Utilization of Natural History Information in Evidence based Herpetoculture: A Proposed Protocol and Case Study with Hydrodynastes gigas (False Water Cobra)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Many reptile and amphibian husbandry practices today are based on entrenched dogma, and not necessarily science. Folklore husbandry is animal care based on this dogma, where science does not drive the advancement of herpetoculture, and the adage, “this is the way we’ve always done it” does. Though not a novel concept, a resurgence in evidence-based husbandry approaches has infiltrated recent herpetoculture practice in direct response to folklore husbandry, challenging long standing practice. Herein, natural history information, in particular, diet, habitat, climate, behavior in the field, including spatial use and reproductive biology, serve as a primary source of information in evidence-based husbandry. With widespread availability through the internet, this information that once was difficult to attain is now accessible to the masses. A theoretical framework and protocol are presented that enable anyone who has internet access the ability to address key natural history questions directly allied to herpetoculture to determine thermal husbandry, food types and feeding frequencies, enclosure size and design, and breeding protocols for amphibians and reptiles in human care. A case study and assessment protocol for efficacy is provided for false water cobras to demonstrate this method. ABSTRACT: Herpetocultural practices are based on norms driven by economy of space and time for keepers, with little scientific inference backing their practice. In recent years, a subset of herpetoculturalists have promoted evidence-based husbandry that relies on science and experimental design to generate husbandry practice. A theoretical framework and protocol are proposed herein that enables any individual who has access to the internet the ability to use various outlets of natural history information (scientific literature databases, social media sources, and weather websites) and previously published husbandry reports as evidence to drive the creation of novel herpetocultural practice. A case study is provided which compares readily available information on the care of Hydrodynastes gigas (false water cobra), such as online care sheets for the species, with the proposed evidence based herpetocultural protocol founded on natural history information and published care and captive breeding reports. Results were assessed for protocol efficacy and determined that the natural history informed evidence-based approach increased animal welfare and generated new information specific to the natural history of H. gigas.