Is keeping snakes cruel?

[Ramsayi]

Think of it this way.A mac for instance would happily live out its life under a rock if all of its needs such as correct temps,food,water,mates etc we close by.

 

[MrKite]

Your dad just doesn't want you to have one, and he has came up with that as his reason. Simple as that.

When i got my first snake back when i was 15, i carefully mounted my case to my parents, covering all bases inc things like prices, housing, feeding (including keeping rats in our freezer which was the biggest hiccup) and general queries.

The best thing you can do is become as informed as you can, and be persistent! This will let him know that your aware of all that is required when you re-but his arguments. Read snake books in front of him, etc. He needs to know your love for reptiles isn't going away.

Also, he may be worried that this is just a phase, and you will lose interest. May be better if you didn't take up any other hobbies in the meantime, or this may confirm his fear.

Anyways, good luck.

 

[oddball]

If you keep them right, it's not cruel.
Cruel is allowing them to have mites, or scale rot untreated. Or keeping them in an unheated fish-tank with no substrate because you can't be screwed to do research on the animal you just bought, or stole from the wild.

Humans have domesticated animals since before recorded time, the only difference between your dog and a captive bred snake is that we are only just beginning to domesticate snakes, so the differences between pet snakes and wild snakes is not so defined.
Animals in captivity, as a whole have good lives. Constant supplies of food, shelter, warmth and medical treatment means that their life span will be considerably longer than in the wild, and in comfort too. We give animals the optimum conditions for them to survive in.
What your Dad needs to realise, is that snakes have a different set of priorities than humans. He is judging what a snake needs, based on what HE needs, he is projecting his own values onto them.

As far as I know, snakes don't care about roaming wild all day, having a massive territory or being able to own something.
Wild snakes roam because they need to find food, shelter, water and the right temperature, and these might be a fair way apart. If you give a wild snake it's optimum conditions and a fairly constant supply of food, it is not likely to stray from that spot, unless chased out.

If he is going to argue that keeping a snake is cruel because it SHOULD be wild or that it WANTS to be outside, then he has to apply the same logic to everything. Keeping cats and dogs is cruel for the same reason. keeping you from doing what you want to do, is cruel for the same reason.

 

[i_LoVe_AnImAlS]

i think it depends on your own opinion really i love snakes my opinion is i dont really think its cruel but as i said its your own opinion

 

[swaddo]

It would most likely be more that he is scared of them, I still love when my old man comes around and i walk down the hallway with a 8ft snake he nearly cries!!!

LOL, my fathers like that too. Reckon it is even funnier when my kids are handling mine and he is still backing away

 

[wilwyn]

the biggest killer of snakes in the wild is starvation , my animals, will never starve , ?????

 

[ailerom]

Keeping any animal in captivity CAN be cruel if it's needs are not met. Eg, a cockatoo is an intelligent animal and suffers if kept in a small cage and deprived of mental stimulation. A snake, however, is much less intelligent than a cockatoo, does not require toys to play or even a mate, but does require correct housing, temperature control etc.

 

[mebebrian]

Wild snakes roam because they need to find food, shelter, water and the right temperature, and these might be a fair way apart. If you give a wild snake it's optimum conditions and a fairly constant supply of food, it is not likely to stray from that spot, unless chased out.

Couldn't have said it better, give them what they need and they wont move, just check out the number of escaped snake threads with happy outcomes, they never seem to wanna leave.

Sounds like your old man needs to meet someone with a few friendly snakes....

 

[Reptile070]

If you keep them right, it's not cruel.
Cruel is allowing them to have mites, or scale rot untreated. Or keeping them in an unheated fish-tank with no substrate because you can't be screwed to do research on the animal you just bought, or stole from the wild.

