – Can Live With Certain Snakes Green tree pythons are one type of constricting snakes that can get along fine with many different lizard species. Although this particular type of python only reaches lengths of six feet or less, these reptiles can grow quickly and become quite strong if fed full grown rodents like mice and rats instead of the smaller prey items used by most other lizards such as insects and baby mice. You should always be careful before getting any pet reptile though because not all reptiles can get along which is why you should always research any animal before bringing it home with the family.
Outdoor Living
Many people are interested in keeping reptiles as pets.
People enjoy having them around because they can be interesting creatures to watch, or unique companions that help teach children responsibility and care for another living thing. However, not all reptile owners understand the types of reptiles that should never be kept together indoors. For this reason, it is important to know what reptiles can live together.
Species Considerations
Most lizards can cohabitate if the species is similar enough and young enough when purchased. For example, an adult iguana can live with many types of geckos or small skinks because it probably won’t see them as food items; however an adult bearded dragon could eat a much smaller leopard gecko! Similarly, larger monitor lizards would likely view any type of lizard as a prey item too large to kill and swallow whole…so they need to be bought at a young age before this becomes a problem! Obviously experienced reptile keepers can handle exceptions to these rules, but for new pet owners it’s best to stick with the common knowledge and not house lizards together until you know enough about their habits/needs.
Space and Husbandry Changes
Reptiles are interesting creatures that come in all shapes and sizes. However, it can be difficult to keep them together because of their varied needs. There is a lot of information out there but most people don’t know how to read it properly or they just want the facts without any background knowledge about what reptiles need for survival. This blog post will go over several different species you might have found at pet stores on occasion as well as some advice on how to take care of them together! It’s crucial that you make sure your husbandry matches each reptile closely so they stay happy and healthy which means finding compatible tank mates isn’t always an option depending on individual traits.
Size
All reptiles have different size requirements. Some are large enough that you should only consider housing them together if the space is really big, while others can be housed with smaller species without any issues at all (and even multiple of each!). Size is an important aspect to consider when thinking about what reptiles can live together. Not all are created equal, so you need to pick out the species that have similar requirements if it’s something you really want to do.
Sex-Ratio and Aggression in the Herpetoculture
As we mentioned above, if you’re housing multiple males of a species together and they are roughly equal in size, there usually won’t be any fighting. However, this is not always true and that’s when aggression can occur between your reptiles. Although it isn’t common for two male snakes to fight to the death over territory or mating rights (as with some mammals), it does happen so keep an eye on them when introducing new members into their reptile cage! If one starts acting aggressively toward another simply remove one from the enclosure immediately – but make sure you know which one so no more fights break out! As far as sex-ratios go: since most herps do better being housed alone anyway, you should only house females together if they are the same species and roughly the same size.
Inter- and Intra-Species Interaction
One of the most important parts to a successful reptile or amphibian tank is that each animal has its own space. Many species do not get along with others from their same family, even if they are different sizes and have varied habitats in nature. Other reptiles may become aggressive as they mature, so it’s best to keep them separate until you know how well they will interact together. In general, larger reptiles should be kept away from smaller ones because there is potential for injury due to biting and scratching behavior. If the animals were housed together during captive breeding programs before being sold into homes as pets then it is safe to assume that they can live together without incident but this cannot always be assumed when purchasing new specimens at a store.
In addition to keeping larger animals from the small ones, it is important not to house different temperaments of a single species together because this can also lead to injury and death if they are unable to live peacefully in close quarters. Reptiles have been known to fight even with their own kind so there is no guarantee that any two reptiles will get along unless you have observed them for a long period of time before housing them together at home after purchase or adoption. This means that sometimes one has to take chances when setting up an enclosure but be prepared for anything! If your reptile was housed alone by its previous owner then don’t feel bad about putting him back into his comfort zone until he gets used to living with other specimens again.
Introducing a New Animal
How to Spot When Animals Are Not Getting Along
When one animal is bullying another it’s hard to tell what might happen if you don’t intervene. If two animals are fighting and their cages aren’t too far apart, the first thing you should do is separate them before they hurt each other or make a bigger mess of things than they already have. However, this isn’t always possible when it comes to large enclosures with multiple reptile terrariums inside of them where food dishes are in close proximity. In these cases try taking away the dish that both animals eat from together for at least three days so there won’t be any trouble while you figure out what needs to change about their care routine, which could include adding more space between their living quarters or giving each snake its own feeding dish.
Here are a few more signs that things aren’t going well in the snake room:
- One of the snakes is always out and active while one or both of them is hiding all day long,
- There’s been missing food (snakes usually won’t eat when they’re stressed),
- You hear lots of hissing coming from one cage but not the other,
- The animals seem lethargic with no interest in exploring their terrariums for prey items. This could be an indication that there’s something wrong with your heating and air conditioning equipment like too much humidity or temperature fluctuations. Sometimes if you see this type of behavior it means they feel insecure about where to hide so they feel like they can’t venture out of their shelter.
- One or both snakes are regurgitating its food and have mites (look for tiny insects all over the cage where there’s a lot of feces).
If you notice these things happening in your snake room, it would be wise to call an expert who specializes in reptile care at this type of establishment so they can give you some tips on how to put together a plan that will fix whatever needs fixing so everyone gets along happily again.
FAQs
How long do snakes live as pets?
Snakes can live from a few years to fifteen or more. It all depends on the species, its life expectancy and how well they are kept. Some snakes have been known to reach 25 years of age in captivity!
How much space do snakes need?
Snakes need a lot of space, you need to make sure they have enough room for their vivarium. You can use an aquarium or plastic storage box as a snake enclosure if you know the right size and type!
Are there any reptiles that live in groups?
Some reptiles live in groups. Some geckos are social, but they usually only hang out together during mating season. Many turtles and tortoises can be kept by dozens of individuals at a time, although some species need to be separated into males or females (due to their different dietary needs) for best results.
Can frogs and snakes live together?
One of the most popular combinations to house in a tank is amphibians and reptiles. While they do not need to be housed together, many people choose to put them both in a single habitat because it looks nice aesthetically, but also for functional purposes – some frogs eat slugs that might harm or kill your snake!
Useful Video: Reptile Cohabitation, The Top 5 Reptiles That Can Cohab Successfully And How To Do It
Conclusion
Reptiles are fascinating animals. They come in all shapes and sizes, colors, and types (over 1250 species of reptiles). Knowing which reptiles can live together is important to the health of your pets as well as your peace of mind. This article will help you determine if two or more reptile friends should share a habitat or not.
