Quote Originally Posted by loonunit View Post
Every pet store owner in creation has their ball pythons and corns sharing tanks. And while those animals are often poorly quarantined etc. etc., except in the cases of actual disease and poor husbandly, they generally eat just fine and are, if anything, less stressed by human handling. (Though presumably living in a pet store means they also get handled more than the average ball python.)

Seriously, someone should actually study this. I've seen research on certain species rattlesnakes that share denning space, and prefer to hang with their siblings, even if they've been separated most of their lives.
Every pet store I have ever been too has atrocious husbandry. Its been my experience that they generally do not eat just fine. I have heard on many occasions that all BP's are force fed, and most BP's I have seen are underweight to severely underweight or have a sign saying not ready for sale. That tells me they just got the snake in and are trying to do the right thing and make sure it eats before they sell it. At my local pet stores I can watch the BP's get skinner week by week. Pet stores should never be used as an example of what to do.

Many snakes species share denning space because secure dens with good temps are hard to find. I do not believe they prefer to hang out with their siblings. I believe the prefer the temp and security and tolerate their siblings. Again what animals will do in the wild is not necessarily a good rule of what they should do in your home. BP's will curl up in a ball and let predators attack their less vital regions. Does that mean its ok to leave a live rodent unattended in their cage? After all in the wild they get bit and survive just fine.