Humans have domesticated animals since before recorded time, the only difference between your dog and a captive bred snake is that we are only just beginning to domesticate snakes, so the differences between pet snakes and wild snakes is not so defined.
Animals in captivity, as a whole have good lives. Constant supplies of food, shelter, warmth and medical treatment means that their life span will be considerably longer than in the wild, and in comfort too. We give animals the optimum conditions for them to survive in.
What your Dad needs to realise, is that snakes have a different set of priorities than humans. He is judging what a snake needs, based on what HE needs, he is projecting his own values onto them.

As far as I know, snakes don't care about roaming wild all day, having a massive territory or being able to own something.
Wild snakes roam because they need to find food, shelter, water and the right temperature, and these might be a fair way apart. If you give a wild snake it's optimum conditions and a fairly constant supply of food, it is not likely to stray from that spot, unless chased out.

If he is going to argue that keeping a snake is cruel because it SHOULD be wild or that it WANTS to be outside, then he has to apply the same logic to everything. Keeping cats and dogs is cruel for the same reason. keeping you from doing what you want to do, is cruel for the same reason.

Great answer!

Cruel is property owners using bird net to control their snake populations
Cruel is killing a snake because it comes on to a persons property looking for food or shelter
Cruel is bringing in a killer like the Cane Toad
Cruel is destroying their habitats with land-clearing and housing developments

Do I need to go on??

As hobbyists we worship these animals and strive to understand their every requirement. To say we're being cruel to them isn't a very fair (or educated) opinion of keepers or the hobby in general. Let's us not forget, there are great keepers, and then there are poor keepers. I strive to be the best I can be when it comes to my animals.

 

[Jungletrans]

Wild snakes very often come into houes for warmth and shelter . If there is a good food supply , ie rodents , they will not leave . Even if moved outside they will come back . All we are doing is giving them a nice place to sleep . And dont forget the free booty call in breeding season .

 

[snakes01]

well my dad has a slight phobia and it took me about 5 months of nagging and begging, pretty much everything you can think of i did it and finally he agreed and i now have a coastal.

 

[snakes01]

It would most likely be more that he is scared of them, I still love when my old man comes around and i walk down the hallway with a 8ft snake he nearly cries!!!

haha and i dont need to have an 8 foot python myne is 60cm and he still runs like the wind haha

 

[Dracosdad]

Compared to meat and fish industries (at least in rich countries), singling out snake owners seems like compulsive quibbling.

It's a complaint rarely phrased well. It should go: "breeding snakes to live with a lower risk of starvation, fire, flood and what results from happening upon people is worse than snake life in nature because __________."

"Cruelty" seems inapposite. Whenever humans interact with other animals in any sort of large-scale, systematic way, the results are morally dubious at best. Neglect is cruelty and you'll always have that, though it needn't characterize the whole hobby. The real argument looks at the facts of this and their degree, rather than handwaving platitudes about badness and animals.

 

[Drazzy]

Hi, my dad believes that it is cruel to keep snakes and that it is unnatural. I'm not saying i believe him although I suppose he has a strong point. I'm all for having snakes as pets but i would like your honest opinions on this?

Yes it is cruel!

You know potatoes feel pain?

 

[Earthling]

If you keep them right, it's not cruel.
Humans have domesticated animals since before recorded time, the only difference between your dog and a captive bred snake is that we are only just beginning to domesticate snakes, so the differences between pet snakes and wild snakes is not so defined.
Animals in captivity, as a whole have good lives. Constant supplies of food, shelter, warmth and medical treatment means that their life span will be considerably longer than in the wild, and in comfort too. We give animals the optimum conditions for them to survive in.
What your Dad needs to realise, is that snakes have a different set of priorities than humans. He is judging what a snake needs, based on what HE needs, he is projecting his own values onto them.

As far as I know, snakes don't care about roaming wild all day, having a massive territory or being able to own something.
Wild snakes roam because they need to find food, shelter, water and the right temperature, and these might be a fair way apart. If you give a wild snake it's optimum conditions and a fairly constant supply of food, it is not likely to stray from that spot, unless chased out.

