Quote Originally Posted by ladywhipple02 View Post
I think this statement is contradicting itself. If people should house their snakes separately, then so should you, correct? Why should everyone else house them separately and not you? Why settle for keeping them together---which is only satisfactory---when it's better for them, being unsocial and competitive, to have their own enclosures?

These are honest questions... I copped a 'tude earlier and I apologize. Bad day at work and I was taking my irritations out on here.
As a previous user stated, there is no definitive proof that keeping them separate or together has an impact on the general well being of the snakes. If you would be prepared to give me a grant I can set up a research project using the variables discussed so that we could get significant statistical data to settle this once and for all.

A picture here and there of a snake swallowing another snake is not indicative of the whole. Diseases can be airborne from cage to cage, keeper to animal (even washing hands does not always work). Stress is not wholly related to keeping snakes with other snakes. Temperature, snake disposition, keeper handling, and a list that I could keep on with all add up to snake stress.

You may as well apply this argument to people with dogs and cats and any other animal for that matter. Do you agree that people should have to buy a separate house to keep each dog in? Dogs transmit diseases between each other (fleas, ticks, infections), they fight and cause stress to establish a pecking order etc. Cannibalism is seen in mammals, and one or two pictures of a snake is the extreme and very unlikely (if you came to me with hundreds of cases I would separate my snakes tomorrow)

I did not say that everyone had to have a cage but me, that is putting words in my mouth. I simply stated that it is generally a good idea for most people (with less experience) to isolate (and this is the ONLY plus in my opinion) their snakes to determine bowel movement. However, I can diagnose impaction (through palpitation) and this is not an issue. The only snake that had bowel impaction was the one rescue Mir who had dry skin and I believe kept at very low humidity.

I am not at all convinced with the stress argument, that is HIGHLY subjective and has no scientific evidence, only opinion. What is the selective advantage to this dominance that everyone keeps bringing up? Again, give me some facts behind it IE why would they do this, how would thought processes spur them to do this etc

Please do not take any of what I have said personally, being a scientist I need fact and proof, not simply opinion to back up statements. The whole point of science is to prove and disprove

Thanks!