Snakes Need Space! PETA Urges Colorado to Step Up Reptile Housing Requirements

For Immediate Release:
April 22, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Ahead of the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s public hearing on proposed changes to the Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act regulations on Thursday, PETA, the Colorado Reptile Humane Society, and the Animal Law Program at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law have submitted formal comments to the department calling for stronger protection for reptiles and amphibians in the pet trade. The animal allies are urging the department to require that enclosures for snakes be at least long enough to allow the animals to stretch out fully—which experts agree is essential to their health and wellbeing. PETA and the Colorado Reptile Humane Society will also comment at the online public hearing.

The regulations are under consideration thanks to a petition PETA and the Colorado Reptile Humane Society jointly submitted to the Colorado Department of Agriculture last year. Following the petition, the department drafted regulations to require that snakes be kept in enclosures long enough for them to fully extend their bodies. However, the department apparently caved to pet industry interests and changed the draft to reduce the required enclosure size to just half the animal’s body length.

“Snakes are individuals with unique wants and needs just like any cat or dog, but the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s proposed rules would allow snakes to be crammed into tiny boxes only half the length of their bodies, never able to fully stretch out,” says PETA General Counsel Lori Kettler. “PETA is calling on the department to listen to subject matter experts whose recommendations are based on scientific evidence-based research and require enclosures that give snakes the space they need to be afforded basic welfare.”

Peer-reviewed studies make it clear that to be psychologically and physically healthy, snakes held in captivity must be able to fully stretch out their bodies, and that snakes who can’t stretch out feel stressed and experience various health problems, including injuries, illnesses, joint disease, constipation, and obesity.

The commenters are also urging the department to lower the licensing thresholds for reptile and amphibian breeders so that more animals will be protected under the Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act. Colorado residents who would like to speak up for snakes and other animals before or at the hearing can find more information on PETA’s website.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.