I don't agree with comments such as "there's no set thing" and "it's all just opinion". We're not talking about whether apple pie is tastier than pumpkin pie. There's only ONE way to avoid the risks associated with cohabitation: don't do it. That's not opinion; it's fact. But heck, I've only kept hundreds of corn snakes for 23 years. What do I know?
Don't confuse it..the
RISKS are an absolute fact...the
CHOICE is an opinion. Yes, you are correct...there is only one way to
guarantee no risks of co-habbing, and that is by not co-habbing. That does NOT mean that co-habbing without issue is
impossible, it ONLY means that there will ALWAYS be risks associated with it, and your snakes will always and forever be AT risk because of it...but it is possible that they can still live a long life without issue during it. There is a difference.
Corns need appropriate heat to digest. This is an indisputable fact. The manner in which one
achieves this heat is purely a matter of opinion and experimentation.
Corns need an escape proof enclosure. Again...indisputable fact. The manner in which one makes their enclosure escape proof is left open to opinion and ingenuity...or experimentation.
Your other examples, Dean...HIV and unprotected sex, driving while intoxicated, etc...all of these are indisputably risky endeavors. However...not everyone that participates in these endeavors suffers the consequences everytime. The RISKS are fact...the choice is an opinion. That's not to say that I think people should perform such ridiculous activities...just that people do, without consequences, all the time...much like co-habbing. It doesn't make it
smart...just possible...
Rich in KY wrote:
Oh I get it. Cohabbing is bad. But experimenting by putting multiple snakes in one viv is acceptable! LOL
I NEVER said co-habbing was bad...I said it was risky...and it is. However, it is also done successfully. How, I wonder?? Through experimentation. If someone is willing to invest the time, effort, and risk...they can find a succesful way to co-hab.
What I mean is...we know certain facts about what is required for cornsnakes to thrive in captivity, and these requirements are not debateable. Without them...your snake dies. What we preach and practice as general husbandry skills and care guidelines is nothing more than a series of best guesses and assumptions on the best way to achieve these necessities. Only through experimentation have we learned what we know...and only through experimentation will we ever know if things can be done better, more efficiently, more cheaply, etc.
I don't think people that co-hab deserve some of the "lashing" that they recieve. I don't agree with co-habbing because, IMO...the risks are far greater than the benefits make reasonable. But that is ONLY MY OPINION, and may not be the same opinion for everyone...obviously. All anyone can do is provide the facts, present the risk factors, and state their opinion. If someone chooses to ignore those facts or factors...that is their decision to make. They have decided that the benefits outweigh the risks. OK. So what? It isn't your snake, it isn't my snake...it is THEIR SNAKE...so let them, if that is their choice. It really seems quite simple, to me. There really doesn't seem to be any reason for chastising someone based on their opinion in this matter. There really doesn't seem to be a reason for continual brow-bashing of "co-habbers".
Yes...state your opinion. Yes...state the factual and true risks involved. Yes...inform someone that their choice puts their snakes at risk. What more can be said? What more Should be said? They aren't your snakes...it isn't your choice. Do we really need the lambasting from BOTH sides everytime the topic comes up? Do we really need the implied insults from BOTH sides every time the topic is raised? I simply don't think we do...:shrugs: