Well, I was not sure what my second post on this page was going to be. Until I came across a thread on a popular facebook page about racks systems and some of the responses were mind boggling. I saw people say they should be illegal! I mean no wonder we have a hard time fighting legislation.
Here at CBE, we use a variety of rack systems and many different size tubs to suit the needs of the "shorties" we house. NO, this is not animal abuse. This issue somehow picked up steam by people who keep one or even no snakes! There are a myriad of different snake species and along with that a myriad of different caging options. They do not all work for all snakes. Blood Pythons absolutely prefer tight fitting enclosures, especially as hatchlings and yearlings. It is actually important to the well being of these snakes! We get 99% of our blood and short-tailed python hatchlings eating f/t mice right off the bat. Is this also a bad practice because, "snakes eat live stuff in the wild"? No, they are much more opportunistic than the "experts" would have you believe.
Racks keep temperatures and humidity very well without a lot of fluctuations. Stable environments are important to the health of the animal. We also provide enough room for the animal to thermoregulate. They are NOT stuck at a single temperature, cramped in a little space with no light, laying in their own poop. This again, is a myth perpetrated by people who honestly have never used a rack system.
The next piece of this myth that needs to be debunked is bioactive substrates. You CANNOT have a bioactive substrate with a snake as large as an adult blood python indoors. I do not care how many pillbugs are in the substrate. The amount of urine and fecal matter these snakes produce cannot be handled in one of those setups. PERIOD. Hygiene and cleanliness is again, very important to the well being of any animal kept in captivity. We use a substrate that is absorbent, yet easy to throw out and replace with fresh bedding.
Our snakes do incredibly well in racks. We provide them with everything they need to be healthy and well established. Our snake building has large windows that let in light. They benefit from this as well. Racks are a GREAT way to go for many small and mid sized boas and pythons.
You can, by all means, keep an adult blood in a large cage with a more "natural" type set up but that takes a lot of know how, and a well built, well maintained cage. NOT a glass aquarium.
If you have any questions about captive care of Blood and Short-Tailed Pythons please do not hesitate to send us a message.