Multi-species housing...

[Lori P]

I dunno, James... my Pugets are always together, always touching or curled around each other. The ones I got from Reed are always together too... lying side by side or again, curled together. I think they find comfort in each other...

[Stefan-A]

My vagrans are almost never curled up together, right now they're on opposite sides of the terrarium.

My parietalis couple was almost always curled up together, but I'm prepared to blame that on the male being constantly interested in the female.

Personally, I'd like to know the reason why they choose to be in the same spot. Is it a matter of similar needs and habits bringing them together, is it an antipredator strategy, or are truly social animals?

[adamanteus]

Hey, fine. I'm not going to argue about it. If you guys want to have social snakes with an emotional need for comfort from each other, and enjoy cuddling up together, why should I complain?

Ole, I think you'll find the reason you see several snakes curled together in one basking spot is because it's a good basking spot... nothing to do with social interplay.

[drache]

when I house snakes together, I attempt to provide multiple possibilities of similar quality to get their needs met
it seems that some snakes like to hang out together more than others and that preferences may change
I don't really hold with that christian idea of the sharp dividing line between man and beast such that we have all the mind and emotion and they are mere lumps of flesh driven by impulses
it's all along a continuum and I don't imagine that what they experience and how they process it, has any remote resemblance to what I experience etcetera
however I don't see why it would be impossible for them to have social inclinations any more than that ours are entirely rooted in ancient survival needs

[tikichick]

I think having the same species, same size, together is fine. My concern is only in mixing different species in the same habitat when there's a likelihood for predatory behavior. Like when you set up a fish tank, some fish can be put together safely, whereas some will eat other species, so you set it up with the most compatible types.