Posted by:
rtdunham
at Thu Aug 12 22:14:08 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by rtdunham ]
>>>... watch your snakes.watch your snakes. they will tell you everything they need/want from temp&humidity requirenments to hides,room,food,etc.
Maybe people misunderstand what you're saying. What, and how do they tell us? Does the fact that naturalists have observed for centuries of stomach analysis that kings are particularly inclined to include snakes in their diets constitute something we should learn from watching snakes? How do we as keepers know if we've interpreted correctly what they're telling us? If the animals thrive? As we all know, they can thrive under a wide range of conditions. Other than concluding we know what they're telling us, how do we know? There's a big difference between believing we can learn many things from observing our animals, and concluding "they will tell you everything they need/want..."
>> just WATCH them especially during the bonding process. watch your snakes....I start introductions at the 25-30inch range and by seasons end they are bonded and living together. i have bonded pairs that eat together in the same tub i simply throw handfuls of mice in they sort it work it out.
So in this specific case, what behavior do you take as evidence that they are "bonded"? That they seek shelter under the same hide? That they don't eat each other? Can bonding occur across species? If you find a king and a racer under the same board, are they bonded? If you introduce some kings and corns at 25-30" and they don't immediately eat each other, do we assume they're bonded? How long, without eating each other? Is there a difference between cohabitating and bonding? Maybe that's at the root of the debate. It all sounds too much like individuals who hear God and believe they--sometimes they alone--know what the message means. 
Honest questions, from a keeper who had an adult female chain king eat her "mate" after the onset of breeding activities. (they had NOT been bonded at 25-30", just introduced as adults.)
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RE: NO - rtdunham, Thu Aug 12 22:14:08 2010