Can ball pythons be housed together?

[Cheesenugget]

Can you do it? Sure, you can do whatever you want. It doesn't mean it will result in success, failure or nothing happens.

Should you do it? Nope.

Specifically, by cohabbing or initiating social behavior where there normally wouldn't be under regular circumstances, how will this benefit the animal? We see this in animals like wolves, elephants, fish, even some reptiles like the shingle back blue tongue skink. Social behavior comes with sacrifice: the animal has to share food, time, space, energy and sometimes give up its breeding rights to sustain the group, not the just the individual, as a whole. While the tradeoff stands to be better, it's not for every species.

As far as I know, there had been no sightings or records of ball pythons exhibiting social behavior with another that is outside of breeding and courting behavior. Just because you find a few bunched together in the same burrow doesn't mean it's social seeking- it could mean that they both are seeking warmth and that is the warm spot, there is only 1 hide to use, the hide is suitable and desirable for both snakes, etc. Using gopher tortoise tunnels as an example, you will find a variation of different animals living in the same tunnel, including eastern indigos and small mammals, and yet predation is rare when they are resting in the same area. Does that make the eastern indigos friendly towards the small furry critters? Or that the mammals lost their fear of the snake? Not at all.

What is real is competition for resources, regardless of species, unless that particular animal allowed the other to share (social behavior). By giving up or sharing food, water, warmth, hides and space, what does the ball python gain in return that it could not otherwise have while solitary?

You may say that by creating a larger enclosure, this will provide enough space and resources for both snakes. Fun fact: the land where ball pythons are found is much, much bigger than originally thought. Some scientists believe that they travel for miles under the right circumstances, like looking for mates or better hunting ground. If that instinct never left them in captivity, would a bigger enclosure meet both snakes' needs?

In my experience, my local Pet store asked for my help when 1 of the ball pythons wasn't eating for weeks. They were desperate and worried. Turns out he was living in the same enclosure as another ball python of similar size and age. They followed my suggestion to move the ball python to its own enclosure and it ate without issues. Sometimes the most simple answer is the one in front of you.

Btw, most people back in the day was convinced that the earth was round and it wasn't the center of the universe. Sailors, explorers, astronomists, travelers, fishermen and many others who observed the ocean, land and sky had a big inkling that is what is going on. It was a matter of waiting for the technology to prove it.