I've been wondering for a while but how do you cohab your hognoses? How big is the terrarium? Do you have multiple basking spots? I can see multiple hides and the like and hognoses burrow too, so I'm curious about it.
I know baby hognoses can be cohabbed and start eating better, so does the same apply to adults? Do they have like their own favorite spots where the other one doesn't go?
It wasn't the original plan, but sometimes guidelines are a starting point and what an individual needs is different. While I would love the opportunity to explore the species as a whole and the benefits of cohabbing, I only have direct experience with these two very unique girls, and don't know if other snakes typically act like they do. Talking to other hognose keepers with multiple hognose snakes who let them socialize during play time it seems that most enjoy playing together.
That said, I wouldn't suggest an inexperienced snake keeper buy multiple hognoses with the plan of keeping them together. It can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing, especially if those snakes are different sizes, sexes, and different aggression levels, among many other potential problems that go far beyond the topic of this answer.
Originally I got Scoria. I only planned to get one snake, but after a few months, seeing how sweet and friendly she was I thought she might benefit from a friend. I wasn't actively searching, just browsing casually every so often, until the day I saw photos of Sakura. I couldn't stop thinking about her. I looked her up again and saw their birthday was 4 days apart. I just had a feeling she was meant to be a part of our family and I've never regretted it. She needed us, and I can't imagine how she could possibly have had a happy life with anyone else, especially with how almost certainly she'd have lived it in isolation when she NEEDS a companion. They both adore each other, but Sakura can't live without Scoria.
Have you ever seen videos on the psychological study with monkeys and the cloth/wire "mothers"? It's incredibly sad, little baby monkeys were taken from their mother and given objects their only replacement. When I first got Sakura, she started displaying similar behavior with her motion activated camera, in addition to trauma reactions to human hands. She was easily startled and when scared would panic so badly she'd flail in blind terror, dunking herself in her water dish or throwing herself out of her enclosure and off the table (I thankfully always caught her if she fell so she was never hurt). Someone did something to her before I found her and she was petrified of human hands- it's like a dog that yelps and cowers when you go to throw a stick- they can't tell you exactly what was done to them but you can figure out they were mistreated.
She'd flee to her camera, as if she hoped it could help her. It reacted to her, so perhaps she thought it was alive. This poor sad scared creature clinging to the only comfort she had in a world she was alone and scared in. Constantly afraid. Wishing to just be able to feel safe for once, but not even being able to say no to being touched- she acted like she never had a choice before and it had done this to her. There were other signs she was mistreated, as she was nearly a year old when I got her, but she was so tiny she looked like a two month old. The breeder fed her enough to keep her alive, but as little as possible to maximize profits from selling her. She was always hungry and had food insecurity issues.
For Scoria's safety I had to quarantine the new snake- if she had an illness I didn't want it to spread. She was fine. I didn't realize the significance at the time, but a rock that had been in her enclosure I left on a table I let Scoria play on, and while doing her usual tongue flick she had a MASSIVE reaction to that rock. She went over to it and knew immediately this was not her own smell, this was someone else. That's how they first met, I suppose.
After that she saw her in her baby bin, and Scoria tried to free Sakura. Sakura wouldn't let me touch her, so I'd lure her into boxes and similar objects to carry her to the play area and sometimes outside Scoria's enclosure- she also tried to open Scoria's enclosure- both indicated they wanted to meet.
So I let them play together in a neutral place, a box with some vines to climb over and through. I was so scared they might bite or hurt each other. But no, both were curious and a bit cautious. They were friendly to each other and at the end put back in their own enclosures.
As time went on the pair started to bond, I think the biggest bonding points were during times something scared Sakura. I can't comfort her, a human terrorized her, me attempting anything would just make it worse. So I'd take out Scoria, and she understood. She'd see Sakura frozen in fear, flick her tongue on her, and comfort her, until she was relaxed and looking around again and calm. I think that's when Sakura realized Scoria was a friend, that she was kind to her. She had someone who finally made this terrifying world less terrifying.
One time when I was petting Scoria, who enjoys being pet, Sakura saw me touching her. To Sakura, touch=abuse, so in her mind the one being in all of existence who was her best friend was being abused. She had to have been scared, but in that moment she showed how much she cares for Scoria. She thrust herself between Scoria and my hand. She was trying to protect Scoria from being abused by doing the only thing she could- shielding her with her own body. This tiny little 12 ounce gummy worm was standing up to a massive giant that terrified her, trying to protect her only friend in the world. Scoria didn't understand what was going on, but I did, and I couldn't do that to poor little Sakura.
Scoria has helped Sakura so much, I don't think she'd be the same happy mentally well snake without Scoria. Still, there is a DRASTIC difference in personality if Scoria is around and if she isn't. If Scoria isn't around, Sakura tries to be brave but doesn't want you be touched, and is much more aloof, anxious, jumpy, and avoidant. But if Scoria is out and with her, Sakura is confident, curious, friendly, and relaxed. If I try to pick up Sakura she'll dodge - but if I'm already holding Scoria she'll want out and to be with her sister.
I say sister as they are only 4 days apart in age, but honestly Sakura treats Scoria like a mother. She races to her when she is afraid, she watches her to learn from her, she follows her and copies her, and trusts her judgement completely. Scoria, on the other hand, treats me like her parent, and does these behaviors with me. And while they mutually love each other, Scoria is upset if she doesn't get some time alone with me every day where I give her my full attention. She likes me doting on her, cuddling her, and telling her all the ways she is wonderful.
