odd behaviour in snake.

[marc26]

oh right lol

 

[M_surinamensis]

As thought dont feed live! when feed live yes good for snake to hunt etc etc but makes moving things a possible target. I always fed dead pinkys and was told if i ever fed live they wouldnt be the same again

I recognize that this is a persistent misconception and that it is often repeated by those who simply do not know any better because they heard it from someone they thought was worth listening to, but it's inaccurate.

The behavior of reptiles is almost exclusively procedural; this is especially true of boids, which have comparatively static triggers and and limited range of responses to stimulus. Their capacity for adaptive behaviors is very low, generally only accurately observed under fairly specific conditions in the development of associations when there's a pre-existing instinctive response already in place. This is why constant repetition of a stimuli in conjunction with an instinctive priority can sometimes lead to adaptive instinctive responses... but that should not be taken as evidence that such associations are formed quickly, easily or frequently.

The instinctive behaviors associated with feeding triggers aimed at live prey already exist in the snake from the moment it is conceived. That zygote formed when sperm meets ovum contains the basis for that behavior. Feeding a live prey item will unequivocally not flip some switch in the snake's brain to cause them to respond aggressively to interactions that are not already food-like. Smelling like a rodent or moving your fingers in the pattern of one can certainly prompt a strike... but that's as likely with an animal that has never had live food as an animal that has only had live food.

There are plenty of reasons to look at frozen/thawed prey items as being the ideal selection, but inhibiting bites isn't one of them.

One of the advantages of instinctive behaviors in an animal is that they can be manipulated, if they can be understood well enough to allow them to be predicted. In the case of a sand boa, you're dealing with a species that has fossorial inclinations (this defines what they have developed defensive responses towards), predatory inclinations, limited visual acuity (especially in bright light) and a number of anatomical adaptations to their subterranean inclinations (like a sensitivity to vibrations and heavy scalation that makes shedding a more involved process).

So when handling, that information can be looked at and used to predict certain stimulus that is likely to provoke a defensive response- and then such triggers can be avoided.

Kenyans are fairly mellow little guys (allowing for the possibility of statistical outliers) but there are some ways that they can be approached that are more likely to put them on the defensive. Being touched from directly above them, especially in bright lighting, or excessive contact with the tail will usually do it, for example. There are other triggers as well, some more obvious and others slightly more subtle. They don't always respond well to contact all the way around their body, especially if it is restrictive or constricting. Excessive handling is also a fairly significant stressor and should be avoided; if they are not responding well, the solution is to handle them less until they are comfortable in their environment (which can somewhat notoriously take some time), not to handle them more. "Keep handling them," is truly misguided advice in this instance.

The better you know the species, the more YOU as a human being with a big brain full of declarative memory, will be able to predict the behavior of the animal in question. Sometimes consciously, sometimes without even realizing that you're doing it. There are an almost infinitely varied number of factors that come into play each time a stimulus is applied, many of them are not things that we consider, but which can be enormously important to the species we keep. There are different sets of triggers and responses based on numerous conditions; day and night, breeding season or aestivation periods, healthy animals or those with an illness or injury, young or old, secure in their environment or vulnerable, the temperature, the humidity, when they last ate, the barometric pressure, the light angle and intensity, being touched from above or below, in front or behind, held at arms length or being breathed on, the smells and shapes and colors and motions of everything around them... instinctive does mean consistent and predictable, but it doesn't necessarily mean simple.

Also double check to make sure it's actually a Kenyan. Kenyans are generally pretty relaxed little snakes... Russian sand boas on the other hand can be downright bastards as they get older.

 

[Dimidiata]

Also double check to make sure it's actually a Kenyan. Kenyans are generally pretty relaxed little snakes... Russian sand boas on the other hand can be downright bastards as they get older.

She/he seemed to be a tiger kenyan sand boa. However, it would appear that russians and kenyans are bloody identical. Would you care to elaborate? Also, before this thread i was under the assumption that kenyans were one of those, let be snakes. I dont handle her unless needed.

 

[M_surinamensis]

She/he seemed to be a tiger kenyan sand boa. However, it would appear that russians and kenyans are bloody identical. Would you care to elaborate? Also, before this thread i was under the assumption that kenyans were one of those, let be snakes. I dont handle her unless needed.

They are a group that's generally best left as alone as possible; true acclimatization can be a time consuming process and anything that spends most its time underground tends to get a bit stressed when handled excessively.

As to the species information, specifically distinguishing between them... I've got very little. Little enough that I'm not real comfortable passing any of it along as entirely reliable. The exact taxonomy is frequently debated, the distinguishing characteristics can be difficult to identify with certainty and they tend to be a bit of a niche interest. The upside of that though is that, like with most niche interests, there are sources that are pretty deeply involved and aware. Although Kluge is/was in on the taxonomic revisions, which always leaves me slightly skeptical.*

I thought I remembered Kelli keeping a few... she might have some answers or some tips on who to ask and which sources to trust. Or I may be misremembering. Kim Foose is a good one to ask, if you can get ahold of her between globe-hopping.

*disclaimer: I am still angry about his assertion that Chondropython is not a unique genera. There's some kind of weird emotional entanglement for me there... maybe best to ignore my thoughts on the man and his work. And his drinking habits.

 

[Dimidiata]

Thank you for all the info, much more then im sure any other member could have given me, and your a source i can trust simply because you tell me when not to trust you. Now what do you think the chance of these species crossbreeding to create the leopard gecko of snadboas.