Touchy subject that i need some light shined on....

[Mike Cavanaugh]

You missed my point completely. I feel that if you choose to keep a ball python in captivity (which is certainly your choice) doing as much as possible to minimize/eliminate stress is paramount.

I didn't miss your point, I understood it fully. I am suggesting that it is not a FACT that housing a snake permanently by itself is what the snake itself would want. It is a theory, not a fact.

You could make an extremist argument for anything ... for example, if we were "that worried" about drunk drivers, we wouldn't have cars ... silly? of course, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything we can to minimize the horrible dangers of drunk drivers on our roads.

LOL, I agree. not the best comparison tho.

We don't know that the snakes prefer to be by themselves all the time. What if they prefer to be by themselves half the time and with others half the time? Then who would be right?

Again, this is another extremist position ... the idea of providing a secure enclosure for the animal is to give it an environment where it feels safe when potential threats are present.

How do you know that they don't feel more secure in their tub when another snake that they are used to living with is in there with them too??? I know the popular THEORY the majority believe in this forum is that when one snake lays on top of one another, one is trying to dominate the other. We all know they love tight spaces, how do we know that them laying on top of one another is not just them making their environment as cramped as possible? After all that is when they feel most secure right?

It would definitely be in your best interest to speak with a biologist that specializes in animal behavior. I have and have learned volumes towards providing the best environment possible for my animals.

Very true. There's certainly no way to prove what a ball python is or isn't thinking or feeling ... but, there are some theories that are generally acceptable within the biological and scientific communities and some that aren't. I can theorize until the cows come home that when no people are around my dogs speak to each other in pig latin ... is there a paper or study that shows that it's not possible? maybe, but I haven't seen one ... but that doesn't mean that people that haven't seen those papers or studies will believe my theory. Some things are just generally acceptable ... ball pythons being housed one per enclosure is certainly one of those things.

I have read and read and read. I have talked to some of the biggest names in the business (like yourself). I certainly have not been in this as long as you, and certainly do not know as much as you in general. That said, I don't just assume something to be true because the majority believes a theory to be true.

It's certainly a good discussion, but my personal experience is that when housing ball pythons one per enclosure, they do much better than group housing.

Well, my personal experience is that keeping grow out females in pairs can be done without issue. They can eat as regularly and grow as regularly as siblings that are kept alone. Your welcome to come by my house one of these days so I can show you the proof on that.