Posted by:
Chance
at Fri Jun 16 10:14:23 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Chance ]
Considering that spitting is a function of the fangs' openings and the muscle pressure on the glands forcing the venom out of those openings, it is completely possible that trauma of some sort could physically prevent her from spitting. She might've banged the glass out of fury and damaged one of both of the fangs, or possibly even the musculature of her head that controls the venom's fluid pressure.
More likely though, she's just settling down to captivity and no longer spitting. This is something that very commonly occurs with any snake that puts on an elaborate defensive display: cobras in general tend to stop hooding, hognoses stop hooding and playing dead, and baby pythons eventually stop biting! It's just a natural reaction, or numbing if you will, to the daily stresses of captivity.
I would advise your friend to keep an eye on her. If it was trauma that caused the change in behavior, he needs to make sure an infection doesn't develop. Mouth rot is *not* fun to treat in venomous snakes. ----- Chance Duncan
www.rivervalleyexotics.com
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