If he is going to argue that keeping a snake is cruel because it SHOULD be wild or that it WANTS to be outside, then he has to apply the same logic to everything. Keeping cats and dogs is cruel for the same reason. keeping you from doing what you want to do, is cruel for the same reason.

Compared to meat and fish industries (at least in rich countries), singling out snake owners seems like compulsive quibbling.

It's a complaint rarely phrased well. It should go: "breeding snakes to live with a lower risk of starvation, fire, flood and what results from happening upon people is worse than snake life in nature because __________."

"Cruelty" seems inapposite. Whenever humans interact with other animals in any sort of large-scale, systematic way, the results are morally dubious at best. Neglect is cruelty and you'll always have that, though it needn't characterize the whole hobby. The real argument looks at the facts of this and their degree, rather than handwaving platitudes about badness and animals.

I think the word cruel is not the right word to use. Owned/imprisoned would be better. Lol

For something to have been raised to know no better, it would be like being locked up in the house with all entertainment and having a carer clean for you and cook for you, your allowed outside for exercise and handling. Not so bad of a life i dont think....

Ever remember someone saying (usually a parent), ".....its for your own good." Thus, in a single stroke taking away the freedom to choose and the life enhancing oppurtunity to learn from our own mistakes. And learning from our own mistakes (children idealy have this within practical reason...not guided by our own fears) and more importantly experiences and subjective opinions, is a real life, what makes our lives have...character...growth.....a life of fullfilment.

Does putting an animal in an environment such as Servals comment give it a real life?
Do the desires and the ability to fullfill those desires need freedom or do they need someone elses perception, who provides what they think YOU NEED to make a real life?

Do we release animals into the wild in repopulation projects just to 'eco-balance', to repair our misguided damage in the past, or do we not do it to give something, anything the freedom that many humans inately desire, but will never experience? As we let the animal out of the cage do we feel the euphoria of allowing an animal to establish its own life, to stand its own ground, to live a life of freedom and the dangers that all that life will entail....a freedom that so many of feel the need to encompass, but simply cannot?

 

[womapyth]

If you read scientific studies on python activities/movements, like professor Shine has done, pythons will often sit in the one spot for weeks waiting for prey and then move to another nearby spot and wait again for weeks.

In winter they often hibernate or hardly move at all.So what pythons do in captivity is not too much different to what pythons do most of the time but they are usually safer and better fed and have a greater chance to live to maturity.

For me, the opportunity to keep these magnificent animals in captivity and be able to provide housing that fits in with their life style needs (non-cruelty) is one of the reasons I keep pythons and not other free moving animals.

 

[LaZeDragoN]

Keeping any animal in captivity CAN be cruel if it's needs are not met. Eg, a cockatoo is an intelligent animal and suffers if kept in a small cage and deprived of mental stimulation. A snake, however, is much less intelligent than a cockatoo, does not require toys to play or even a mate, but does require correct housing, temperature control etc.

So true.. I don't think snakes have the brain capacity to know what's going on. With cats and dogs it's different with most as they actually crave human affection and interaction where a snake needs nothing along those lines.

My dad also believes it's cruel and I once argued the point saying that they are born in captivity and they know no better. He then asked me if a baby is born in prison should the baby then stay in prison? I know it's a little extreme but it kinda made me think

So what did I do? I bought another snake

 

[beefa270]

Considering we take them into a climate controlled environment, with ample food and fresh water and no predators, I think they are doing ok

 

[Chris1]

considering snakes spend alot of their time sleeping in a small cave i think theyre one of the less cruel animals to keep in a cage...they do know whats going on and mine lets me know when he wants to come out for a while so i let him.

birds on teh other hand i totally disagree with keeping in a cage,...

 

[melgalea]

i agree with Chris1
we have a few parrots and they are good sized birds with a HUGE cage in the house. however, the only time we lock them in the cage is when we are at work and we go to sleep at night. otherwise they are out to do as they will when ever they like. usually they play with toys, destroy thing or sit there talking. but either way they are happy. i hate seeing people who buy birds and have them locked up 24/7. that is cruel