Getting It Straight: Accommodating Rectilinear Behavior in Captive Snakes—A Review of Recommendations and Their Evidence Base
Snakes are sentient animals and should be subject to the accepted general welfare principles of other species. However, they are also the only vertebrates commonly housed in conditions that prevent them from adopting rectilinear behavior (ability to fully stretch out). To assess the evidence bases f...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/5/1459 |
| _version_ | 1827692074483318784 |
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| author | Clifford Warwick Rachel Grant Catrina Steedman Tiffani J. Howell Phillip C. Arena Angelo J. L. Lambiris Ann-Elizabeth Nash Mike Jessop Anthony Pilny Melissa Amarello Steve Gorzula Marisa Spain Adrian Walton Emma Nicholas Karen Mancera Martin Whitehead Albert Martínez-Silvestre Vanessa Cadenas Alexandra Whittaker Alix Wilson |
| author_facet | Clifford Warwick Rachel Grant Catrina Steedman Tiffani J. Howell Phillip C. Arena Angelo J. L. Lambiris Ann-Elizabeth Nash Mike Jessop Anthony Pilny Melissa Amarello Steve Gorzula Marisa Spain Adrian Walton Emma Nicholas Karen Mancera Martin Whitehead Albert Martínez-Silvestre Vanessa Cadenas Alexandra Whittaker Alix Wilson |
| author_sort | Clifford Warwick |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Snakes are sentient animals and should be subject to the accepted general welfare principles of other species. However, they are also the only vertebrates commonly housed in conditions that prevent them from adopting rectilinear behavior (ability to fully stretch out). To assess the evidence bases for historical and current guidance on snake spatial considerations, we conducted a literature search and review regarding recommendations consistent with or specifying ≥1 × and <1 × snake length enclosure size. We identified 65 publications referring to snake enclosure sizes, which were separated into three categories: peer-reviewed literature (article or chapter appearing in a peer-reviewed journal or book, <i>n</i> = 31), grey literature (government or other report or scientific letter, <i>n</i> = 18), and opaque literature (non-scientifically indexed reports, care sheets, articles, husbandry books, website or other information for which originating source is not based on scientific evidence or where scientific evidence was not provided, <i>n</i> = 16). We found that recommendations suggesting enclosure sizes shorter than the snakes were based entirely on decades-old ‘rule of thumb’ practices that were unsupported by scientific evidence. In contrast, recommendations suggesting enclosure sizes that allowed snakes to fully stretch utilized scientific evidence and considerations of animal welfare. Providing snakes with enclosures that enable them to fully stretch does not suggest that so doing allows adequate space for all necessary normal and important considerations. However, such enclosures are vital to allow for a limited number of essential welfare-associated behaviors, of which rectilinear posturing is one, making them absolute minimum facilities even for short-term housing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:15:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-92edfb4869834010afcae8665bdb2aa2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:15:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-92edfb4869834010afcae8665bdb2aa22023-11-21T20:28:37ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-05-01115145910.3390/ani11051459Getting It Straight: Accommodating Rectilinear Behavior in Captive Snakes—A Review of Recommendations and Their Evidence BaseClifford Warwick0Rachel Grant1Catrina Steedman2Tiffani J. Howell3Phillip C. Arena4Angelo J. L. Lambiris5Ann-Elizabeth Nash6Mike Jessop7Anthony Pilny8Melissa Amarello9Steve Gorzula10Marisa Spain11Adrian Walton12Emma Nicholas13Karen Mancera14Martin Whitehead15Albert Martínez-Silvestre16Vanessa Cadenas17Alexandra Whittaker18Alix Wilson19Emergent Disease Foundation, Suite 114, 80 Churchill Square Business Centre, King’s Hill, Kent ME19 4YU, UKSchool of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Rd, London SE1 0AA, UKEmergent Disease Foundation, Suite 114, 80 Churchill Square Business Centre, King’s Hill, Kent ME19 4YU, UKSchool of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bendigo, VIC 3552, AustraliaPro-Vice Chancellor (Education) Department, Murdoch University, Mandurah, WA 6210, AustraliaEmergent Disease Foundation, Suite 114, 80 Churchill Square Business Centre, King’s Hill, Kent ME19 4YU, UKColorado Reptile Humane Society, 13941 Elmore Road, Longmont, Colorado, CO 80504, USAVeterinary