is it cruel to keep a snake in captivity?

[Parko]

Supertaipan to an animal that wants to wander for kilometres on a daily basis a backyard is tiny. It is extremely restrictive to what their natural instincts tell them they want to do. They are also rarely given the opportunity to mate and raise their pups, which is one of the prime objectives of canines.

 

[repam]

your just up for an argument bye my last post on the matter.

 

[waruikazi]

My last also i shouldn't have come in in the first place.

 

[Parko]

I dont mind, i'll argue til the sun goes down if he wants, i've already demonstrated why his stance that it is less cruel to keep dogs is incorrect, what else have you got Supertaipan?

 

[serpenttongue]

You are avoiding the issue-how would you like to be caged for life??????????????

As i said earlier, i dont believe that snakes are intelligent enough to realise that they are caged for life. I would think that there's only a limited amount of thought that goes through their brain at any one time.

If being caged was that much of a problem for them i doubt that breeders would be getting such good results breeding their animals each year.

 

[Nagraj]

............. So really in a way reptiles are more suited to captivity than most popular pets, so if you want a pet but want the one that is least cruel to keep then get a snake.

This is a typical straw man argument and has been presented by several others in this thread. You are trying to justify the keeping of snakes by making something else seem worse. It is a dishonest form of argument.




I suspect that if you honestly analyse your justification for keeping captive snakes then you can only reach the conclusion that it's for selfish reasons and the snakes mental welfare is of little importance. That doesn't make it right or wrong and every particular individual has to decide for themselves whether it's acceptable or not.

In the past I have had a reasonably large captive bird population but a few years ago decided it was morally incorrect and now my cages are usually filled with recuperating or injured native wildlife.

All that aside, I have recently decided that I am interested in keeping a snake or two and believe that I can do a reasonable enough job of simulating a natural environment that my misgivings have been overcome.

 

[Supertaipan]

Dogs get exercised. are not kept in 4 ft cages I do not believe snakes are born to be kept in 4 ft cages.

 

[JandC_Reptiles]

Well dont get 1 ya goose.
Simple as that. Now that you have made up your mind move on with your life & stop trying to verbally bash those that think differently.

 

[Nagraj]

You raise an interesting an important question Supertaipan. Any gratuitous insults are a reflection of the posters intellect not yours.

 

[jordo]

dogs would wander for kilometres if allowed to, yet they are chained up or locked in small backyards and most owners don't even walk their dogs on a daily basis. Birds fly for kilometres yet we lock them up in little cages, birds which are often very social, sometimes living in large flocks(for example Budgerigahs) yet people keep them in solitary confinement

IMO the discussion is about reptiles whether it is cruel to keep them in captivity. There is no need to compare very different animals.
Even though this isn't the point, if left your average maltese or labrador in the bush it would die. Dogs have adapted to live with and depend on humans, whereas reptiles if they escape are self sufficient.

- I know some people neglect their pet cats, dogs etc but we're talking about reptiles, they are completly different topics when you think about it.

 

[Supertaipan]

I never said i would not keep them , just asked if its cruel or not?

 

[JandC_Reptiles]

No Nagraj,
He has given everyone a chance to say their piece, but then he argues with their opinions. It all comes down to self opinion. If you feel guilty over an animals captivity then don't keep it. If you don't then go ahead. There is laws against cruelty to animals and with those laws comes cage requirements etc. If it was such a cruel thing to do it would be outlawed IMO.

I also keep birds, fish & dogs. I am totally against those little fish bowls pet shops sell & have participated in pertitions to try & delete them from production. I have a large tank that is not overcrowded. I have a large back yard for my dogs, & I have a large aviary for my birds.

Whether it is right or wrong is the opinion of the keeper...

 

[NoOne]

How is he verbally bashing anyone? I think this is one of the better thread APS has ever had.
You can't compare domesticated dogs to reptiles, our to dogs aren't chained up and when they want to they do get out, do they wander for miles? No they sit in the front doorstep and wait for us to come home. Why? Because they know that our house is their home, it's where food and people are.

We don't keep reptiles for any other reason than for our own enjoyment, no one yet has given any other decent reason.
There isn't anything wrong with keeping reptiles if done properly but the answer to the broader question is yes.

 

[Supertaipan]

Nobody has given me a sufficient argument to keep a snake in a cage, therefore i will not.

 

[Nagraj]

.......... just asked if its cruel or not?

There is no doubt that there's some degree of cruelty in keeping a snake in even the best maintained enclosure. Is it cruel to leave them in the wild? Well an equally valid argument could be made that it is.

In the end it's up to you to decide for yourself if it's ok to do keep them enclosed and safe from predators etc.

 

[jordo]

Is it cruel to leave them in the wild?

No

 

[Supertaipan]

But surely the wild is the natural environment? they have survived for thousands of years quite well? :lol:

 

[Nagraj]

No Nagraj,
He has given everyone a chance to say their piece, but then he argues with their opinions.

This is how people learn and make informed decisions.

Whether it is right or wrong is the opinion of the keeper...

Absolutely, but it can still be cruel independantly of the opinion of the keeper.

 

[Ramsayi]

Nobody has given me a sufficient argument to keep a snake in a cage, therefore i will not.

Its a personal decision.Keep or not up to you.Very strange you are even on this site considering your opinion about it.

 

[JandC_Reptiles]

Nobody has given me a sufficient argument to keep a snake in a cage, therefore i will not.

Why do we need to argue? You have got the exact answer you wanted to hear. I agree, pretty much everyone else has agreed also that it is cruel to an extent to keep ANY ANIMAL.

So now that a straight answer has been given what is the outcome Supertaipan? Is this stopping you from getting a snake now? or are you going to be cruel like the rest of us, who you are trying to start an arguement with lol