OK I keep getting flack for keeping my snakes in a rack system

[visceralrepulsion]

First, I want to thank Skiploder for summarizing pretty much a lot of what I would've been typing up now. I applaud your points both valid, factual, and otherwise. We shouldn't be shunned for using tanks anymore than those who shun rack users.

Every snake has different needs, that vary, and we should try to accommodate that as best as we can. I'm not pointing fingers in the following rant of my opinion, because it is that, mostly my opinion of how I choose to raise my snakes personally. Though a lot of it i am basing off facts, studies, and other various truthful sources. You are not required to do as I do after reading this, so don't fret.

Basically, it is not fair or just to say one a tub/rack system or a tank is THE right way, that's the rule, and that's the way it is. There are a lot of things you should take into consideration before what I think is often a "cop-out" for lazier or more selfish keepers who choose racks for convenience or space commodities, not for the well-being of the snakes themselves. After all, in my opinion THAT should be the most important aspect, I mean correct me if I'm way off here, but the most important aspect should not be the convenience, space saving features, etc of racks alone. Or the display features of tanks alone. I am well aware that some species can do better in racks. Sometimes yes. but when considering a rack or a tank, you must consider your snake first, and it's individual needs. Not every ball python does best in a rack, I'm sorry, I won't and can't agree that is the rule, bottomline. I've seen and know of plenty of Ball Pythons thriving, eating well, shedding well, displaying natural mating, brumation, or other healthy behaviors in larger tanks, just fine. And GASP, they can and do eat in tanks, also. If you want to get into other species, Garters (thamnophis) species for example, absolutely do not do better in racks, are known to stop feeding in them, and are not as healthy because they are a diurnal snake who enjoy basking out in the open of a UVA/UVB bulb that replaces their sun in captivity. I'm not firmly against racks, but for the most part, I am. I think it is healthy, natural, and normal for a snake to have visual, auditory, tactile, and other natural stimulus, which they will not acquire inside an opaque container surrounded on 3/4 sides by containing walls, with no light, or often anything that matter besides some newspaper, and a water-bowl. "Because they don't need it." Or "they will just make a mess of your hard work if you try to decorate their enclosure with a natural decor." - Some of the excuses I've heard. I've seen racks so small the snake probably had to go to either the warm side, or cool side and stay there until their defecation was found, just to avoid contact with it, and barely had enough room to do so. I can't nobley agree with such tiny enclosures. What do you think snakes do in the wild??? Captive bred or not, they still have many instincts intact. In the wild snakes have been recorded through tracking devices and studdies to travel 20+ miles even. Do you think they shat themselves when they reach the end of a block of grass or ground matter of any sort more than 18 x 18" and think "Oh no, this is too much space!" Panic, then die? I believe a lot has to do with how they are raised. All of my snakes were raised in tanks. They are all healthy, show signs of contentment, normal behavior, actively eat, shed immaculately, ovulate, prep for brumation, or mating season, etc etc. All in surprise: tanks! I'm not saying my method is right, yours is wrong, end of chapter. But racks are nor personally an enclosure style I would resort too, unless forced to, for a short and temporary time, basically. If you raise your captive bred snakes in racks, I can only assume yes, they will be accustomed to racks, and living in bins. I'm not pointing a finger here, I've seen racks that were spacious, had clear and open sides so the snakes could see out, etc. Not so horrible as most. But I will say I think it comes down to effort, convenience, affordable space, and sometimes yes even laziness. I hear people say "Tanks are crappy and horrible, they don't hold humidity or proper heat, and they blah blah blah." Well if your snake's humidity is low or it's temps are, you do realize there are cures for that, right? If you are not solely doing a rack system for your own convenience, and truly have your snakes' best interests', not your own, at heart, then I can not condemn such a situational rack by defintion and default. But if you are just lazy, selfish in that you don't care to sacrifice any of your personal space to own multiple snakes, etc, no I can't agree. And even so in these two variations, I would only agree with a somewhat spacious, clear, unconfined bin, rack system. But still consider things, like the species, are they diurnal, nocturnal, or crepuscular, or a variation of two? And other variables like that. But personally I will always go for a more natural enclosure with substrate to burrow in, hides for each side, climbing apparatus' for everyone but the fossorial (who simply shows no interest in climbing, and often falls easily. But even she has natural terrain of different varying heights such as a chunk of short wood here and there, a flatter rock over there or there, and different depths of substrate to explore.) In the end, my whole point of this rant, which I really don't want anyone to take striking offense to, honestly I don't, is that do in the end what is best for the snakes first always. I think if you are trying to do that, you are at least trying.

(By the way, yes, snakes hear, and not just through ground vibrations. Want proof: Google the article "Vibrating Jaws Help Snakes Hear" which is a study posted on what I'm pretty positive is Science Now about studies done, proving they hear ambient air sounds as well, based on brainwave activity resulting from ambient sound stimuli and in comparison to ground vibrations stimuli, to summarize. Great article, check it out!)