How can a cage be too big???

[daniel1983]

With both the enclosure size and RI treatment....

....what are the results?

What we think about reptile husbandry and treatment is meaningless without showing results. IF there are negative results, we must be improve or change the way that we are treating/keeping our reptiles. IF you get positive results, we have the option to either be content with our results (and do not adjust anything) or continue to try to improve upon our keeping skills to get better results.

So with the actual results of certain housing and medical treatments in mind......

Is the enclosure size any issue if the snake is kept healthy and allowed to have successfully undergo basic life functions?

Is the RI treatment any issue if it successfully cures the illness?

It all about the animals and the results of our care....not our ideas, opinions, or interpretations of the proper housing or medical treatment.

As a keeper we have 100% control over the lives of the reptile. If they get sick, IT IS OUR FAULT. If they do not thrive, IT IS OUR FAULT. If they are stressed, IT IS OUR FAULT. If they are no provided proper vet care, IT IS OUR FAULT. It ALWAYS falls back on the keeper when something is not right.

However, some of us are blessed with the ability to say...My animals are healthy because I worked hard to support them. These sick animals are doing great since they have been treated and cared for by me. My animals reproduced successfully because I provided the conditions for them to mate. These lives emerged from the eggs because I incubated these eggs properly.

So what are your results? Every keeper should think about that before spewing information out.

If you are treating a RI, it does not matter how you do it or how great the doctor is that prescribed the treatment.......all that matters it that your snake gets better. Before the results of the treatment are determined, does any of the discussion even matter? All of the talk is just opinion.

If you house in a enclosure, the size is irrelevent. However, if your snake does not shed, eat, grow properly or is unhealthy....the enclosure you have is not good.

Pretty simple philosophy.

If something doesn't provide good results for your animal, then you learn a lesson and improve upon it.

Adam presented a good example of these 'improvements' with the progression of the treatment methods for Respiratory infections for ball pythons. There are 'old' methods that work. However, there are newer methods that work better. Some vets were content with the results of a certain treatment....Some vets were not content so they improved upon it.

Concerning enclosures.....Being content or satisified with keeping methods makes parts of husbandry very stale to me. Rack systems and other laboratory style methods of keeping reptiles are something where keepers found something that works well and are content with the results that it provides. Sure there are progressions with the functionality for OUR needs in newer designs but nothing significant for positive progress in terms of actual reptile care. Most keepers are content with the results of that particular housing style....some are not, so they should improve upon it, test it, then present their results.

Until the results are clear, it would seem better for some people to spend less time on forums argueing about who is right and wrong... instead they should spend more time concentrating on the captivity of their animals and learning from the greatest source of reptile care information....the animals themselves.

Just my general rambling for the week.........I was about due.