Cagemates

what kind of study if you dont mind me asking? nice kings.

Coexistence. I knew these animals could be sucessfully housed together if given enough space, fed and cared for well. What I wanted to study was just how well they could coexist in a confined environment. These 5 female yearlings have lived this entire season in this 10 gallon aquarium without a problem. They are fed at the normal once weekly interval, plenty of fresh clean water at all times and a nice warm hide, cork bark den. They stay the way you see them 90% of the time, all wound up together and they follow each other from one spot to the next. Rarely are any of them separated from the rest of the group and never have I noticed a conflict. I have 2 other groups housed like this with the same result, with a male of the same age in each enclosure with the females. Once they reach breeding age however, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving the male in with the females all season although Bob Appelgate does it with great success. I did have a breeding trio of greeri together through two clutches without a problem. These thayeri and all of my animals will live primarily in racks as they mature and begin breeding.

If kept together as adults do you think they would still be okay. In a bigger enclosure ofcourse.
Try that experiment. By the way nice looking snakes.
Lia

Thanks for the comment and compliment Lia, thayeri can be spectacular looking critters and it amazes me what you can do with them in selective breeding.

I personally have no experience with adult thayeri females being housed as cagemates(just got into thayeri last year and all mine are still babies), however other breeders do it with great success. I do have experience with alterna(Gray Banded king) and greeri(Durango Mountain king) adult females as cagemates and both get along extremely well. The key is good husbandry, feeding regularly(once a week) along with dilligent housekeeping to prevent possible illness due to a contaminated environment.

Adult males of some of the above species have been successfully housed together with several females on a full-time basis in roomy enclosures but I don't believe that I will attempt that and I don't recommend it. I did do a short trial(2 months) with adult greeri and alterna males in with their girls and all went well, no problems at all, however the male in there tends to really liven things up. For some reason the male just doesn't want to leave the females alone!?!! I removed the guys so the girls could have some peace and quiet!

I don't really recommend others doing the cagemate thing, but I do know that it can work. There are indeed risks involved. There is always the possibility of cannibalism, and if illness breaks out the entire group can be at serious risk. But if done right, it can be a great experience... the females do seem to be much more content.

Nice snakes.are any of them for sale if so contact me at chilly_willy2@hotmail.com