Snake Surprise *video*

[doenoe]

It was feeding time again, but this time Spot didnt go directly for the rat :mrgreen:

[ame="http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=NKfjS8NN7B8"]VIDEO[/ame]

 

[Overread]

looks like you need a longer snaky feeding thingy - Spot is getting smart and knowing which parts is alive

Also I remember seeing a nature program (years ago) which said that snakes can "see" themal and so would she not already know that the rat is dead? Or is that limited to only certain snakes?

 

[monkeykoder]

Snakes are usually fine with eating dead food they do it all the time in the wild. As for the seeing thermal certain snakes have little pits along the top jaw that can "see" infrared but not all snakes have this only certain members of the families viperidae and boidae have them (from boidae mostly the python genus (I can't remember the actual name.) none of the constrictor genus if I'm not mistaken). But yes since this is a python it can.

 

[LaFoto]

"Owww!"
Don't I know the feeling?
One of Sabine's snakes mistook my hand for the food, too, several weeks ago, only did we not film the feeding process, else you could have got my voice in the video saying something similar .

 

[doenoe]

They can "see" heat. I feed rats from the freezer and thaw them in hot water. So when i feed the snake, the rat is hot and visible for the snake. In THIS post you can see the heat pits in the last 2 pics. Its that row of holes on her upperlip.
I think my fault was letting the rats temperature get too low. It was in the water. But the waters temp dropped, because i was doing something else and didnt watch the time. So this time my hand was warmer then the rat and i think thats why she went for my hand. She didnt hit me though, lucky me.

 

[jack lumber]

doenoe, did you handle the rat with your hands prior to picking it up with the tongs?
Ball pythons are nocturnal hunters that hunt primarily by using smell (using their forked tongue). As a result of their cold blooded bodies, they have been known not to hunt when the temperature drops below 21°C.
A warm hand may emit more smell than the cold rat. Nice ball python btw, I love the grey alien markings they have.

 

[doenoe]

for all i know i didnt handle the rat before feeding, i always grab it with the tongs. But probably due to the fact that the rat was too cold and my hand too close to the rat, it smelled a rat and saw a big warm thing closeby (my hand) and it went for that.
And thanks for the reply

 

[doenoe]

For the people who are interested, i uploaded a new video. No surprise like the first one, but still interesting to see
[ame=http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=wsK_gqDfCh0]VIDEO[/ame]
Dont forget to click the "watch in high quality" button underneath the clip, on the right side.

 

[monkeykoder]

Yeah the only time I've had a snake go for my hand is when it was mad at me for getting it out of it's nice little hidey place and even then only with one particular gopher snake in my friends collection which I have nicknamed "bitey" as he still has this habit with me not for my friend just for me and none of his snakes and surely none of mine have tried this...