Shame! you shouldn't keep it in a cage...?

Question

I love my snake. What irritates me is when people look at you and then tell you how cruel you are because you keep it in a cage, you should let it go.

Now i know that you can't release captive bred animals into the wild but my question is: how does one respond to these ignorant attacks? What do you say in one or two short sentences without being nasty (if one could say this without getting rude).

Tell me about your experiences, please. Thanks.

Ok, I get it. I agree that keeping animals couped up in cages IF they were captured from the wild is cruel. But...

..... I did say ignorant hey? Do you not realise that captive bred animals WILL die if released, please research before answering and shooting your mouth off.

"livinfortheweekend2" lets not get into a fighting contest or anything, im simply annoyed at people telling me that im cruel when they don't have the facts at hand and use their emotions instead. I welcome all opinion. And if you feel offended then perhaps the guilt lies with you.....

Answer 1

pet snakes should be on frozen thawed mice or rats, so try telling them that when teh goverment start locating freezers in teh wild that the snakes will be able to open themselves, thats when you will release it, because otherwise

1. your snake will either starve to death not knowing how to kill food, or

2. will get killed by the mouse or rat it trys to attack because it cant manage it properly.

or 3. if the food item it goes for doesnt get it, then the parasites etc that its body will not have the natural immunity from will

thats what i say when i hear comments liek that. same with hand reared parrots "ok when the government can start growing trees with a ready made parrot mix on them that they are used to, then i will do it"

i just wish people would see tat these animals are captive bred PETS not WILD, your snake is fed, it is kept warm, and healthy and it cant be attacked by predators, thats a far better life in mine and probably the snakes mind

Answer 2

The reason you don't release captive bred animals such as your snake into the wild is not because it can't survive (they can and do quite well) but because they can introduce disease into the wild population. Many wild caught snakes do quite well in captivity. You are giving human emotion to an animal that doesn't recognize that emotion. Survival is all that interests a snake. Do I feel safe? Can I find food? Can I find the appropriate shelter? That's it. If they don't feel safe, they won't eat. Wild snakes that do not adapt well to captivity are generally released back into the wild. Living in the wild is not all that great. Captive born and bred animals tend to live longer as they no longer have predators to worry about, injuries or disease that is left untreated. In the wild, a new born snake would have less than a 10% chance of making to adulthood to say nothing of living to breeding age. For people who say it's cruel, just be polite and explain that you are helping ensure the survival of the species by giving it the optimum chance to grow and thrive. The fact that snakes not only grow, but breed and live to old age should negate any argument on their part. Stressed and ill kept animals will not reproduce.

Answer 3

If a snake is captive bred then it doesn't know about the big wide world and would be terrified if it did end up there. They don't know any difference so they will be happy to live in a tank, At least they don't have to hunt for there food and find heat and comfort as it is all supplied for them and just how they would have it in the wild. I hate it when people say things like this too as you say they would die in the wild.

Answer 4

Not to burst anyone's bubble, but all snakes are wild animals whether they were born in a incubator or under a tree stump. They don't need any instruction on how to hunt for food or shelter and are very aware of predators, all without humans around to help. If a snake is native to an area, there's no reason it couldn't survive in the wild if it was released or escaped. It didn't forget how to hunt just because it wasn't born in the wild. These are creature that survive on instinctual behavior. The only time they need humans is if we chose to keep them as pets. Then & only then are they totally dependent on us for survival.
I have both wild captured & purchased specimens in my collection & both types are well cared for and humanely treated. I'll bet that the same people that give you grief about keeping a snake in a cage are the same people that have tropical fish, or a parrot or a cat or dog, all of which must be restrained in some manner & are not allowed to roam freely. My advice is to smile at them & then ignore their "helpful suggestions".

Answer 5

I will assume that your snake isn't native to where you live? If I am right, then it is illegal for you to release it into the wild. Captive bred animals are the only ones people should be able to keep as pets, and if it is captive bred then you didn't take anything from the wild. If you take care of it right, then it never has to search for the right humidity/temp, food, water, or safety. And if it is on frozen/thawed mice/rats and it has been since birth it wouldn't know to kill a mouse in the wild. It would try to eat it alive. (in my experience of petstore not having frozen rats, I bought live and my boa just tried to eat it so I had to take it from her and kill it. Not fun)

Just tell the people that you are the best caretaker of that snake, and in the wild it would die. If that doesn't work then simply tell them to go sit-and-spin.

Answer 6

Gliderfriend has given the best answer yet, both explanations are valid considering the signs of the times i.e., global warming, pollution, deforestation,and exploitation by the pet trade. You have it now so do all you can so that it can live a long and healthy life. If advised to keep it in a 55 gallon tank splurge and get a 90,acquire all the niceties so it can be comfortable, and in the interim educate yourself so you can breed it, because one day the only exotics left on the planet will be the ones kept as pets or exhibits in zoos, you are doing the world a favor just do it right!

Answer 7

I have two ball pythons in a 55gallon tank, at the store they were in smaller ones way smaller. I keep mine in the tank because I have dogs and a basement. If I leave mine out the dog will hurt it or I will lose it and it could turn up at the neighbors house. My children aren't scared of them and everyone knows that a snake attacks when it feels threatened or hungry. Just tell them that if you were to let it go and it was captive bred it won't survive. Tell them that its really none of their business if they are not the ones caring for him. Some people don't get the point unless you set them straight. Rudely or otherwise.

Answer 8

This does tend to wind me up, i have similar problem with my Dog Fluke.

I originally bought her from the Dogs home and because i work full time people think i am cruel leaving her own all day.

But and this is my big but - i look at it this way, my dog is well feed well loved and loved a lot i might add ! She is allowed to sleep not on the floor but on my sofa. She is given a treat a soon as i walk through the door and i have various conversation throughout the evening with my dog on how her day was.

My theory is i could have left my dog in the home and what would have happened if no one else would have taken her home - she would have been put down eventually because they cant keep them for ever. So tell people who criticise you that if you didn't take you snake home what would eventually happen is it would sit in that shop alone with no love given to it... We cant all say dont buy them cause pet shops will nto stop selling them...

Answer 9

WOW you certainly opened a kettle of worms with this one! I have 2 snakes both captive bred and for their safety they are kept in their own tanks 50 gallon longs. I wouldn't dream of letting them go free in the wild or in the house. In the wild they would die they do not know how to hunt as I have always fed them and in the house there are many areas they could get hurt or badly burned as they will seek out heat sources.

Answer 10

Yeah, I get this too, I don't have a snake but I get it with my leopard tortoise. He has a tank inside an area about 10 foot square (inside the house) and it takes up half a room. He gets outside whenever the sun is shining so he dosen't get cold, and is petted and talked to by anyone who walks into the house.

Now, he is a rescue tortoise, got him from a girl who thought he was "cool" when he was 3 inches long but when he got bigger he wasn't quite so cute. I've been told to give him to a zoo, but I know zoos don't take pets or they'd just turn into an adoption centre. He is well looked after where he is, yes he dosen't have as much space as he would "in the wild" but he's not in the wild! And the place where I have him is a da*n sight nicer and bigger than the tank he was in before where he was ignored. If I was to put him into the wild in the UK...eh, he's a DESERT tortoise, he's cold blooded, and he would probably die within days.

My response to people tends to be telling them the size of tank he was in before, his chances of survival in the wild, and asking him what life they think he would like better. That tends to shut them up. :o)