Gopher, back to the wild ? Cruel ?

My friend caught a gopher snake a while back, he had some wounds, at first it was a kind of rehab project but soon he got attached and kept it. Now however the snake hardly gets any attention and he probably isnt enjoying sitting in his tank just the same way his owner has lost interest., i think that since the snake has healed up he should let it go...what do you guys think ? would that be cruel ?

I think he should let it go.

how long has he had it as a pet?

not too long...a year at the most..

Since it's been in captivity so long it might be better if he could find someone who wanted the snake and give it to them.

If he has other snakes there is the remote possibility of taking a pathogen into the wild if it is released. Same for parasites and who knows what from the mice he has been fed.

Since I've done it with Callisto, I can assure you that it will be fine if it were to be released into the wild. I'm not so sure about this whole "pathogen" thing, but since Callisto's tank was on another floor I'm sure she couldn't have any pathogens that could be introduced into her home. Your friend's situation could be different though.

Yeah, a lot of people subscribe to the mentality that "once a captive. always a captive" because of the supposed spread of pathogens and whatnot. I mean, I'm not saying this doesn't happen when a snake is released back into the wild, but I don't think its as detrimental as people believe. I mean, do we need to completely disinfect our clothing and shoes everytime we take a hike through the woods? There's probably a number of things we humans already do whenever we enter nature that are a lot more critical than releasing a short-term captive back into its environment.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Since it's been in captivity so long it might be better if he could find someone who wanted the snake and give it to them.

If he has other snakes there is the remote possibility of taking a pathogen into the wild if it is released. Same for parasites and who knows what from the mice he has been fed.

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Agreed. I also agree if he does not want the animal anymore, to find someone who wants it. Releasing LTC's into the wild doesnt seem to be the best choice.

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Originally Posted by Ophiuchus

Yeah, a lot of people subscribe to the mentality that "once a captive. always a captive" because of the supposed spread of pathogens and whatnot. I mean, I'm not saying this doesn't happen when a snake is released back into the wild, but I don't think its as detrimental as people believe. I mean, do we need to completely disinfect our clothing and shoes everytime we take a hike through the woods? There's probably a number of things we humans already do whenever we enter nature that are a lot more critical than releasing a short-term captive back into its environment.

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Have you ever had a feeder rodent Necropsied? They carry all sorts of things. Things that are not always present in thier wild counterparts.

It's not that the snake in question won't survive, it likely will. But, why take the chance of taking something out that doesn't need to be. Suppose it's carrying a virus or bacteria that it picked up in captivity in SPITE of being in a different room. There are airborn nasties too.

The question was asked, answers have been given. Do what you feel comfortable with.

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Originally Posted by Ophiuchus

Yeah, a lot of people subscribe to the mentality that "once a captive. always a captive" because of the supposed spread of pathogens and whatnot. I mean, I'm not saying this doesn't happen when a snake is released back into the wild, but I don't think its as detrimental as people believe. I mean, do we need to completely disinfect our clothing and shoes everytime we take a hike through the woods? There's probably a number of things we humans already do whenever we enter nature that are a lot more critical than releasing a short-term captive back into its environment.

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I think we have so little evidence to support either side, that it may be best to err on the side of caution. Take the golden frog for example. I believe it was Tracy Barker that was doing a study on the golden frog in S. America and (I could be wrong, paraphrasing) Dave barker had said on Reptile Radio that the golden frog is believed to be extinct in the wild. All because of hikers propagating a fungus (I think, it could be something else) when they tracked through the jungle. The golden frog has been nearly eliminated from simply walking!

Considering I have to assume the rainforest isn't heavily populated, and nearly unknown to many on a close level, this little bit of influence has caused one species to disappear. How can we measure what else our little bit of influence is doing on local wild populations?