Odd Behavior

Question
QUESTION: Background: My husband and I moved 2 years ago and the apt we live in only allows pets the live behind glass, so me husband bought me 2 Ball Pythons. 1 female, Sunsa, and 1 male, Rocky. According to the pet store my husband bought them from they are siblings (cluchmates?) and have never been separated. They live in a spacious 55g long tank with two seperate "Houses" one on either end with a large water bowl big enough to fit inside,and aspen shaving bedding. This was the setup recomended by the pet store and they've been doing fine. They sleep together, tie thier tails into knots when we handle them so as not to be seperated, the only time they come close to being apart is when we feed them. We put one snake on each and of the cage and slide a piece of plexiglas down the middle. If we take them out of thier cage they will not eat at all. However this is where my questions start.

1: Rocky was diagnosed and treated for a respritory infection about a month ago and my friend who breeds breardies says it because of the aspen bedding. True or false? I've also been told they don't need a light on thier cage because they are primarly noturnal and they get direct via the window in the room (although I'm pretty sure this dontoverly affect the cage temp, based on both thermometers in the cage).
2: Up until about 2 weeks ago the snakes are inseperable (as mentioned). Even when Rocky was sick. I've been told snakes dont have a sence of family and have just chalked it up to familiarity. But know they sleep apart and are very rarely together. They are not aggressive, more like ignoring they other one. Is this to be expected as the grow up or something else? This also leads to questions 3 %264.
3. Our snakes are just around 2 years old. What age do Ball Pythons start to breed?
4: Will they/Should they, breed with each other? Being siblings and all. I get mixed answers on this.
5: We feed them every two weeks (payday scheduale). This last feed, after watching me drop the mouse in Rocky's side, as I was about to drop the mouse for Sunsa she struck it out of my hand (We dangle the mice by the tail so as not to get bit and drop them in the corner farthest from the snake). I'm at a loss there. Is that good or bad?

ANSWER: 1. False. Aspen is okay for reptiles, but Cypress may be a better choice. Correct on the light, the temp is the main concern with ball pythons, not the light itself.

2. Given that their enclosure is small compared to their natural habitat, they will tend to hang out together. Any time I have 2 snakes together, they do seem to like the same places.

3. Generally, 1.5 years is the starting of the breeding age.

4. No. They can and will, but it is not a good idea. Why? In the wild, the chances of this happening is astronomical.

5. It is neither good nor bad. Snakes are instinctual. They will eat whenever they are hungry and when the opportunity presents itself. I suggest feeding them with tongs, as a bite will get more and more painful as they grow.

BTW, you ask some really good questions. Please let me know if you have any more!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: 3: Should I be worried now that they are not together and seem to be avoiding each other is my concern. My main worry is that one of them is trying to tell me the other is sick maybe.
And a new one.
6: Rocky is growing faster then Sunsa, should I get worried about aggression. And ain't the females supposed to grow faster?

Answer
3. No. Most likely, one has expressed dominance over the other. Keep an eye on this. If they stay separated, the smaller of the two is probably expressing its desire to be separated from the bigger dominate snake.

6. Generally, yes. The females do get bigger. If they you see any type of aggression, especially when food is not involved, separate them immediately. I had to do this recently with a Brazilian rainbow boa and a children's python. In this case, the smaller of the two was dominate. First time I have seen this... Go figure.