- Joined
- Feb 18, 2010
- Messages
- 30
I think it all boils down to the instincts of the animal you are caring for. You can condition their behaviors to a point, but to try to deprive them of what they instinctively seek out as a basic necessity is only going to cause them undue stress.
Seeking out shelter as a wild animal serves many purposes. It protects them from the elements (wind, rain, cold, sun, heat, etc...), can provide an ideal microclimate (raised humidity, etc...), and most importantly, provide protection from predators. The original poster stated that the enclosure itself is a shelter... From the elements, yes, but in the eyes of the animal, not from predators. Lions and elephants don't cower in burrows simply because they don't HAVE to. They don't have to worry as much about predators, unless they are protecting their young.
Protection from predators is especially important in young reptiles. When you are little, everything in the world that is bigger than you wants to eat you. As the reptile gets larger, they are less threatened, and can become a little more "confident," so to speak. This is why baby snakes and baby tortoises spend so much time hiding. To remove the opportunity to cover themselves from view is going to stress them out greatly.
Also, even though they may not always use the hides, I believe that just knowing they are there if needed can calm the animal down. My uromastyx would hide all the time when he only had one place to hide, but when I scattered multiple hides around his enclosure he was much more active and confident, likely because he could dive into one of many nearby hides if he got startled.
As far as the breeder who denies hides for their snakes, I suppose it is a valid theory, but I don't agree with it. For baby snakes, the lack of hiding places is a HUGE stressor (again, because their instinct is that everything can and will eat them), and stressed animals more easily succumb to illness or parasites. With proper handling outside the cage, any snake can easily become "tame," and will naturally feel less threatened as they get larger, but while you can eventually convince them that YOU aren't a predator, I don't think it is possible to convince them that they are completely safe from predators in a see-through enclosure. In my opinion, forcing a snake to remain in the open all the time, even in a cage, is bordering on cruel and unnecessary.
As for tortoises, it may be possible to force them to get used to you by depriving them of a refuge, but I don't think the potential benefits would outweigh the stress placed on the tortoise, especially when young. Also, as someone else mentioned, tortoise hides also double as microclimates, and are a much easier way to provide high humidity levels.
Seeking out shelter as a wild animal serves many purposes. It protects them from the elements (wind, rain, cold, sun, heat, etc...), can provide an ideal microclimate (raised humidity, etc...), and most importantly, provide protection from predators. The original poster stated that the enclosure itself is a shelter... From the elements, yes, but in the eyes of the animal, not from predators. Lions and elephants don't cower in burrows simply because they don't HAVE to. They don't have to worry as much about predators, unless they are protecting their young.
Protection from predators is especially important in young reptiles. When you are little, everything in the world that is bigger than you wants to eat you. As the reptile gets larger, they are less threatened, and can become a little more "confident," so to speak. This is why baby snakes and baby tortoises spend so much time hiding. To remove the opportunity to cover themselves from view is going to stress them out greatly.
Also, even though they may not always use the hides, I believe that just knowing they are there if needed can calm the animal down. My uromastyx would hide all the time when he only had one place to hide, but when I scattered multiple hides around his enclosure he was much more active and confident, likely because he could dive into one of many nearby hides if he got startled.
As far as the breeder who denies hides for their snakes, I suppose it is a valid theory, but I don't agree with it. For baby snakes, the lack of hiding places is a HUGE stressor (again, because their instinct is that everything can and will eat them), and stressed animals more easily succumb to illness or parasites. With proper handling outside the cage, any snake can easily become "tame," and will naturally feel less threatened as they get larger, but while you can eventually convince them that YOU aren't a predator, I don't think it is possible to convince them that they are completely safe from predators in a see-through enclosure. In my opinion, forcing a snake to remain in the open all the time, even in a cage, is bordering on cruel and unnecessary.
As for tortoises, it may be possible to force them to get used to you by depriving them of a refuge, but I don't think the potential benefits would outweigh the stress placed on the tortoise, especially when young. Also, as someone else mentioned, tortoise hides also double as microclimates, and are a much easier way to provide high humidity levels.
. I don't need anyone to justify to me how to keep my pets, I have as much experience as most here. I wanted to participate in a discussion about an aspect of our hobby many people take for granted. I haven't argued with anyone, but people can give their opinion without using the op or his family as an example of the topic. I don't believe I have tried to change anyones mind, all I was saying to NERD was if I was born into a family with no shelter thats is all i would know.
