Right or wrong?

[Skits]

I was thinking about how everyone has different advice for so and so reptiles, and I started wondering what was right and wrong now. I seen a thread about how some on a bearded dragon group were giving advice about so and so as care, and then I notice some telling me not to keep my ball python in a spacious enclosure but in a small bin as they don't like big spaces..

How do we know what is right from wrong anymore? I want to learn about reptiles, and especially what I keep, to be sure they're in the right environments but with all the different information at all times..it's hard to be sure anymore. Aren't we all "brainwashing" others to do what we think is right? In the end, what is really right?

I decided that from now on, I'm going to research mostly on wild behaviors and habitats before anything else and go from there. Keeping reptiles in captivity has made people respectful to the fact they are reptiles and not babies and I want what's right for my reptiles! Bearded dragons don't live on kitchen floors, skinks don't cook their own meats before eating them, ball pythons shouldn't just be in empty bins without hides..

[Brylee1233]

Good for you! Tell us what you learn! :) And if you make any realistic, really cool enclosures, we'd like to see ;)

[Pirarucu]

Well said. People need to learn to listen to what their animals are telling them. Do that, and you can pinpoint correct husbandry not only for the species, but for your individual.

[Mikoh4792]

I was thinking about how everyone has different advice for so and so reptiles, and I started wondering what was right and wrong now. I seen a thread about how some on a bearded dragon group were giving advice about so and so as care, and then I notice some telling me not to keep my ball python in a spacious enclosure but in a small bin as they don't like big spaces..

How do we know what is right from wrong anymore? I want to learn about reptiles, and especially what I keep, to be sure they're in the right environments but with all the different information at all times..it's hard to be sure anymore. Aren't we all "brainwashing" others to do what we think is right? In the end, what is really right?

I decided that from now on, I'm going to research mostly on wild behaviors and habitats before anything else and go from there. Keeping reptiles in captivity has made people respectful to the fact they are reptiles and not babies and I want what's right for my reptiles! Bearded dragons don't live on kitchen floors, skinks don't cook their own meats before eating them, ball pythons shouldn't just be in empty bins without hides..


Well I always say, a bigger enclosure with lots of cover is always better than a small, empty enclosure with little room to move.

People who say otherwise don't know what they are talking about.

[formica]

the truth is that there is very little scientific research goes into these things, most of it is trial and error, at best allot of it is educated guess work, and once people find something that seems to work, they are not open to new ideas

I have noticed more and more, that even in the face of scientific evidence, peoples ideas are hard to challange (take the UV-Varanid debate for eg, despite scientific study showing improved immune response with UV, many still dismiss it)


However, I think that following the guidelines which have been developed over the years, is a good starting point


Personally I believe that keeping snakes, or any other reptile, in a tub, for any purpose other than quarantine, is ethically questionable, especially when it is for the purposes of battery farming said reptiles.

and as said, each animal is different, even within the same species, its important to listen (by observing behavior) to an animals needs and provide for it accordingly

[TheFrogman]

I have asked this question myself, there will always be a difference of opinion , I try to listen to what everyone says, read all I can and pay attention to my animals and we will "get it !"

I believe our pets will tell us.

[psychocircus]

I agree with a spacious enclosure with plenty of places to hide. Nature is typically pretty big. Good hides give them the same "comfort", but they have room to move around at night when they desire.

There are some smaller animals that benefit from smaller enclosures (think inverts) as it makes it easier for them to find food and they truly rarely move around.

[sharthun]

I agree you should always start your research with the respective species natural habitat and try to mimic those conditions the best you can. It's by dumb luck and adaptation that some animals even survive in the worst captive conditions.

[poison123]

Well said. People need to learn to listen to what their animals are telling them. Do that, and you can pinpoint correct husbandry not only for the species, but for your individual.

the truth is that there is very little scientific research goes into these things, most of it is trial and error, at best allot of it is educated guess work, and once people find something that seems to work, they are not open to new ideas

I have noticed more and more, that even in the face of scientific evidence, peoples ideas are hard to challange (take the UV-Varanid debate for eg, despite scientific study showing improved immune response with UV, many still dismiss it)


However, I think that following the guidelines which have been developed over the years, is a good starting point


Personally I believe that keeping snakes, or any other reptile, in a tub, for any purpose other than quarantine, is ethically questionable, especially when it is for the purposes of battery farming said reptiles.

and as said, each animal is different, even within the same species, its important to listen (by observing behavior) to an animals needs and provide for it accordingly

Well said :)

[Mikoh4792]

Well said :)

well said.

[Skits]

Exactly. I realized that a lot of people just tell others to do so and so. I think no one can tell me what my animals feel best in better than my own animals. I was on a ball python group telling me to keep my BP in a very small bin because in the wild, they live in holes. I'd much rather keep him in something larger with some room to maybe expand his burrow or something like that. As much as they're snakes that don't move much, doesn't mean we should limit them to that. Kind of like saying humans stay in their homes a lot, so limit them to more. Reptiles aren't a toy collection.