Quote Originally Posted by JeanTownsend View Post
I agree with you. Reptiles are intelligent creatures, too. And not just lizards--snakes, as well. And I think you're right when you mentioned that maybe it's because we can't always interpret their body language as well as other animals, like cats or horses. Or even lizards.
So many owners say they're content to just sit in a small, sterile tub (which has nothing to do with their natural environment), with a water dish, and maybe two hides. It's ridiculous. Sure, they'll survive. That covers their basic needs. But their psychological health will suffer.
I recently read an article published by herpetologists that no, ball pythons do not just burrow in some hole and "wait for their food to come." They know they need to search for food. And they love climbing trees. They're semi-arboreal, a fact proven by scientists that few owners know.
And to those owners who say their herps do well in plastic tubs with nothing to do all day BUT sit in their hides waiting for food, explain to me just why they are finicky eaters. In the past year of having my ball python, she has never ONCE passed up food. I don't have the greatest setup for her yet (I'm going bioactive this weekend, finally), but she's not in a tub, with artificial hides. Yet any owner who has plastic tubs will say ball pythons are finicky eaters. Any owner with a naturalistic setup or bioactive one will likely say theirs eat 99% of the time.
Bioactive environments are one way to add enrichment. It's completely natural, so it reminds them of home.
Another rather necessary "enrichment" item should be a branch. Again, they're semi-arboreal.
I really like the idea of building the ends of branches into a wooden enclosure, so that if the snake climbs the walls, he can go through all the branch ends. I can't find it on Google again.
It'd be neat to see what one would do with cat toys lol.
I'd say that they're creatures, they need a life. They're alive--they aren't just inanimate objects designed for display. They have thoughts, emotions, personalities, and intellect. Thus, they need something other than a tub, with two hides (if they're lucky) and a water bowl. That's not a life. That's a life dimmed down for our entertainment. But that's not what they were designed for, was it? They need some form of enrichment, and we as responsible owners need to provide it. Otherwise, it should be illegal.
Excellent post - we share the exact same views , it seems .

Marry me !!

Wait .... Better run that past the wife , first


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