Anyways, when Sakura was in her baby bin and Scoria in her medium bin I put those on the same table top, and they'd fall asleep pressed against the side closest to the other.
I'd have to be blind to not see they wanted to be near each other. Still, stories of hognoses eating each other made me worried, so for many months I kept them in their own enclosures but let them play together daily during enrichment time.
Eventually I set up one of the two adult enclosures I bought- it's 4x2x2. I put Scoria's teen bin inside and gradually went from letting them play supervised, to leaving it open when I was home during the day, to any time I was home day or bought, to finally eventually leaving it open almost all the time. I say almost as after several weeks of them being together whenever they like, Scoria went into shed. Being blind and defenseless I thought it best to keep her separate until she could see again. Sakura took this as a declaration of war and was now a hostile frightened very unhappy snake. She was so mad. But once Scoria returned she forgave me. Knowing what I know, I can't separate them. They need to be together. They're best friends. They want nothing more than to cuddle and play with each other, and would sooner protect the other than do anything to hurt her.
I still have two adult enclosures. One is set up, the other never left its box. I can't separate them. It would be cruel. Knowing what I know, what I posted, and so many other things that would be way too much for one post- it would be heartless. But maybe the two can be combined into one really big enclosure when they become bigger.
As for favorite spots, sort of? During the day they go anywhere and everywhere and one will always find the other. If I take one out the other is anxiously waiting at the door to be sure she's alright. They seem to be fine if they see me take the other, but if one wakes up and can't find the other they get worried. During the day they often will be together, sometimes stuffing themselves into the same hide EVEN IF THEY ARE TOO BIG TO FIT IN THERE TOGETHER STILL. Silly. At night they choose their own separate dens or hiding places. Scoria favors the small moss hide or burrowing under the substrate. Sakura likes her wooden castle, castle tube, or hide under her paper hoarde. Sometimes they shake it up and Scoria is in the castle or Sakura is in a miss hide. I check on them every night and they're always in their own area to sleep.
So that's their story, and why they need to be together. I think cohabbing hoggies for their happiness and well being is something the community as a whole doesn't understand as well as it should, and bet most would be happier if in the least they had play time with other hoggies. From what I've seen from others who have multiple hoggies and let them play together supervised they are just like little kids who meet on a play ground and just start playing together having a great time. However, again, I wouldn't recommend someone not familiar with snakes and their care go buy two hognoses and put them in the same enclosure. I went with two young females the same age and size, and they were the ones who made the choice. I just had to accept it.
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Is there any way to get birds comfortable enough to share a cage? Like if they're the same species and you'd like to house them together. No one really says it's possible, which I find surprising?
it's possible but it's not advisable.
The reason it's not recommended in just about every circumstance is because parrots are temperamental and can kill each other in seconds. Parrotlets will rip each others beaks off, budgies can break each others toes, and so much worse.
Parrots communicate a lot through body language but unfortunately with the way captive parrots live they don't get exposure to that body language and as a result they struggle to understand each other's communication attempts clearly. This causes birds to need to use more severe strategies to advocate for their boundaries which is typically nipping at each others toes or smacking beaks.
In a normal scenario if it were to hit that point in communication one of the birds would just fly off. They don't really want a fight, they overstepped a boundary and will now add space. In a cage setting that's not possible. If bird A starts a fight and bird B tries to leave they cannot make it very far in a cage. Bird A will still feel like they're in their space, not listening, and trying to cause problems and bird B will get continuously chased around and harassed until they get too tired and severely hurt or Bird A hopefully gives up.
In the wild parrots can exist in such large flocks because there's space to bicker and move away, they can easily choose who they do and do not socialize with, in captivity that's not an option for the average home. You're picking a random bird from a random genetic line and just hoping the two will be compatible (what are the odds I go outside, pick out a stranger, and stick you two in a room saying you're best friends now and have everything work out perfectly? what are the odds you're at each other's throats in a week, a month, what happens after a year?)
And that's not including the complexities of resource availability, seasonal hormones, territory, and all the other little nuances of flock dynamics.
It's a complex dynamic that just is not safe for the average home.
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Many female cresties will also fight (sometimes after years of “peaceful cohabitation”) and I have seen very bad injuries between cohabbed females. It is stressful for them even if they do not fight.
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Most meaning everything except garter snakes and rattlesnakes.
Here’s why you should never cohabitate most species of snakes:
•If one gets sick, they will both get sick. You will then have to treat both of them. Similarly, if one has an odd bowel movement or regurgitated, you will not be able to identify which snake has the issue.
•They will fight for resources. People will say they are “cuddling” or sleeping together- they are not. That is human misinterpretation of animal body language. They’re actually fighting for control over the most desirable spot. This constant battle for resources can increase stress.
•Males will lock with their enclosure mate, even if the other animal in the enclosure isn’t of breeding size and age. Even if they are both males, the more dominant male will often still lock woth the other male, which can injure hemipenes and cause prolapses.
•Males WILL lock with females, and can over breed the females causing stress, weight loss, prolapse etc. Also, you have eggs that you might not know what to do with.
•They may stress out and stop eating or get a stress induced URI. Remember: stress weakens the immune system!!
•In rare cases, there have been incidents of cannibalism.
