Reptile Folklore Husbandry, Welfare Concerns

Folklore husbandry within reptile keeping is a term that was first brought about by Kevin Arbuckle (2013). It describes methods or supposed ‘best practices’ which are unevidenced, pseudoscientific, convenience and ease led, opinion given and passed from one keeper to another (Warwick, 2019). This is in reference to when a keeper carries out a practice with no other justification other than ‘its always been this way’ or another opinion led response with little substantial evidence or reasoning. Behavioural scientist Temple Grandin refers to this as “bad practice becoming normal”. Its something vets and other keepers see animals fall into the pitfall of suffering under the guise of folklore husbandry. When husbandry is led from a viewpoint of a keeper not from the view point of welfare.

Minimalist mindsets allow reptile keepers to keep large quantities in small spaces, rack systems have been seen to be used in several species such as leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) and Royal/ball pythons (Python regius) (See figure 1) (Loughman, 2020). Part of the issue is that many online videos and care sheets lend towards minimalistic monotypic set ups and care and are very easy to obtain. Where as the published husbandry reports, studies specific to advancement are more difficult to find and therefore these care sheets and videos to dominate the culture (Loughman, 2020).

Figure 1: Royal python pied hatchling (Authors own, 2022).

Examples of folklore husbandry in goldfish

There are many beliefs we have around species of animals that have little to no basis. A classic would be that goldfish (See figure 2) have a ‘three second’ memory. This was used to justify the keeping of these fish in tiny unfiltered small bowls of water with nothing in terms of stimulation. It didn’t matter because the fish had no capability to form memories, this has now been disproved with science to show they can demonstrate long-term memory functions (Davis and Agranoff, 1966, Ryback, 1976, Warwick, 2019). There are many many, some quiet shocking studies on goldfish memory testing including alcohol and electric shocks, all proving they were able to learn.

Figure 2: A goldfish spotted in a pet shop (Authors own, 2021)

Example of folklore in seahorses

Seahorses and monogamy is an excellent example of misinformation. Often people think of these strange creatures as romantic and choose a partner for life. There are species who have been proven to show monogamy over many pairings such as Dwarf Seahorses (Hippocampus zosterae), but these do not reflect in all species within the genus (Rose et al., 2014). When seahorses where firsts studied the scientists concluded after one breeding season that they bred monogamously throughout their lives, when kept in captivity within groups all pairings remained the same and never swapped ‘partners’. However this was simply untrue for all seahorse species or pairings (Kvarnemo et al., 2000).

Male seahorses work out a social hierarchy and the dominant and largest male pairs with the largest female. In captivity the pairs never change because the individuals never change in dynamics creating a false social system and perpetuating this information. Out of the 14 males (Western Australian seahorse Hippocampus subelongatus) in the study 8 related with the same female and 6 paired with a different female. Very quickly information that is appealing, convenient or misunderstood and told to us is accepted as a whole truth and not part of a picture with many other factors being involved. 

Reptile folklore husbandry

It is easy to quickly come across folklore in the reptile and amphibian community if you browse on the internet or look within social media groups such as “snakes thrive in small enclosures”, “reptiles are sedentary”, “snakes should not have uvb”, and “snakes feed and grow better in smaller enclosures”. All of the folklore can be disproven with scientific research, all science disproves these statements and contradicts them.

Folklore is unfounded and contradicts evolution, reptiles have not survived millions of years, evolved to fit their niche in a complex and challenging environment, to be best suited in a tiny dark box. These views are archaic. Can they survive? Yes. Surviving however is not thriving. It doesn’t matter how many years a practice has been in place. If its at the detriment of an animal it will never be suitable. Animals should be provided with enrichment, enriched environments and opportunity to express a range of natural behaviours such as basking or soaking in water (See figure 3).

Figure 3: Royal python soaking in water during the day apposed to hiding in her burrow hide (Authors own, 2022).

The feeding of day old chicks has been thought of as a poor diet and unsuitable for many species such as royal/ball pythons. Arbuckle (2010) compared day old chicks nutritional analysis to two different species of rodent (mice and rats). The paper found that day old chicks were a suitable diet. There is also the connotation that they are an addictive prey item and will cause snakes to refuse other prey items, there is no data or evidence for this statement except perhaps individuals being stubborn in preference (Arbuckle, 2010).

