Can you keep puff adders together?

Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby Arietans » Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:35 pm

This might be a stupid questions for you guys but can you keep two puff adders together in one cage provided they have space and plenty of places to hide? Will they bite each other?
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby Bushviper » Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:01 pm

I routinely keep adult puff adders together during mating time. This is during the cold months so they dont eat and the problems are reduced. However I made the mistake of feeding them together and the one female nailed one of the males in the head and killed him within minutes.

Keep them apart for most of the year and then just keep them together at breeding time. Others have made the mistakes so that your dont have to.

Baby puff adders will eat each other at the drop of a hat!
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby Arietans » Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:16 pm

Mine are about 2 years old, medium size puffs. Probably not old enough for breeding. So its not a good idea to keep them together even if I feed them separately? Thanks for the advice. I was really hoping to set up a nice communal cage for them but now I'm having second thoughts.
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby snake kid » Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:06 pm

I agree with BV accidents do happen, but i keep mine together in communal 2 puff adders and 1 boomslang will be adding another boom slang later. Feeding them seperatly is a must, I feed mine in the enclosure, one at each end, and the cage is 1.8m long but if one refuses food I take him/her out until the other has finished eating and after the meal I give both snakes a quick and light misting. So it is up to you you can play it safe or go for it but the choice is yours.

here is a link to my puffie and boom slang communal viewtopic.php?f=84&t=27281
3.1. BCI
1.0. Burmese python
1.0. Taiwanese ratsnake
2.0. Cornsnake 1 normal 1 Butter
1.2. Brown house snake
1.1. Olive house snake
1.0. Mole snake
1.1. Rhombic egg eater
1.0. Coral snake
1.1. Red lipped herald
0.1. Cape cobra
1.1. Night adder
1.1. Puff adder
1.0. boomslang
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby Arietans » Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:26 pm

Very cool set up. Thanks for the link. I would like something like that minus the boomslang, lol. I know all about accidents, I keep 3 copperheads together in one big communal setup. Two males and one female. They will bite each other during feeding, this I learned the hard way. I feed all 3 in separate containers to avoid this. My main concern with the puff adders is one taking another's eye out. They strike so fast at anything that moves unlike copperheads that mostly strike at heat sources.
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby Sfourie » Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:45 pm

Hell of a setup you got their snake kid, really nice.
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby Jacquesvw » Mon Mar 19, 2012 5:48 pm

I don't want to steer the thread off topic, but is it ok to keep Gaboon adders together? Obviously not during feeding time...

I bought two yearling females yesterday and currently keeping them separate, but if it's safe to put young ones together I would like to do that because I'm still busy finishing the electrics and cages in my newly built snake room. Thing that worries me is that I know someone else had a small male and female in one cage and the male bit the female in the head and killed her. I don't want something similar to happen though, so I'm being extra careful.
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby Bushviper » Mon Mar 19, 2012 6:35 pm

It is always safer to keep them apart. Is it worth the risk? Usually bites dont kill the same species but I have seen head bites and even a body bite kill the other snake in a matter of minutes. The large fanged snakes can cause lots of damage with a bite to the head or any internal organs.
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby charl.dbn » Mon Mar 19, 2012 9:14 pm

I keep some of my puff adders together and some seperately. When I feed them, I seperate them. Maybe I have just been lucky but I have heard of nasty accidents happening like bv has said:)
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby GraemeEC » Tue Jun 30, 2015 2:24 am

Female puff adders of 70cm and male puff adders of 60cm are mature and ready to breed.Just know they will only produce up to 6 babies max at this size.Also the females growth will be interupted.If you breed her young keep her seperate for 2years and feed alot.Then she will grow into a monster.
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby Shaun » Thu Jul 02, 2015 2:06 pm

Puffs sometimes stress each other out for no other reason than being in the same enclosure. There will always be the exception to the rule but these species of animal do better separately.
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby GraemeEC » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:02 pm

Puff adders,while matureing can stess each other out.always keep seperat.Once mature keep either as a pair or as a trio(2males to 1female).But never feed together.Also leave them alone after feeding for 3-4hours before putting them back in their cage,or they might bit each other.I've been keeping puffies for 25years,but only breeding them for specific traits and morphs the last 16years.They live in captivity for arround 16years.
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Re: Can you keep puff adders together?

Postby Ruan Stander » Fri Jul 03, 2015 10:01 pm

I don't keep any snakes together anymore. Have had too many accidents and it's just not worth it. I had a female Atheris chlorechis kill another from bites to the body only. I also had a California king snake eat its sibling, that was exactly the same size. I now stick to one snake per enclosure for the most part.
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