Enrichment isn’t just a “human” thing that we’ve made up, it’s important to allow animals to perform species specific behavior in captivity for their health and well being. An animal that has proper enrichment will be healthier and less stressed, which can lead to better eating and more successful breeding. Just because an animal is alive and existing living in a rack system on paper doesn’t mean that’s the ideal environment for it. Natural ball python behaviors include burrowing, climbing and hiding, and an ideal setup for them should include these elements.
So many breeders try to justify keeping a minimalistic enclosure by claiming that ball pythons do best in this scenario when in reality it often boils down to cost and convenience. Let’s not confuse adequate with ideal.
Even my lab mice are required to have enrichment in their cages in accordance with AAALAC guidelines, and we’re talking about animals that have very short lifespans. I certainly wouldn’t keep my breeding animals at a lower standard of care than is recommended for laboratory animals (even Zebrafish are supposed to have enrichment). It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but even providing ball pythons with substrate, and various sizes of hides allows them to interact with their environment in in a way that is more similar to their natural behavior.
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