#and also animals in the wild invariably have behaviour a thousand times more varied than those in captivity | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

panpteryx · 2 years ago

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Oh yeah so they are! I was mostly thinking about exotic pet care guides, which (due to reptile YouTubers) I suspect may be the primary way people find out about snakes and other less-appreciated species. They do have a tendency to blur the lines between “common, not endangered, native to [local region]” and “uncommon, at risk from poaching, native to [far away region]”? At least, the guides I’ve seen usually only mention foods other than rodents if the snake might have difficulty recognizing frozen/thawed rodents as food.

The conflict between “reptile YouTube spreads awareness and appreciation for species people typically consider to be distasteful” and “yeah but their information is often inaccurate and the husbandry is poor 90% of the time so is the appreciation worth it”, I guess

….though now I’m wondering if my ball python would like an egg as a treat, they eat a lot of birds in the wild and I’d be surprised if they didn’t eat the eggs too. guess I’ll do some research lol, chicken eggs *are* pretty big so they might not be safe, but maybe quail…

This is a gentle reminder to those who keep poultry to PLEASE keep in mind wild snakes if you are using fake eggs in your chicken coop. Snakes are incapable of digesting the wooden/plastic/ceramic fake eggs that are commonly placed in chicken coops to train hens. Snakes (like this little ratsnake here) can and often do eat these fake eggs and suffer life-threatening obstruction as a result!

If you need to use fake eggs in your coop please strive to ensure that the enclosure is snake-proof (difficult) or superglue 3 or more eggs together so that snakes cannot consume them and become obstructed.

#snakes are really cool you guys #but also maybe double check the regions #and also animals in the wild invariably have behaviour a thousand times more varied than those in captivity #imo it’s the responsibility of any pet owner to provide an environment where the animal can do as many of those behaviours as possible #and also make sure the animal is being sourced in a way that doesn’t hurt the wild population #bc like. I actually think many good things come out of the exotic pet trade?#having thousands of eyes on a species means we’re going to learn things that would never have been possible to discover otherwise #and also let’s be real here habitat loss and climate change hurts the wild populations a thousand times more than the pet trade #so live capturing is more the icing on the cake/another small stressor on top of all the ones they’re already having a hard time with #rather than THE one danger to wild species #(live capture for the pet trade that is)#but still like. pets should be a two way street.#trade offer: you get [enjoyment of animal]: animal receives [safe environment with no predators and consistent access to food]#if the animal is gonna be stuck in a drawer and doesn’t have opportunity to perform natural behaviours and not all of it’s daily needs met #then it isn’t getting anything from the bargain and that’s just like. unfair.#which is why I generally advocate for keeping species that (in the wild) are already frequently found around human habitation #(like my mourning geckos which have a really wide range and are frequently just straight-up found in houses)#or that you can be absolutely positive you’re able to keep in a situation that’s a close enough facsimile to wild #that they can perform the vast majority of their natural behaviours #(which should also be a goal for the common species)#….and like. I’m including cats/Guinea pigs/rabbits/dogs in this #bc they ALSO have a lot of care requirements that are often not met even though they’re domesticated #….and for that matter humans too actually #humans in ‘the wild’ are highly social tenacious semi-arboreal problem solvers that alter their landscapes heavily to suit their needs #the current trend of keeping them in 10x10x8 boxes and making them interact with hundreds of strangers every day #and not letting them manipulate their environment unless they ‘own it’#is just straight-up inhumane! they should have everyday climbing opportunities and more predictable social structures and more enrichment #how do you know they wouldn’t use it if you don’t give them the OPPORTUNITY to use it #…..anyway yeah #……I may have opinions on this

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