Housing balls together?

[Rob]

And how, without a shred of doubt, do you know this?

Pure speculation. I have no idea what most of my snakes think most of the time and I've been doing this for a really long time.

Here we go again with you defending housing together. Sorry I'm just not jumping on the bandwagon of thinking this is a good idea. If while in the wild where they have a choice of how to live, they huddled up together I would say you have an argument. But they are solitary animals. I'm not just regurgitating common practice, as I often do things that aren't by the book. But on this particular topic I feel it adds stress and risk I don't feel is necessary.

[Skiploder]

Uh huh...sure... and next you'll be expecting what? Inductive as WELL as deductive reasoning?

Is there no end to your madness???

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I'll deal with you later..............

Right now, I have a pack hierarchy issue to deal with in the snake house. Two rogue male cribos (who were evicted from the pride when they hit adolescence) challenged the reigning alpha male for dominance of the pack. They killed all of the cribo cubs during the night to induce the females to breed with them.

Nothing some shock collars and a little Cesar Milan can't cure. Darn these snakes and their well-documented dominance behavior!

I should have listened to Melissa Kaplan.........or that fat guy who runs that snake forum from the basement of his mother's house between sessions of playing World of Warcraft and downloading racy pictures of anime women. I was stupid not to.

[OsirisRa32]

Dude no one plays wow anymore...they've all moved on to Angry Birds...come on man!! Keep up with the FOTM!!

[Skiploder]

Here we go again with you defending housing together. Sorry I'm just not jumping on the bandwagon of thinking this is a good idea. If while in the wild where they have a choice of how to live, they huddled up together I would say you have an argument. But they are solitary animals. I'm not just regurgitating common practice, as I often do things that aren't by the book. But on this particular topic I feel it adds stress and risk I don't feel is necessary.

Rob:

Ball pythons often share termite mounds with each other. Sometimes they don't.

What conclusion should we draw from that?

Or should we draw any conclusion?

[kitedemon]

I am going to wade back in. I think that snakes can be housed together well.

Skip I think you will agree, this is also not something done from cost saving or lack of experience. this is best left for those that have the experience to do so correctly. Skip, is it easier? cheaper? or less work?

The people I know whom do would soundly answer NO none of the above.

there are two answers here, should a beginner house two animals together... ? NO absolutely not! Is it better if a pet store does NO again.

Can a expert maintain all the correct balances and do so with the best interests of the animals in mind? Yes.

There are few hard no answers in husbandry.

[Skiploder]

I am going to wade back in. I think that snakes can be housed together well.

Skip I think you will agree, this is also not something done from cost saving or lack of experience. this is best left for those that have the experience to do so correctly. Skip, is it easier? cheaper? or less work?

The people I know whom do would soundly answer NO none of the above.

there are two answers here, should a beginner house two animals together... ? NO absolutely not! Is it better if a pet store does NO again.

Can a expert maintain all the correct balances and do so with the best interests of the animals in mind? Yes.

There are few hard no answers in husbandry.

I have already stated, about 1000 times, that keeping snake communally is "more" on every level - money, time and general difficulty.

The question has never been couched the way you are couching it - so do me a favor Alex and please don't couch it that way.

The statement and accompanying question is that snakes cannot be kept together - period. The question was nevershould beginners should keep two snakes together.

Then that first incorrect statement is backed by incorrect facts:

- non ophiophagus snakes or snakes that electively practice cohabitation in the wild are prone to cannibalism.
- that snakes display dominance behavior.
- that snakes do not cuddle and fight over thermoregulation zones.

Since you missed the first 1000 posts in which I voluntarily and unequivocally stated that cohabitating is more work and more money and that beginners should avoid it - feel free to petition this post to the moderators as a sticky so that no one may ever again misrepresent my position on this topic.

[Rob]

Rob:

Ball pythons often share termite mounds with each other. Sometimes they don't.

What conclusion should we draw from that?

Or should we draw any conclusion?

Hey if someone wants to house them together, that's cool. But I'm not trying it, and I'm not going to tell someone it's a great idea when I personally don't think it is.

[wilomn]

Hey if someone wants to house them together, that's cool. But I'm not trying it, and I'm not going to tell someone it's a great idea when I personally don't think it is.

Has someone asked you to do this or was an opinion other than yours expressed?

If it's just the expression of an alternative opinion, then you may have some dominance issues of your own that need addressing. Can be, should be and must be are three different things from my perspective. You seem to be shy a couple of bes. (bees? what's the plural of be?) Whatever it is, I think you two too few.

[Rob]

Has someone asked you to do this or was an opinion other than yours expressed?

If it's just the expression of an alternative opinion, then you may have some dominance issues of your own that need addressing. Can be, should be and must be are three different things from my perspective. You seem to be shy a couple of bes. (bees? what's the plural of be?) Whatever it is, I think you two too few.

It's a question brought up on here fairly frequently. I'm not an advocate of it. Not much else to go into.

Now dominance issues of my own? Lol first your barking up the wrong tree that with that one buddy. Two, your not dragging me into one of your drawn out bickering matches I see you have so often.

[Bluebonnet Herp]

I guess I'll toss my own 2 cents out there...
It isn't a big deal. Whichever housing does the animals in question their justice, then so be it. Probably, in most cases, it isn't good since there is a fine space issue to be concerned- fitting two or more ball pythons in an enclosure without causing large-space related discomfort as well as risking easier spread of contagions. And there is, of course, the possibilities of cannibalism, which is basically documented in every animal in the animal kingdom, from ball pythons, to mice (as I have witnessed) as well as humans.
But in the case of two specimens in a nicely covered, natural, stress free, clean vivarium with plenty of options for thermoregulation and security with a certified health check, one could pull it off. The reality of the situation is that ball pythons are simply and generally anti-social. They don't care for one-another. They might get 'tamed' towards each other, but they don't need each other's company. While one snake may be in the way of one another in such cases of a comfortable space, which will result in a minor shove and tug a war, if ample spots are provided, then they should be fine.
My point being is, by housing together, you are doing it for your own pleasure of getting a thrill out of seeing more than one ball python together at the same time, and to get the feeling of 'Zoo Tycoon' in real life. If you are just wanting a display vivarium with more than one animal, then have fun setting it up to be physically compatible to provide for all animals involved with comfortable living space as well as making it aesthetically pleasing. That's the only thing balancing out the negatives. It is otherwise pointless to house them together in a bin, as this is more risky, and in cases where only a bin can be used, can only provide for one animal, causing direct competition.