Working Groups for Reptile and Amphibian Standards of Care in the US (draft)

Introduction

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In general humans seem to be increasingly concerned over the quality of care we provide our pets. Even improvements for livestock care are being mandated. It’s certain that this trend will continue, and it’s certain that it will increasingly impact our reptile and amphibian hobby. rather than have an animal rights organization, or a government authority design and proscribe new laws, why not call on the education, talent and experience within the herpetoculture community to develop guidelines? When the call for laws comes around – and I think it will sooner rather than later – we will have a well researched set of detailed guidelines that can guide the creation of those laws.

Our hobby has recently experienced an interesting divergence of paths. One the one hand, we have seen an amazing elevation of care and products manufactured to provide that care. Research and the dissemination of the knowledge gained by experienced keepers has spread across social media.

But along with that ease of communication comes a great deal of misinformation. As we see with the social media “influencers”, anyone with a computer and an internet connection can claim authority, regardless of their knowledge or experience. There is no peer review.

A well referenced standards of care document would help eliminate much of that disinformation if it was produced by those whom the community trusts. In this case the “community” meaning both the advanced hobbyist and the professional – biologist, zoo keeper, academic, etc.

The other path the hobby has taken is one that has reduced our pets to livestock. These are the big and wanna-be big breeders who have reduced care to its bare essentials in order to increase profits. Their goal is to eliminate any cost that isn’t required for the survival and reproduction of the animals.

This path became more prevalent as people came to believe they could make “easy money” breeding ball pythons, bearded dragons, crested geckos and other species. These became “bubble species” whose price quickly spiraled up as demand grew. And predictably, as demand collapses, the price they bring will spiral down faster and further than other, non-bubble species.

Sadly, the animals that once promised to bring profits are now costing their owners real time and money, with no prospect of recovery. What this means for the animals is further abuse, neglect, and death. Many will be released where they may upset the natural balance, but most will succumb to starvation, predation or the elements.

I believe that a high quality, collaborative document created by professional and advanced amateur keepers that outlines Standards of Care will enhance the well being of the animals and reduce their exploitation for financial gain.

Guiding Principles

Guidelines for the care of exotic animals in captivity should be informed by the animals natural interaction with its habitat in the wild. Enclosure designs should reflect the natural elements that support the species relationship with the natural environment. This doesn’t mean that the enclosure should mimic nature per se, nor does it exclude artificial elements in the design.

What matters is that the species recognizes and interacts with the captive design elements as they have evolved to interact with corresponding natural elements. An arboreal snake should have ample opportunities in captivity to engage in climbing, and that climbing should be sufficiently similar to natural climbing that the animal easily adapts to it.

Animals that burrow, or live in burrows should be provided a substrate that facilitates burrowing, or the creation of artificial burrows. Animals that bask, even occasionally, should be provided basking opportunities from sources that correspond with important wavelengths of radiation. The unnatural, far infra-red radiation produced by radiant heat panels and ceramic heat emitters would not suffice as basking sources, for example. Although they could be useful in some circumstances to raise ambient temps.

Although cage size is often emphasized in captive care guides, it is not in itself as important as cage design. The benefits associated with larger cages are often negated by poor design. While smaller cages can be greatly enhanced by thoughtful designs carefully created by knowledgable keepers. Even so, a minimum set of dimensions should be provided just to give keepers an understanding of species needs. People buying baby iguanas, anacondas or monitors would be benefitted by these minimum guidelines.

Benefits of Standards of Care Guidelines

Many people cringe at the idea of increased regulations and I share some of their concerns. We all know of cases of over-eager enforcers not using common sense or understanding. But that fact doesn’t negate the benefits of legally binding guidelines.

The vast majority of the disease or injury in captive reptiles and amphibians is the result of inappropriate enclosure design or inappropriate nutrition. And advice on how to correct these mistakes is often as wrong as the initial conditions. By providing high quality, yet reasonable guidelines to the keeper, the animals well being would certainly be improved. But also the non-exotics veterinarians would have a useful reference from which to begin an exploration of cause and cures. Wildlife officials from conservation officers to animal control officers would have a reference to consult when assessing the care a keeper is providing.

Lawmakers too would have a reasonable and thorough reference, created and maintained by expert keepers, exotics veterinarians, herpetologists and others who have skin in the game. This would be useful for countering any of the too-restrictive or irrational proposals from people or groups that do not have a deep understanding of the animals and their needs.

Finally, by producing and following carefully developed guidelines, the hobby will begin to craw out from under the nasty reputation it currently has due to irresponsible keepers, irresponsible YouTube “influencers”, large scale factory farmers, wholesale producers and retail chains that habitually sell animals to customers who are unknowledgeable or unable to provide proper care.