jojackson
New Member
Nature and ethics question of convenience?
HI folks,
I just spent a half hour surgically removing Sebaceous tape worms (probably spirometra) from a rescued green tree snake Dendrelaphis punctulata.
This is common issue with the species due to their largely frog/skink/gecko
diet.
This adult male was riddled with them, most of the length of its body.
While these parasites generally do no harm to the host, the animal had been kept in sub optimal conditions and as a result of stress its immune system is compromised and its been going down hill.
So having wormed it for internal parasites, Ive removed the worms surgically for asthetics, since the internal worming will eventually kill the worms, they will calcify after death leaving the lumps, which looks ugly.
I had a hard time remaining stoic about it, very difficult not to toss my lunch, lol.
Naturally I will attempt to alter its diet to mammalian fare, this can be tricky, but
continually feeding its normal diet will again cause infestation of worms.
Herein is the question Id like to pose to folk here:
Is feeding an unnatural diet (mammals are more fatty than herps) in captivity
acceptable for the above reasons? Is aesthetics and easy food supply (mice)
a fair trade off for issues related to an unnatural diet, such as a tendancy to gain more weight than would otherwise be 'normal' and possible issues with breeding for same reason?
Is the sometimes quite unnatural huisbandry required in captivity for 'difficult' species, for our convenience, ok, or should species like this not be kept in captivity?
PLease share your thoughts?
HI folks,
I just spent a half hour surgically removing Sebaceous tape worms (probably spirometra) from a rescued green tree snake Dendrelaphis punctulata.
This is common issue with the species due to their largely frog/skink/gecko
diet.
This adult male was riddled with them, most of the length of its body.
While these parasites generally do no harm to the host, the animal had been kept in sub optimal conditions and as a result of stress its immune system is compromised and its been going down hill.
So having wormed it for internal parasites, Ive removed the worms surgically for asthetics, since the internal worming will eventually kill the worms, they will calcify after death leaving the lumps, which looks ugly.
I had a hard time remaining stoic about it, very difficult not to toss my lunch, lol.
Naturally I will attempt to alter its diet to mammalian fare, this can be tricky, but
continually feeding its normal diet will again cause infestation of worms.
Herein is the question Id like to pose to folk here:
Is feeding an unnatural diet (mammals are more fatty than herps) in captivity
acceptable for the above reasons? Is aesthetics and easy food supply (mice)
a fair trade off for issues related to an unnatural diet, such as a tendancy to gain more weight than would otherwise be 'normal' and possible issues with breeding for same reason?
Is the sometimes quite unnatural huisbandry required in captivity for 'difficult' species, for our convenience, ok, or should species like this not be kept in captivity?
PLease share your thoughts?
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