I am very new to this forum, so I really do hope I’m not I’m not intruding by posting my opinion on this subject before I even have a ball python, lol.

I moderate a reptile site that has very high standards when it comes to reptile care. Our minimum for snakes is an enclosure no shorter than the length of the snake, so that it is able to stretch out. Enrichment is a very large deal, and small , sterile tubs are only ever used for quarantine. The enclosures seen are often very large, extremely cluttered, and offer the python many places to feel secure.

Members who follow this standard report active ball pythons that climb and explore, and rarely miss a meal. They do more than just “hide, eat, and shed”, and really do appear to thrive in their surroundings.

My personal opinion on this subject is that it is inhumane to put a snake in these conditions. The way I see it, preforming basic functions is not thriving. Curling up in a corner for eternity definitely isn’t. Based on what I have seen from the ball pythons on that site, I strongly believe that they can benefit from the enrichment, and really do survive in their environment.

A tub does not have to be small or barren. Heck, my quarantine enclosure is a basic example of this, and my post quarantine enclosure is even better one. It’s a 50 gallon tub that I will be putting doors on the front of, and it has probably cost me less than 100$ to set up.

Lots of people will say it’s fine because the pythons are breeders, or that there’s no way to have a large collection without keeping snakes in small tubs with nothing but a water bowl. But shouldn’t breeding pythons be getting better care than pets because of the stress they have to endure? Should people really be keeping large amounts of snakes if they can only keep each one in tiny tubs with nothing but a bowl of water?

I might be too ambitious, posting this on my second ever thread before I’ve even gotten a snake, but I do love a good debate


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