Pet snakes are among the most misunderstood companion animals, frequently kept in enclosures far too small with inadequate husbandry.
Snakes in inadequate enclosures develop stress-related behaviors including constant glass surfing, refusal to eat, and respiratory infections. Ball pythons routinely refuse food for months and develop parasitic infections from poor husbandry. Wild-caught ball pythons carry heavy parasite loads and suffer severely during transport. Simple improvements to enclosure size and humidity can dramatically improve welfare.