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Source. The Telegraph.
Britain has a growing problem with obese pet snakes as owners overfeed them, experts have warned.
Some snakes only eat one big meal a year in the wild but in captivity are much less active and are often fed weekly by novice owners.
This can lead to significant weight gain, which can shorten a snake’s lifespan.
Exotic pets are surging in popularity in Britain but with few official resources for advice, owners are often left without reliable sources of information.
Experts have warned that a rising number of well-meaning but ill-informed snake owners are feeding their animals on a timetable more attuned to mammalian pets such as dogs and cats.
Mark O’Shea, a professor of herpetology at the University of Wolverhampton, said that snakes were “feast or famine animals” that may often long periods of time between meals.
“Obesity is a problem in a lot of organisms. The owners may not recognise that they’re feeding their animal too much, it’s less obvious in snakes because people think a fat snake is a healthy snake,” he told the Telegraph.
“That’s not necessarily true, of course. They feed when the opportunity presents itself and then there’s a very prolonged period of resting because they don’t need to feed again for a long time.
“Big pythons generally have quite slow metabolisms, they don’t need as much food as a mammal.
“It’s your amateur who’s really got no one to reach out to that may buy a snake from the pet shop, find out what it eats and set up the enclosure but they don’t know how much they should be feeding.”
‘People don’t understand their needs’
A survey this year by UK Pet Food suggested that there are approximately 700,000 pet snakes in Britain.
Snakes feed on live prey such as mice, rats and rabbits, and in the wild travel long distances and expend lots of energy before a meal, whereas in captivity they are often in a body-length glass cage where they can move very little.
How often a snake should be fed depends on the species, with some needing twice weekly feeds and others only needing larger but far more sporadic meals.
“A large python or one of the big boas like green anaconda, can get by on one very large meal and then not eat for a year without any ill effects,” said Prof O’Shea.
Dr Steven Allain, a council member of the British Herpetological Society (BHS), added that snake obesity can often be a problem for inexperienced owners.
“Obesity is occurring in snakes as people do not always understand their needs and may wrongly assume that they need to be fed more frequently as required, more in line with other pets such as cats or dogs,” he said.
“This combined with a lower energy expenditure (if housed in a small vivarium) contributes towards snakes becoming obese.”
‘Don’t buy on impulse’
Snakes can sometimes also continuously eat, he said, because they do not know when their next meal is coming so will gorge themselves.
Prof O’Shea advises owners to “not be an island” and to join a community and ask for help from others to find the best care for a pet snake.
“Don’t just try and see if it works out. You should seek advice, and membership of a society, and go along to meetings,” he said.
“Talking to people who’ve already solved the problem that you’ve got in front of you is the best way forward.
“My advice is don’t buy snakes or any other animals on a whim and don’t buy on impulse in a pet store.
“It has to be thought out. You have to make a conscious decision. If you’ve got an animal in your care, it is in your care and you’re responsible for its well-being.”
Dr Allain advises that domestic keepers should find information on how to look after their snakes from reputable sources such as an exotic reptile vet, the Federation of British Herpetologists, International Herpetological Society or the BHS.
Source. The Telegraph.
