I'm an experienced caretaker of ball pythons but I never took the time to think about this and I don't want to spend extra money on a second terrarium unless I absolutely have to
There are SO many things wrong here.
If you are experienced with ball pythons you would know how easily stressed they are. They are one of the snakes that is most prone to health issues/refusing to feed due to stress. Another animal will only add to it. It also is clear you aren't educated with king snakes, so I would look into their care and requirements before deciding upon them.
King snakes have their name for a reason. They eat ANYTHING that will fit in their mouths. Other snakes are at the top of the menu, even other king snakes. I've talked with breeders who, when they introduce a male and female during mating season, will have them attack and sometimes even eat the other. An adult king snake could eat an adult ball python. King snakes in the wild eat rattlers which are quite bulky snakes.
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King snake rule of thumb: They should ALWAYS be housed alone.
The next problem is their care. Ball pythons are Old World constrictors. King snakes are colubrids. Completely different living requirements. Ball pythons need a lot more humidity and heat than a king snake. Taking the cage-mate out of the equation for a moment : Put one of these snakes in the habitat of the other and they will not fair well. They will have major health issues. So it does not matter what sizes the snakes are!!!
This is something that bothers me: You're looking at an essential thing for an animal as "spending extra money". I'll agree, animals are expensive, especially when you have more than one and they have to be kept away from each other. I took in unwanted/neglected snakes of different species, but even if they were the same species they were all housed alone. If you can't afford it or see it as too much of a hassle to buy another tank then don 't get another snake.
Here are caresheets for king snakes and ball pythons:
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I ddnt think it would cause stress on the python. Thanks. And your right, I don't know much about kings.
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No, king snakes eat other snakes
And I've seen king snakes eat things much bigger than ball pythons
