Snakes have a sad life in a tank...

Here's how I think about it. And this is for ball pythons specifically.
Balls live in termite mounds and rodent burrows for the majority of their lives. An ASF burrow is not large and spacious. They are small and tight.
Ball pythons spend ~90% of their time in these small spaces. They sit there and wait for prey, eat the inhabitant, sit around, then when they're hungry again, they move to the next burrow. They rarely go out to explore unless they are seeking a mate or food.

A tub is no different than a burrow or mound. In fact, I think they are actually more spacious.
I give my ball pythons a tub and a hide. I can tell you that all but one *never* leaves their hides even though they have more room in the tub to stretch and roam. If they leave their hide, it's to feed to drink. Otherwise, they do not utilize any of the extra space. They feel most comfortable in these small spaces.

Other species like boas for example, I will offer a larger enclosure because I know they like to explore and use the extra space. Balls? Not so much.

I think this is a very interesting thread, both because of my personal collection, and because I regularly work with the public in a zoo setting. Many of the people I speak with on a personal level about my animals in particular, simply trust my judgement. They don't know about snakes, nor do they particularly care, as long as the snakes aren't in their personal bubble. If I, as the "snake expert" in their minds, decide to keep my animals in tubs the way they are now, the farthest they usually question is "don't they need more space?" then, after I describe their natural habitat, they leave it alone.

walking into a zoo setting, there are lots of people who fancy themselves animal experts, claiming that these animals look "sad" and "confined" and "trapped." It takes a lot more energy to describe to these folks that all that matters to us on a biological level for these animals are the markers of "stressed" and "not stressed". A stressed animal may behave in a more entertaining way for a general spectator (think of when we see our ball pythons actively exploring for more than a few minutes at a time), and because humans anthropmorphise, these stressed behaviors may look more positive than negative, because these behaviors also look cute (think of head-pressing in big cats and primates, excessive exploration in reptiles, excessive vocalizations in birds). When working with exotic animals, these seemingly cute behaviors are usually warning signs for illnesses or burgeoning bad habits that keepers are constantly on the lookout for. Explaining that these relaxed animals look lazy because that is their natural state in the wild often breaks a reality for folks that they thought they knew. A wild lion is constantly on guard for threats to its territory. A zoo lion realizes that there are no threats to its territory, and so sleeps.

The only exception I have to throw out is (playing devils advocate a bit here), that while everyone on HERE knows how to properly care for their reptiles, what about the ones that aren't informed, that keep their BP (or any other reptile) in a 10 gallon glass tank with reptile carpet and 3 layers of stuck shed because this is how the petstore said to keep them. This can be said for any animal where the owner hasn't educated themselves. Our local petco had a "reptile day" on Sat and this was seen for every one they had on display, I did a major face palm when one of the employees told me you can keep an adult BTS in a 20 gallon glass tank their entire life because they are lazy, also take a look on CL and see all the improper setups on there. In these cases I would agree that they have a pretty sad life, I know this is the exception, but I think sometimes people get blinded online because they are surrounded with like minded people and it is easy to forget all the bad examples out there, I know its that way for me, it always brings me back to reality when I see such terrible husbandry:(

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Originally Posted by Generationshell

I am curious as to how many snake owners also get comments from others along the lines of, "Oh he has such a sad life because he lives in a tank." Both my parents and bf think this.

Personally I think that snakes in tanks have it pretty good. I acknowledge the fact that they can't really explore, but they have regular food, a safe environment without any predators, a heating pad, and an environment that is tailored to their needs. What more could they want?!

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You know what snakes really love? Being eaten alive by predators in the wild. Or succumbing to disease without vet care. Theres a reason why they live longer in captivity. Nature is a cruel mother and captive snakes are removed from most of that cruelty.