The debate over feeding komodo dragons in zoos - enrichment or interference?

Last week I was at the San Diego Zoo watching their komodo dragon feed. The keeper tossed in a whole chicken and the thing just snapped it up in like 2 seconds. But then this guy next to me started arguing with his kid that zoos shouldnt do that, that it makes the lizards lazy and dependent. I see his point, I really do. But then 3 years ago I visited a smaller sanctuary in Florida where the dragons had to hunt live rats in a big enclosure and it seemed way more natural. The keepers there said it built the lizards hunting instincts stronger. On the other hand, last month I read a study that said captive komodos with hand-fed diets actually live longer and have less stress. So which is better for them? Has anyone else seen a big difference between how different facilities feed their large monitors or komodos?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_hayes7111d ago

Honestly just meet them halfway. Mix in some puzzle feeders or scatter feeding so they still work for it a bit, keeps em sharp without the stress of live prey.

craig.tessa11d agoMost Upvoted

Oh please, is stressing over how to feed a pet REALLY that deep?

spencer_chen611d ago

Grabbed a bag of those wobble feeders for my picky ball python last week and honestly it was hilarious watching him figure it out. Took him like 20 minutes to realize the mouse wasn't going anywhere but he finally got it down. @spencer_hayes71 your mention of puzzle feeders just reminded me I should bust out the ol' treat ball for my cat too, she loves batting that thing around. Scatter feeding is underrated for sure though, my buddy uses it for his ferrets and they're way less cranky now.