2023 taught me a lot about being a responsible snake keeper. 10+ years into the reptile hobby I had challenges present themselves for the 1st time, and took a hard look around at some of my peers. With the collapse of the ball python market and the world economy driving prices on essentials higher and higher, care for animals of all kinds is bound to suffer. Keeping a planned balance of animals and being honest about what you can take on is more important than ever.
It seems ironic that on one of the last days of the year I took the time to think about how I have improved as a keeper, and doing so only after being prompted to by someone with far more knowledge than myself. I doubt I would have asked myself that on my own, but doing so let me seize upon the moment and grasp what I had actually learned, but not taken the time to allow myself to acknowledge. A real moment of personal growth!
Poo Prison. That term came to me at some point this year when doing my morning cleaning. It has stuck in my head and really driven home to me that I need to be on top of cleaning my snakes enclosures. No creature wants to sit in its own waste, and it's up to us as reptiles keepers to make sure our beloved pets do not have to endure that agony. You alone are responsible for the care of your animals. Make sure you can afford to care for the animals you own, before purchasing them.
My biggest take away from this year was that while all animals are created equal, some are more equal than others. Those are not my words, but they apply to the case of my impacted short tail. You can read all you want, tweak those temps to be in spec, and meet the needs of most of your animals, but there may still be outliers. Think of an animal you have that does not eat well, or shed properly, or any other little thing that you chalk up to it just being the way that animal is. Now ask yourself, what if it is really me stopping it from thriving? Sometimes we get so stuck in our ways we forget there are other ways, too. Take the time to investigate that problem animal, think outside the box and make it warmer/cooler/wetter/drier than you think it really needs. You may be surprised with the results. Individual animals need individual care.
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