New reptile keeping laws? any ideas?

[Storm Python]

iv'e just been told(off the record) that there is a law comming in that states that all snakes & other reptiles have to have a viv with a minimum length equal to the snakes length. i.e 20ft retic needs 20ft viv etc.
does anyone know anything about this & if so how will it be inforced?
because lets face it how many of us can provide a viv that big for all our herps if any.

[carpy]

hi

i haven't heard of this, and i doubt it would come into effect. it is impossible to enforce without a list of owners, when most sellers dont even ask your name, let alone address. it would also be impracticle, and not good for the snakes.
so basically, doubt it very much!

Alex

[Akua_Ko_Nalu]

It's the RSPCA's Codes Of Practice that are still in writing, to be honest, there's not enough information that you can understand to be able to do anything about it until it's confirmed.

Check out the General Herp Chat - Hobby Issues and Info sub-forum. All that Jazz is in there.

[lukendaniel]

heard ppl going on about it before. wouldnt it just be unpractical? if u have a big royal u would never put it in a 5 ft viv for example

daniel

[Moshpitviper]

I was of the understanding the Animal welfare act states somehting along the lines of 'an animals enclosure must be proportianate to the animal so it is able to express natural behaviour patterns'

something like that anyway. when you think about it.... it is unfair to keep burms or retics in 6x2x2's so you can see the point, but this seems to be the industry standard?

*realises huge can of worms just opened*

[Miranda]

I think it should be half length of snake long and third of snkae wide and high.

[redloop]

a 3rd wide and high?

dont u mean 3times width and height?

[Sid.lola]

Originally Posted by Miranda

I think it should be half length of snake long and third of snkae wide and high.

eh? so if it's a 9ft snake the enclosure should be 4.5 wide by 3deep and 3high?

[Moshpitviper]

1/3 of the snake wide? so the viv is 1cm deep?

I am sooooo confused right now.

[leeroytheboy]

I love how when someone makes a typo everyone relishes jumping on it.....

The vibe is, if you are gonna give a snake a huge amount of room without some very tight fitting hides around the place, your snake could get stressed. Snakes are agoraphobic, they like security...not too much room and no big open spaces. A 20ft reticulated python will very seldom do much else but sit there. In captivity we have even taken the problem of the snake feeling the need to hunt away.

I had a gaboon viper that did nothing week in week out...but that one time every week it would hit a rat with such force that even thinking about it still makes my heart beat faster. But it saved every bit of energy for that one strike. It was a very heavy 4ft snake in a 5x2x2ft viv. A good hide/shift box was all it needed to feel secure and it never (unless to bathe or drink) left its hide.