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Posted by Rob Carmichael on November 20, 2002 at 14:14:22:
In Reply to: Enrichment - very exciting! lots of thoughts... posted by kimhotep on November 20, 2002 at 10:47:06:
Very well said! Although I still use racks and newspaper lined cages for some of my herps, I find my philosophy changing to some degree (maybe age leads us to be more deep thinkers!). Running a wildlife center forces me to provide set ups that look nice while meeting the needs of the snakes. I think our hobby has become too sterile minded without really taking the time to ENJOY the hobby...to watch a snake do it's natural thing is something every hobbyist should enjoy. I think a middle ground can be found whereby the enrichment of our animals can be applied while meeting the needs of the keeper (ease of maintenance, etc.). Still, for some species, particularly long lived animals like bp's, perhaps a more naturalistic approach is in order. I can't wait to try out our new ball python communal cage! Pics coming soon.
:I really like hearing this! Especially from you Rob - you have the history & experience behind you that is a kind of reassurance against anthropomorphism, from what I've read here as a mostly-lurker for some time.
:While the point's been raised frequently about BPs being simple critters who don't appreciate a pretty cage, they do have senses like we do - exquisitely stronger in the smelling department & weaker in vision, maybe, but certainly their sensory lives are as rich or richer than our own - especially sensitive to vibration, touch, & proprioception, it seems to me (proprioception = 'body sense' - knowing/feeling where your hand is in spacial relation to your body even when your eyes are closed). To not only hunt but also to merely keep track of their own coils they seem designed for finely-tuned sense of touch & smell.
:Great intellect & emotional complexity isn't needed, in order to accommodate & stimulate the senses. We know security is an important feeling to our BPs; if they have highly attuned senses, it seems to me that they'd enjoy stimulating these senses with a bit of variety (on a snake-apporpriate scale) as much as we do! I'm not suggesting roller coasters ;-)
:But what you describe, it's so nice to read. Good keepers provide warmth, food, security, cleanliness, etc...but it's a step beyond to offer the contentment & happiness that one gets from a bit of naturalistic setting - there's no reason IMO to imagine snakes don't feel contentment & happiness - they seem as basic & deep-seated (to me) as reptile-brain stuff like hunger, fear, territorialism, aggression, etc. It doesn't seem nutty to me to think that smelling, for instance, a real plant with dirt instead of a stinky plastic one, would provide an increase in interest & well-being for a snake. I mean...I don't rely on the forest, but my sense of well-being is much greater in the woods than in Los Angeles...ya know?
:Enough rambling outta me...can't wait to see the pictures!
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::For many years I have preached the importance of keeping things simple when it comes to husbandry: paper substrate, hide area, water bowl, heat, light, etc. After all, my snakes have thrived, fed well, and bred even better in these conditions. Their cages, after all, mimicked a small micro-climate of their natural element and that is one of our goals. This philosophy was instilled in me by the late, great Carl Kauffeld (particularly his book, "Snakes, The Keeper and the Kept"; must reading for any serious herp person). I have always kept my bp's in rack systems or neodesha cages...and will probably continue to do so because they are efficient.
::Recently, at the wildlife center I direct and founded (The Wildlife Discovery Center), we obtained some additional funding to purchase a few new display cages. We decided to go with Habitat Systems as I was always impressed by the quality of work that they did. Two extraordinary cages were delivered and while one is on display at our future center which is only a run down farm for now, the other one is on exhibit at our current facility. This cage measures approx. 72" x 33" x 60" with natural rock work background, rocky ledges, radiant heat panels and full spectrum lighting. We decided to put our young coastal carpet python (who is approx. 7') in this cage. Previously, this snake has been residing in a 4' neodesha and always seemed to be a happy and content snake (in its simple set up). To our amazement, we saw a whole new snake come to be once placed in her new environment. She spent hours just cruising the cage, constantly flicking her tongue in an almost curious style. She spends hours coiled high on her rocky ledge soaking up heat under her heat panel but then often retreated to the confines of her ground level hollow log. She even shows a different "ambush" coil when she is hungry while perched on her favorite ledge. It is truly a spectacular display.
::Now I wonder, "what about ball pythons?". We are going to experimenting with another HS cage in which we hope to have similar dimensions but in addition to rocky ledges, we are going to have a natural looking termite mound built on the floor. THe side of the mound will have a clear plexi panel that can be removed for easy viewing while still giving a secure feeling to the bp. As we receive MANY stray bp's, we are planning on a small, communal set up. It should be an interesting experiment. Now, this doesn't negate the many advantages to keeping bp's in simple set ups...they work! But, I wonder how much more we might enjoy our hobby if we create beautiful, naturalistic set ups (the Europeans are way ahead of us in this department). I spent two hours the other day watching our carpet python and I couldn't help but think how much we may be short changing our enjoyment of the hobby because we just get tire of one animal and go on to the next. I realize that this would be impractical for most people who keep large constrictors, however, once again, how much more might we enjoy our animals if kept in this type of environment (we may even be content with owning just a few animals!). Just food for thought. If anyone wants pictures, I would be happy to email someone a dig pic if you can post it.
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