Expert, P.O. Box 575, Swansea SA8 9AW, UKArizona Exotic Animal Hospital, 2340 E Beardsley Road Ste 100, Phoenix, Arizona, AZ 85024, USAAdvocates for Snake Preservation, P.O. Box 2752, Silver City, NM 88062, USAFreelance Consultant, 7724 Glenister Drive, Springfield, VA 22152, USAJacksonville Zoo and Gardens, 370 Zoo Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32218, USADewdney Animal Hospital, 11965 228th Street, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6M1, CanadaNotting Hill Medivet, 106 Talbot Road, London W11 1JR, UKFacultad deMedicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Insurgentes Sur s/n, Ciudad Universitaria CDMX, Ciudad de México 04510, MexicoChipping Norton Veterinary Hospital, Banbury Road, Chipping Norton OX7 5SY, UKCatalonian Reptiles and Amphibians Rescue Centre (CRARC), 08783 Masquefa, SpainAnimal Protection Biodiversity & Environment Section, Government of Catalonia, 43004 Tarragona, SpainSchool of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, SA 5371, AustraliaCenter for Avian and Exotic Medicine, 562 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024, USASnakes are sentient animals and should be subject to the accepted general welfare principles of other species. However, they are also the only vertebrates commonly housed in conditions that prevent them from adopting rectilinear behavior (ability to fully stretch out). To assess the evidence bases for historical and current guidance on snake spatial considerations, we conducted a literature search and review regarding recommendations consistent with or specifying ≥1 × and <1 × snake length enclosure size. We identified 65 publications referring to snake enclosure sizes, which were separated into three categories: peer-reviewed literature (article or chapter appearing in a peer-reviewed journal or book, <i>n</i> = 31), grey literature (government or other report or scientific letter, <i>n</i> = 18), and opaque literature (non-scientifically indexed reports, care sheets, articles, husbandry books, website or other information for which originating source is not based on scientific evidence or where scientific evidence was not provided, <i>n</i> = 16). We found that recommendations suggesting enclosure sizes shorter than the snakes were based entirely on decades-old ‘rule of thumb’ practices that were unsupported by scientific evidence. In contrast, recommendations suggesting enclosure sizes that allowed snakes to fully stretch utilized scientific evidence and considerations of animal welfare. Providing snakes with enclosures that enable them to fully stretch does not suggest that so doing allows adequate space for all necessary normal and important considerations. However, such enclosures are vital to allow for a limited number of essential welfare-associated behaviors, of which rectilinear posturing is one, making them absolute minimum facilities even for short-term housing.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/5/1459literature reviewreptile husbandryenclosure sizespacebody posture |
| spellingShingle | Clifford Warwick Rachel Grant Catrina Steedman Tiffani J. Howell Phillip C. Arena Angelo J. L. Lambiris Ann-Elizabeth Nash Mike Jessop Anthony Pilny Melissa Amarello Steve Gorzula Marisa Spain Adrian Walton Emma Nicholas Karen Mancera Martin Whitehead Albert Martínez-Silvestre Vanessa Cadenas Alexandra Whittaker Alix Wilson Getting It Straight: Accommodating Rectilinear Behavior in Captive Snakes—A Review of Recommendations and Their Evidence Base Animals literature review reptile husbandry enclosure size space body posture |
| title | Getting It Straight: Accommodating Rectilinear Behavior in Captive Snakes—A Review of Recommendations and Their Evidence Base |
| title_full | Getting It Straight: Accommodating Rectilinear Behavior in Captive Snakes—A Review of Recommendations and Their Evidence Base |
| title_fullStr | Getting It Straight: Accommodating Rectilinear Behavior in Captive Snakes—A Review of Recommendations and Their Evidence Base |
| title_full_unstemmed | Getting It Straight: Accommodating Rectilinear Behavior in Captive Snakes—A Review of Recommendations and Their Evidence Base |
| title_short | Getting It Straight: Accommodating Rectilinear Behavior in Captive Snakes—A Review of Recommendations and Their Evidence Base |
| title_sort | getting it straight accommodating rectilinear behavior in captive snakes a review of recommendations and their evidence base |
| topic | literature review reptile husbandry enclosure size space body posture |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/5/1459 |
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