How do we formulate new husbandry practices?

There can be no denying that folklore husbandry has allowed us to keep reptiles alive through the years. Through trial and error many species have been bred in captivity, when there is no other alternative folklore serves its purpose. This does not mean this is where the learning stops. Evidence led husbandry is the ‘gold standard’ and something to aspire towards. This involves finding evidence not only for the practice, but against alternatives (Arbuckle, 2013).

If in doubt use natural history to formulate husbandry (Loughman, 2020). Previously it was thought that the provision of UVB to nocturnal species was detrimental. Now it is common practice as it has been shown to be beneficial (Oonincx et al., 2020). See figure 4 for crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) basking.

Figure 4: Crested gecko cryptically basking under UVB (Authors own, 2023).

Take away message

Robert Mendyk was quoted to say “the expression ‘that’s what we’ve always done’ may be the five most dangerous words in the zoo lexicon, as it promotes stagnancy and complacency by discouraging scrutiny and evaluation of one’s practices” (Warwick, 2019). Although this refers to zoo’s it certainly can be applied to the reptile and amphibian community. Both keep wild species in captivity. Change is hard for people to accept. However, in order to provide a gold standard in keeping, we must always look to where we can improve. Ever learning and evolving as a community.

Herpetological husbandry has made leaps and bounds over the last century, our knowledge on captive management and biology has advanced greatly. Captive care such as lighting (UVB) and equipment (for example thermostats) have rapidly modernised helping with many successes in lifespans and reproductive achievements (Mendyk & Warwick, 2023). Despite this, there are still those who turn their backs on the current scientific data and rely on non-evidence based care practices. Justified with personal anecdotes, general misconception about biology, tradition and folklore subpar practices continue. These practices have direct consequences on the health and wellbeing of the reptiles they care for. Most welfare organisations convey the simple message “it’s easy to keep an animal if its done poorly”.

Reference list

Arbuckle, K. (2013). Folklore husbandry and a philosophical model for the design of captive management regimes. Folklore Husbandry and a Philosophical Model for the Design of Captive Management Regimes, 44(3), 448-452.

Arbuckle, K. (2010). Suitability of day-old chicks as food for captive snakes. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 94(6). doi:10.1111/j.1439-0396.2010.01011.x

Davis, R. E., & Agranoff, B. W. (1966). Stages of memory formation in Goldfish: Evidence for an environmental trigger. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 55(3), 555-559. doi:10.1073/pnas.55.3.555

Kvarnemo, C., Moore, G. I., Jones, A. G., Nelson, W. S., & Avise, J. C. (2000). Monogamous pair bonds and mate switching in the Western Australian Seahorse Hippocampus subelongatus. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 13(6), 882-888. doi:10.1046/j.1420-9101.2000.00228.x

Loughman, Z. J. (2020). Utilization of natural history information in evidence based Herpetoculture: A proposed protocol and case study with Hydrodynastes gigas (false water cobra). Animals, 10(11), 2021. doi:10.3390/ani10112021

Mendyk, R. W., & Warwick, C. (2023). Arbitrary husbandry practices and misconceptions. Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles, 561-582. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-86012-7_18

Oonincx, D., Diehl, J., Kik, M., Baines, F., Heijboer, A., Hendriks, W., & Bosch, G. (2020). The nocturnal leopard gecko (eublepharis macularius) uses UVB radiation for vitamin D3 synthesis. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 250, 110506. doi:10.1016/j.cbpb.2020.110506

Ryback, R. S. (1976). A method to study short-term memory (STM) in the Goldfish. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 4(4), 489-491. doi:10.1016/0091-3057(76)90070-8

Rose, E., Small, C. M., Saucedo, H. A., Harper, C., & Jones, A. G. (2014). Genetic evidence for monogamy in the dwarf seahorse,hippocampus zosterae. Journal of Heredity, 105(6), 922-927. doi:10.1093/jhered/esu050

Warwick, C. (2019). “many animals across all classes are increasingly becoming victims of folklore husbandry”. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/many-animals-across-all-classes-are-increasingly-becoming-victims-of-folklore-husbandry