Effects of Substrate Provision and Associated Cleaning Practices on Welfare Indicators in Eastern Long-Nosed Vipers (Vipera ammodytes meridionalis) During Growth and Development.

Abstract

There is a need to assess the impact of husbandry and exhibitry practices on under-studied taxa, including reptiles and amphibians, to ensure animals experience good welfare. It is common practice to house snakes in enclosures on paper substrate, particularly when off-exhibit. We investigated the impacts of substrate provision (mulch or newspaper) and associated cleaning practices on nine long-nosed viper (Vipera ammodytes meridionalis) clutch mates over a 3-year period. We assessed health parameters, food consumption, growth, fecal and shed quality, and glucocorticoids in feces and shed skin. Snakes housed on newspaper were less likely to eat, had lower fecal quality, and demonstrated higher fecal and shed glucocorticoids; no other treatment effects were observed. Male snakes had higher fecal and shed glucocorticoids, and were more likely to defecate, had higher defecation counts, and had shorter inter-defecation intervals compared to females. Enclosures with a mulch substrate were significantly more humid than those with a newspaper substrate; enclosure temperature did not vary with substrate. We suggest differences in snakes by treatment are due to a combination of lower humidity offered by newspaper substrate and more frequent changing of newspaper substrate, which depletes the scent cues deposited by the enclosure occupant, creating more physiological arousal and potentially more stress when the animal is reintroduced to a less familiar enclosure. Our findings suggest that housing snakes on newspaper could have long-term fitness and health consequences.