Quote:
Originally Posted by TripleMoonsExotic
I think visually, they're wicked looking. However, I think it's a fine line in regards to ethics. Their has been a handful of studies done on various scaleless reptile species that state they are susceptible to dehydration and have sun sensitivity. I've even read some studies that suggest the animals are in constant pain. I think more scientific studies should be done before they're mass produced for the public. If in fact they do have health issues, ethically I think the breeders need to look at the quality of life of the animal before their wallet.
|
I agree 100%. On a totally OT note, it makes me wonder about the "silky" beardies I saw at Saturday's show here. I was told you have to soak them every other day and rub lotion on them at least once a week, which is definitely not something you'd normally do with a beardie (to my limited knowledge). Anyone know if that's the case with these snakes, too? I guess it's important to keep their skin from drying out; just looking at them, it's easy to see how they could be more susceptible to dehydration and/or damage.
That said, they are completely wicked-looking. I'm not generally a corn person but I'd consider having a scaleless one if I could be assured that it wasn't the equivalent of buying, say, a spider ball with a wobble or a pug dog with asthma. Certain traits we breed for can so easily cause unintended/undesirable health results (unexpected, as with the spider balls, or expected, as with dogs that have no snout to speak of).