Britain has a rising downside with overweight pet snakes as homeowners by accident overfeed them, consultants have warned.
Some snakes solely eat one huge meal a yr within the wild however in captivity are far much less lively and are sometimes fed weekly by novice homeowners.
This can result in vital weight acquire, which may shorten a snake’s lifespan.
Exotic pets are surging in recognition in Britain however with few official assets for recommendation, homeowners are sometimes left with out dependable sources of data.
Experts have warned {that a} rising variety of well-meaning however ill-informed snake homeowners are feeding their animals on a timetable extra attuned to mammalian pets comparable to dogs and cats.
Mark O’Shea, a professor of herpetology on the University of Wolverhampton, mentioned that snakes are “feast or famine animals” that always go lengthy durations of time between meals.
“Obesity is a problem in a lot of organisms. The owners may not recognise that they’re feeding their animal too much, it’s less obvious in snakes because people think a fat snake is a healthy snake,” he advised the Telegraph.
“That’s not necessarily true, of course. They feed when the opportunity presents itself and then there’s a very prolonged period of resting because they don’t need to feed again for a long time.
“Big pythons generally have quite slow metabolisms, they don’t need as much food as a mammal.
“It’s your amateur who’s really got no one to reach out to that may buy a snake from the pet shop, find out what it eats and set up the enclosure but they don’t know how much they should be feeding.”
‘People don’t perceive their wants’
A survey this yr by UK Pet Food prompt that there are roughly 700,000 pet snakes in Britain.
Snakes feed on dwell prey comparable to mice, rats and rabbits, and within the wild journey lengthy distances and expend a number of vitality earlier than a meal, whereas in captivity they’re usually in a body-length glass cage the place they will transfer little or no.
How usually a snake ought to be fed relies on the species, with some needing twice weekly feeds and others solely needing bigger however way more sporadic meals.
“A large python, or one of the big boas like green anaconda, can get by on one very large meal and then not eat for a year without any ill effects,” mentioned Prof O’Shea.
Dr Steven Allain, a council member of the British Herpetological Society (BHS), added that snake weight problems can usually be an issue for inexperienced homeowners.
“This can sometimes be tricky with conflicting sources of information,” he advised the Telegraph.
“Obesity is occurring in snakes as people do not always understand their needs and may wrongly assume that they need to be fed more frequently as required, more in line with other pets such as cats or dogs.
“This combined with a lower energy expenditure (if housed in a small vivarium) contributes towards snakes becoming obese.”
‘Don’t purchase on impulse’
Snakes can generally additionally constantly eat, he mentioned, as a result of they have no idea when their subsequent meal is coming so will gorge themselves.
Prof O’Shea advises homeowners to “not be an island” and to hitch a neighborhood and ask for assist from others to seek out the perfect take care of a pet snake.
“Don’t just try and see if it works out. You should seek advice, and membership of a society, and go along to meetings,” he mentioned.
“Talking to people who’ve already solved the problem that you’ve got in front of you is the best way forward.
“My advice is don’t buy snakes or any other animals on a whim and don’t buy on impulse in a pet store.
“It has to be thought out. You have to make a conscious decision. If you’ve got an animal in your care, it is in your care and you’re responsible for its well-being.”
Dr Allain advises that home keepers ought to discover info on the right way to take care of their snakes from respected sources comparable to an unique reptile vet, the Federation of British Herpetologists, International Herpetological Society or the BHS.
