![]() ![]() The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) is an international independent scientific and educational animal welfare charity and membership society. ' A survey exploring the impact of housing and husbandry on pet snake welfare in Animal Welfare' by Cargill BM, Benato L and Rooney NJ.Ībout Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) This demonstrates the need for evidence-based recommendations, and the importance of such recommendations being made accessible to owners to improve snake welfare.” “As this survey relies on owner-reported information, it is very likely that many of the frequencies of clinical and behavioural signs are underestimated. As the first study of this size, this research provides valuable baseline data against which future surveys or welfare interventions can be compared. We know that appropriate temperature and humidity is vital for maintaining the health of snakes and it would therefore be prudent to investigate these associations further, using methods other than owner reporting.”ĭr Huw Golledge and Dr Birte Nielsen, Animal Welfare Editors-in-Chief, concluded: “Until now, there has been little empirical data on the housing and husbandry practices of privately kept snakes, and how these impact on their welfare. “Whilst we did not find a significant association between temperature or humidity and measures of health and welfare in this study, it is a concern that many snakes were housed in conditions considered sub-optimal for their species. Snakes that were unable to stretch out fully had more clinical signs than those that were able to stretch out fully. The first of these relates to enclosure size, with snakes commonly being kept in vivaria preventing straight-line postures and movement. Snakes that were reported as having more clinical signs tended to show more reported negative behaviours.ĭr Nicola Rooney, Senior Lecturer in Wildlife and Conservation at Bristol Veterinary School and corresponding author for the paper, said: “Our study has highlighted various concerns for snake welfare. All these negative behaviours have previously been described as associated with captive stress. ![]() Similarly, most snakes were reported to experience at least one of the listed negative behaviours, most commonly interacting with transparent boundaries (52.8 per cent), wincing or withdrawal of head when gently touched (52.4 per cent), putting the head under the substrate (52.1 per cent), unusually high level of activity (51.1 per cent) and attempting to escape (45.9 per cent). 10.2 per cent of snakes in the UK were kept in enclosures that do not comply with current recommended guidelines (minimum enclosure length 1 snake length. The study found 54.7 per cent of snakes were kept in enclosures shorter in length or height than their body, preventing them from stretching out fully. The snake owners who completed the questionnaire were predominantly from the UK (68.8 per cent). Associations between clinical signs, behavioural indicators and housing and husbandry aspects were tested for the three most common snake families: Pythonoids, Boids and Colubrids. The questionnaire investigated housing and husbandry practices and snake health and welfare as measured by clinical signs and behavioural indicators. In the study, funded by UFAW, published in Animal Welfare and led by Bristol Veterinary School, an online questionnaire was completed by 744 snake owners worldwide. ![]()
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