I agree the specific animals and context is important, as well as comparing potential wellbeing in the wild vs as a pet. I have two axolotls let me tell you I’ve never seen anything with less going on in their heads than those things. My Venus fly trap is smarter than the both of them put together. Plus they’re about to go extinct in the wild. Keeping them as a hobby is important for their survival and I can’t imagine they’d in any way feel better or even notice being in the wild compared to a tank.
I also think that the hobby allows them to be ambassadors for their kind, people often assume tarantulas and snakes are monsters that are out to get you, one question i’ve heard people ask someone holding a snake is “Why isn’t it attacking you”
People have these insanely perverse ideas about these animals that go away when they discover they’re actually quite delightful.
I agree the specific animals and context is important, as well as comparing potential wellbeing in the wild vs as a pet. I have two axolotls let me tell you I’ve never seen anything with less going on in their heads than those things. My Venus fly trap is smarter than the both of them put together. Plus they’re about to go extinct in the wild. Keeping them as a hobby is important for their survival and I can’t imagine they’d in any way feel better or even notice being in the wild compared to a tank.
I also think that the hobby allows them to be ambassadors for their kind, people often assume tarantulas and snakes are monsters that are out to get you, one question i’ve heard people ask someone holding a snake is “Why isn’t it attacking you”
People have these insanely perverse ideas about these animals that go away when they discover they’re actually quite delightful.