Can Two Corn Snakes Be Housed Together? [Important Facts!]

If you are looking to keep costs down, having two corn snakes in one terrarium might sound like a good idea. But can two corn snakes be housed together?

With one enclosure for two snakes, you don’t have to double your costs, and it will also keep things simple by having to clean and maintain only one cage rather than two. But snakes are not very social creatures.

Can Two Corn Snakes Be Housed Together?

If you have two female corn snakes roughly the same size, you can house them in one tank. However, if you have two males, or one male and one female, they should be housed separately. Two corns in one cage can cause several issues such as stress, parasite growth, and even cannibalism. 

Snakes prefer to live, hunt, eat, and explore by themselves. They are not fond of making friends, nor do they prefer the company of other snakes.

Many snake scientists, known as philologists, believe that keeping snakes in separate enclosures is best. 

This allows you to take care of each one in a better way, and it helps curtail the spread of diseases and infestations. However, if you plan to keep two female corn snakes together, you should do that temporarily and follow the essential guidelines, so they don’t turn on one another.  

Can Two Corn Snakes Be Housed Together?

Corn snakes are creatures who prefer solitude. In their natural habitats, they don’t live together, nor do they hunt, eat or sleep with each other. They live by a simple rule: We don’t want company, we don’t need any friends.

To be honest, who cares about snake rules anyways? They also have other rules which make no sense to us. What is more concerning is what will happen if you force two or more corn snakes to live together. 

Sadly, that can have some unwarranted consequences, and you might want to come up with other solutions. Here are some things that can happen if you force two corn snakes to live together.

Aggression

Corn snakes seem shy and quiet. They often like to keep to themselves and remain lost in their own worlds. 

But add another snake to the terrarium, and you are asking for competition and fights. It will not take long for the shy snakes to turn violent and go at each other until one of them leaves the enclosure or this world.

This competition will become more severe if you feed them while they are in the same enclosure.

Even if there is more than enough food for both of them, they will still prioritize getting rid of the other snake before treating themselves to a delicious meal.

Most double-headed snakes don’t survive because one head tries to dominate the other when it comes to food. If a two-headed snake is fighting with itself over food, imagine if they are two separate snakes.

If you are somehow successfully keeping two corn snakes in one enclosure, make sure that you separate them during feeding time. Otherwise, you will be asking for some major trouble.

Parasite Growth

Mite infestations pose a risk to snakes. They can spread quickly and run out of control if not investigated and treated. Several thousand mites feeding on your snake’s blood can cause anemia, making your snake weak and causing other health issues.

If one of your snakes is infected, adding another snake to the same enclosure will turn the situation into an all-you-can-eat party for the mites. They will grow and infest the other snake as well.

Even if both snakes are infested with mites, keeping them in separate enclosures will make it easier for you to handle the infestation and treat each snake better.

Cannibalism

Like several other snakes, corns are cannibals. They don’t mind eating up other snakes, whether for a reason or just for fun. 

The most common form of cannibalism is when females have laid their eggs, they often feel weak. They will often munch on their own eggs or offspring after hatching to recover their energies.  

Corn snakes are not cannibalistic by nature, but they can chow down on other snakes to survive if they are hungry.

But while they are planning to eat other snakes, they have to ensure that they do not inflict any damage on themselves. They will often attack snakes that are much smaller and weaker rather than going head-to-head with similar sizes.

The only way to keep two corn snakes in one enclosure is if they are both females of the same size and recognize each other. Even then, there are some risks involved.

Keeping Two Female Corn Snakes Housed Together

As mentioned above, snakes don’t want or need a companion. They prefer living alone and treat any other snake in their territory as an unwelcome guest. To keep two snakes in one enclosure, you will need to abide by the following guidelines.

They Should Be of the Same Size

The greater the similarity between the two snakes, the fewer the chances of the bigger bullying the smaller snake and less the chances of cannibalism taking place. 

Even if the bigger does not go outright to kill the smaller snake, the smaller might not be able to eat because of the stress and may not even go near the food because the bigger one treats it all as its own.

Try your best to get two snakes that are of a similar size, health, and age to prevent one from dominating the other.

The Enclosure Should Be Big Enough

Both female corn snakes must have ample room and a space that they can treat as their personal space. Every snake requires a hiding place that is big enough for it to curl up and stay in for long periods. 

You will also need to ensure that both snakes have enough activities to do, which means there should be ample rocks, stones, and branches to keep both your snakes occupied simultaneously.

Humidity and Temperature

Experts recommend that the best humidity level for corn snakes is around 40-50%. It is also essential to have different temperatures on the two sides of the enclosure. 

You can set up a heating pad along the length of the enclosure and keep the temperature between 80-85 Fahrenheit at one end and between 75 and 82 Fahrenheit on the cooler end.

Remember to keep only one corn snake in the enclosure when you feed them. Otherwise, the snakes can develop an aversion for one another and try to eliminate one another from the enclosure.

This can result in one snake killing the other and resorting to cannibalism.