(Rant / me barfing my thoughts on the page)
(Non-vegans dni, love you guys but I think this is a post I want to hear specifically from fellow vegans on)
So recently I've been beginning to think about adopting a ball python. I'm not in a full research stage yet, I'm just casually dipping my toes into snake-related content and I know that I can't care for a snake right now, but maybe I can start saving up some money. So yeah I'm starting to think about it.
And as a vegan, there are things I'm finding frustrating.
The community of reptile-lovers is dominated by hoarders and breeders, particularly on YouTube. I've known about this for many years, as when I was a tween I researched a bunch of different pets just for fun, and I very quickly realized a lot of the content I was consuming was from these people. People keeping their reptiles in small enclosures, breeding them for profit, and collecting exotic animals like they were Pokémon.
I don't trust breeders to tell me the truth. It's not just because I know from exposes what they're really up to, but because I've experienced the cruelty and fraud firsthand.
Of course, not every person on the internet who keeps reptiles is one of these people. There are plenty of good people who take good care of their pets. But even they seem to have 5-10 snakes, and/or they talk about buying from "ethical" and "reputable" breeders. (Of course, there is no such thing.)
I just wish I could be hearing a vegan perspective on this. I wish I could hear from someone that ball pythons exist for reasons outside of our enjoyment, that their lives are worth more than what they can generate for us- and that the same philosophy will be applied to their prey.
I've heard people use a snake choosing to fast for a few weeks (which is something that perfectly healthy snakes decide to do sometimes), as an excuse to get more snakes because then you won't be wasting rats. That's not the solution! The solution is realizing the cruelty that not only snakes, but feeder mice and rats are subjected to. Obviously, our unnatural system of breeding rodents to feed snakes we also bred will never be truly ethical, but it could certainly be much better, the terrible conditions that these intelligent rodents live in.
And of course, the real solution to all of this cruelty is to stop breeding snakes/cats/dogs/etc into existence, so that we don't have to breed their prey items into existence. The real solution is to stop breeding snakes and adopt them exclusively from rescues, to make our primary goal in housing them not entertainment, but providing the animal a good life.
But I don't think people want to acknowledge that. Because then they would have to come to terms with the consequences of their actions, and they would have to stop breeding & buying cool exotic animals.
Look, snakes are cute as hell. But I am not going to buy a snake from a pet store or breeder; I will get a snake from a shelter/rescue or rehoming situation. Unfortunately, there's no shortage of snakes in need of homes, because breeders keep churning out so damn many, they'll dump naturally-colored ball pythons on the street because they're "not pretty enough". The ball python did not evolve to be pretty for human eyes! It evolved with the coloration it has because that is what was suited for its environment!
There's even a ball python morph that has a genetic problem that causes it to have head tremors and it can drown in its water bowl if they are severe enough! All because it looks pretty! And don't even get me started on the Burmese python being accidentally introduced to the Florida Everglades because people wanted to breed it to keep as a pet- meanwhile the species is actually listed as vulnerable in its native habitat by the ICUN, breeding efforts there with the intention of release would actually be a benefit! But no. People want a big, albino fat noodle to hug and watch it eat big prey.
It's just... ugghh... I'm having trouble taking anyone from that community who supports breeding at face value. At least with cats, dogs, or rabbits, there is a widespread movement for adopt-don't-shop, and there is good care information easily available. That seems to be few and far between when it comes to reptiles. I heard of ONE reptile rescue in Texas a few years ago, and I don't even know if they're still in operation.
Vegans, weigh in. Do you know of some good places to find information on quality reptile care? Or any rescues?
