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 unrestricted natural length. Our study also highlights that most vendors are not providing adequate written husbandry guidance to potential consumers, either at exotic pet expositions, on their commercial website, or on associated social media pages. Furthermore, our study also indicates that most potential consumers may themselves be unable to recognise unsuitable housing conditions that do not meet minimum animal welfare standards for Ball pythons. We suggest that more consistent guidance, adherence to agree principles and more potent operating models that are formally incorporated into relevant legislation would greatly aid existing and future efforts to safeguard animal welfare in this regard.

Turning Negatives into Positives for Pet Trading and Keeping: A Review of Positive Lists

“…Intensively managed captive-breeding operations for exotic pets are reported to involve poor welfare, because animals may be permanently held under conditions of deprivation involving restrictive and inappropriate enclosures, subjected to either stressful overcrowding or solitary confinement, and offered only minimal provisions of food and water [ 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Chronic or lifelong problems can result from some captive-breeding methods.…”

“…Genetic disorders, commonly associated with domesticated companion animals, are also linked with exotic pet breeding. For example, artificial selection of reptiles is associated with the neurological disease “wobble syndrome” in royal python ( Python regius ) morphs, and can, amongst other problems, affect their ability to feed [ 58 , 61 ].…”

“…Exotic pet markets supply wild-caught and captive-bred animals to breeders and retailers, as well as to the general public. Behavioural assessments of animals traded at such events have determined the prevalence of high levels of stress in animals [ 58 , 62 ]. Poor welfare conditions have also been observed in pet shops and at the premises of online traders that supply both pets and animals bred for reptile food [ 45 ].…”

Blind Trading: A Literature Review of Research Addressing the Welfare of Ball Pythons in the Exotic Pet Trade

“…For example, Ball pythons have specific requirements regarding diet, lighting, hygiene, space, temperature and humidity [19]. Yet in a recent review involving more than 5000 individual Ball pythons in North America and Europe, D'Cruze et al [20] found that the entities involved in this commercial enterprise were not providing housing conditions that meet the minimum welfare recommendations, either in public or privately, for periods of time that could range from several days to many years. The same study found that vendors selling Ball pythons online and at pet expositions were not providing husbandry guidance for new owners.…”

“…The consequences of failing to meet these requirements or provide adequate information on how to do so can negatively impact reptile welfare, resulting in disease, injuries, stress-related behaviours [21], mental suffering and mortalities associated with poor husbandry. In addition, intense breeding selection of gene mutations to create novel morphs leads to inbreeding, resulting in genetic disorders with consequential health issues [20].…”