Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I read the articles that Wes posts on many of the forums. Usually for the ones where some moron accidentally turned their animals loose or something of the sort, you usually get some cocky dork yelling that these animals shouldnt be kept and they should be kept in a zoo setting. Much like the case of the issue where an asian water monitor got loose. They said that the animals require special lighting and heating in order to for the animal to thrive (duh). Is there any difference in the type lighting bulbs and heating elements that are provided in zoos compared to private availability? Do these zoos have special systems set up in each and every vivarium/enclosure that makes their care MUCH more elite? I am just curious as to what zoos have to offer (besides the obvious conservation and education reasons) that the private keepers don't or can't provide? Any ideas or info to help me understand this?

Your ideas and help are much appreciated.

Best Wishes,

Chris

Chris: The guys on this forum who still work in zoological establishments will not like this response.

Provided you know what you are doing husbandry-wise, the only thing keeping you from doing it as well as a zoo is money & time. If you have the time to spend & the money it takes, you can most certainly do as well as any zoological institution.

Most private owners have full time jobs & lack the fiscal wherewithall it takes to maintain a large collection. The time restraints are probably more key than the money.

~~Greg~~

Hi Greg,

I will have to say that I completely agree. The only thing I might be able to see different is possibly crocodilian keepers as unless you live in a southern state that has crocodilian friendly weather year round, keeping them is a tougher task.

Thanks for the response.

chris

>>Chris: The guys on this forum who still work in zoological establishments will not like this response.
>>
>>Provided you know what you are doing husbandry-wise, the only thing keeping you from doing it as well as a zoo is money & time. If you have the time to spend & the money it takes, you can most certainly do as well as any zoological institution.
>>
>>Most private owners have full time jobs & lack the fiscal wherewithall it takes to maintain a large collection. The time restraints are probably more key than the money.
>>
>> ~~Greg~~

I would agree that crocodilians are one of the more difficult to keep privately due to space. However, I know private keepers who have dedicated entire rooms for their crocs. The key here is money, knoweldge, and time.

I used to work at a major zoo and in many cases I had better resources (husbandry wise) at home than at the zoo. Many zoo's don't really have lots of money and sometimes cannot afford the top of the line equiptment. They do the best they can considering the size of their collection. I am not saying the zoos don't take good care of their animals, because most of them do very well. But like all of us, they too, have a budget and must work within it.

As for the caging and so forth. Almost all of the (reserve) cages at the zoo I worked at were striaght from the local pet store! The calcium was ordered off kingsnake.com and so were several of our animals!! The food items and husbandry equiptment (lights, hide boxes, etc) were from the same suppliers found on this site.

The key difference is that keepers spend 8-12+ hours a day caring for their charges. And in general most keepers exhibit a great deal of knoweldge in life sciences and animals husbandry. In the private sector the only governing body is the owner who may or may not meet nor know the needs of their animal.

I would say that in many cases, a knoweldgable and dedicated private person has the potential to exceed "zoo care" for a small to moderate collection of animals (maybe even a large collection for a very responsible owner). The main reason I say "exceed," is money. Many GOOD private keepers put lots of $$$ into their small collections which gives each individual animal more monetary attention than what a major zoo can afford.

If we're talking about venomous then there are other factors to consider such as proper anit-venom, laws, protocols, safety, etc.... but the same logic still applies.
TCH Zoological

I've particularly dislike it when the person who say's only a zoo should have this animal, has one themselves, the real implication is that the average person is a moron and they are not. Or that one has to pay some dues, such as earn a degree in zoology or shown they have experience, by working for a zoo, before they are equipt to care for animal. I hate to say it, but caring for animal wether it's a mouse, or a crocodile, isn't rocket science, the average person is fully capable of learning the needs of, and providing proper environments for an animal. Also there benifits to private ownership, for one, a greater gene pool of captive animals, for another more interest generated for conservation efforts.

I would agree with what others have said, and I actually think that most anyone who's worked in a zoo setting would NOT take offence. I too have worked in a zoo setting, and often, my own home husbandry practices, in my opinion, have been more sound than those practised at the zoo. At a zoo, the public and their ability to view the animals is necessarily taken into account, and this, often times in my experience, leads to animals that are stressed unnecessarily, when compared to a home setting.
I agree 100% that there are some animals that the 'average' person should not attempt (ie: crocadilians, or large herps that need a good deal of space) but certainly those keepers who are willing to put in the time, money and effort to keep them responsibly have the ability to exceed any zoo, simply because the animals are the only concern, and not the needs and wants of a curious public.
As with everything, common sense should be the guide. If you have the necessary resources and the dedication to keep the animals happy, you can EASILY achieve 'zoo' results at home.