Live food...why? Honestly & with facts!

[satomi325]

I do concede that perhaps BPs are not fully domesticated, as i did look it up and they are constantly imported (which i think is ridiculous and unnecessary). You are right in saying they were chosen as a great pet because they are mostly naturally docile...
Still, I would say that a good portion of them have been domesticated to a point, since as i copied earlier " from wikipedia 'Domestication (from Latin domesticus) or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control.' "

I mean, that has to be agreed with a little bit! It's not just opinion!
The fact that they ARE docile naturally...and those are the ones chosen from the wild, and those are the ones who are bred in captivity, means they are perposely selected, and become accostomed to human provision and control....even if we take the food out of it all together...they rely on us for everything else. I know one of my BPs checks his water dish EVERY day for fresh water. (It's quite cute actually

Ball Pythons, or any snake for the matter, are not domesticated animals. I am an animal biologist pre-vet. I think you misunderstand the wiki definition (and wiki isn't always correct). Domestication is selective breeding for human use and manipulation - to control an animal or plant's behavior and/or to make them dependent on humans for survival. In plants, different parts of a plant are modified for food. For example, a broccoli is a modified flower that was selectively bred. A potato is a modified stem. People have done the same to animals. Animals have had their behaviors modified for human use. (Snakes have not been modified for behavior. Just their looks.) Dogs have been selectively bred from wolves to do certain duties such as herding, retrieving, & guarding. Some dogs, such as terriers, are bred to kill rats. But do they know that the rats are a source of food? Probably not. They were bred to kill vermin, not eat them. (I'm sure there are exceptions). A dog in a city setting can survive off trash and scavenging. You throw that same dog into a remote wilderness, and the chances of survival are low because they are dependent on humans.

Another example, ferrets were originally domesticated from European Polecats to chase and kill rabbits and rodents. Ferreting in the US is illegal and they are now America's #3 pet after cats and dogs. They are also highly dependent on humans for survival. Not just us giving water or pouring kibble into a bowl. Throw a ferret outside and what will they do? They'll die in a matter of days. They don't know how to track prey or build a shelter. Many ferrets don't even know a mouse is a source of food unless specifically trained. The chances of a domestic ferret finding a mouse out in the wild is close to zero. The chances of it walking into someone's house is greater. They are highly dependent on humans because they don't know how to survive naturally.

I think this is the part you misunderstand. Ball pythons retain their natural instincts from the moment they hatch. Many domesticated animals do not unless under extreme circumstances that make an animal go feral. (note: feral is not the same as stray and does take multiple generations to reach). Just because we take out a snake's water dish and don't throw a rat into their tub does NOT mean they naturally rely on humans. They rely on humans because they're forced to, not because they don't know how to survive w/o aide. You return a BP(even those that are captive hatched) to Africa, and the chances of their survival is significantly higher than a true domesticated animal returning to the wild.


Also, checking a water bowl is an acclimation, not adaptation to humans or domestication. Acclimation happens w/i an organism's life. Adaptation occurs over many generations.