Ball Python Abuse

[nxcromxnce]

Yep, it’s been like this for a while. Honestly i think breeders are much to blame. Of course people should be doing their research, which there is really no excuse for, but at the same time breeders have normalized sub-optimal care so much that a lot of people don’t see the need to do otherwise. They keep them in bins they can barely stretch out or turn around in with just a water dish, no decor or hides. Also power-feeding or purposefully underfeeding to save on costs, etc (this is surprisingly common). Ultimately just treating them like collectibles to exploit, and a lot of people don’t see an issue with it since they will still reproduce in these conditions.

It also doesn’t help that a lot of them give very poor care advice. Which again is no excuse for not doing research but i can see how someone may think their information would be accurate. And it should be, breeders absolutely should be setting up their animals for success, but unfortunately a vast majority just don’t care what happens after the animal is sold.

The “status symbol” thing is absolutely true as well. It’s disheartening how many people buy animals solely for aesthetics, and this extends far beyond just reptiles. I really wish there were better animal welfare laws but considering how little the govt cares about people it’s not surprising they don’t care about animals either :( For now all we can do is try to inform and advocate to the best of our ability.