Dropping the Ball? The Welfare of Ball Pythons Traded in the EU and North America.

ABSTRACT: Ball pythons (family Pythonidae) remain a commonly exploited species, readily available for purchase in North America and Europe. We assessed the housing conditions of more than 5000 Ball pythons across six exotic pet expositions and 113 YouTube videos. We scored provisions for hygiene, mobility, shelter, substrate and water provision, based on the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) minimum guidelines. We found most entities involved in this commercial enterprise are not providing housing conditions that meet the minimum welfare recommendations for Ball pythons, either publicly or privately. We found that breeders and vendors typically utilised small and highly restrictive enclosures, with dimensions that prevented occupants from extending their bodies to full and unrestri

SUBMITTER: D'Cruze N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7143053 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature