We all put snakes in vis for our 'needs', if it is all about the snakes well being, please do not keep snakes at all. I can understand that where you draw the line is different then where I or someons else draws the line in what is good, but I think it is quite weird to act like you all think about the snakes well being only, because than you would not keep them at all or give them all at least a bath tub sized viv. Or maybe double that sizer! Don't act like you are the mother Theresa to your snakes, you do use animals for your own pleasure and keep them in limited space in non natural cages, that is a fact. You do not keep snakes because it is so good for them.
The boa that is harassed now and than by her cage mate, does not show stress signals. If she had stopped eating or had started to shed bad, I would not have co-habbed them. I kept her viv empty for a while so I could separate them if things were not going well but both still did well. I have asked again last week and any Dutch forum member says the viv is neat for two boa's. Yet I am on the look out for a new owner for the smaller one and have put her an ad for her on my FB time line for sale for a low price because I don't want to take a chance with her, since she IS being harassed now and than, I can't deny that and I do not have another suitable viv in case she does start to show stress signals. I will take her with me to the fair to try to sell her. Yet I did not see accute urgenty to separate them. Also because since the last few days the harassing has stopped.
Imagine a corn keeping community you know from the internet would be convinced that your vivs should be twice larger and triangular and tell you are commiting animal cruelty because you are not keeping your corns liek they do. Yet so many fellow keepers in your home community still tell you it is good enough, what would you think/feel? Would you change your mind? Maybe you can at least try to imagine what it would feel like to be talked to the way some people do over here by that imaginary internet community. You have even seen many people in your own country house their snakes beneath what you consider ok so you consider yourself a good keeper, yet according to someoneles standards you are committing animal cruelty. And remember, the snakes still look good, eat good, shed fine and grow as expected. That is my situation now. Honestly, would you change your ways? Would you stay civil all the time? Maybe it is not clear from my posts but I do feel bad because of your reactions, it's not like I think you guys are ridiculous or jerks who want to upset me. It does hurt to be called out for animal cruealty whilst according to the conscensus in your home community you are doing fine. I have always been honest and open about my keeping, showed my vivs before and have always been polite and open to discussion at all times on any subject, yet somehow at the moment people are all over me like I have been dishonest and misleading people or such. I just came here for peoples opinion about my boa's because I value those, even though I was told not to worry about them on a Dutch forum, and about a week later I'm the bad girl of snake keeping and accused of putting crap at you for years for keeping snakes in racks. At least that is what it feels like... Of course we have always had those different opinions but we managed to get along and appreciate each other and share our hobby meanwhile. Maybe some people need to take a deep breath and take a little distance from the subject so they realize my snakes are not rotting away without food or water in dirty cages without extra heat or something... Maybe my ways of keeping provides my snakes with a 7 on a 1 - 10 scale of quality if 10 = realistic giant vivs but it is still more than sufficient.
Further, I do think I might have been wrong in the past to think that racks meant drawers, meant very low spaces. I have come to see in the last two or three years that those drawers are mainly used by large commercial snake breeders, and people over here use higher tubs mostly. That is why I have changed the phrasing of my opinion to that I prefer co-habbing in vivs over solo drawers. I do think that many people over here in Europe do not like racks because they also think that rack means drawers. Maybe all the youtube stuf showing giant snakes stuffed in drawers or vivs that are barely double the height of the inhabitant have added to that idea... how weird.
For what it is worth: I actually have a juvenile that started to eat more enthusiastically (constricting like the prey is alive) than ever before from maybe the 2nd or 3rd feeding after I put her together with another female juvenile. If feeding response is considered a measure for well being... just saying.
Now please all go look at your awesome mark 10 realistic vivs you have in your homes apparently... than I can use my time to feed my '12 babies which are all in separate tubs from the day they are born since hatchlings are far more prone to eat each other than adults and juvies. Good idea?
