Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm wondering if anyone has found that electronic devices (computers, video game consoles, etc.) may affect the feeding responses of some snakes? I've noticed several instances in which snakes that were kept in rooms with multiple electonic gadgets exhibited reduced (or even nonexistent) feeding behavior. I have experience with problem feeders and have always been able to work through it. These cases have me stumped. however.

- My younger brothers who still live at my parents' home became interested in snakes about a year ago after I took them to a reptile show. They purchased and and lost a ball python and two rainbow boas. The BP and one of the rainbows were known feeders on F/T mice and rats, but stopped feeding after being placed in a room with two computers and three game consoles, which were played virtually around the clock. I believe the rainbows both suffered from dehydration, and that that is the cause for their unwillingness to eat. But the ball python I'm not so sure about. Later, my brother purchased some corns and rats. Some exhibited very strong responses at first, but became problem feeders after time. I used to live in the same house and never had feeding problems with the snakes I kept...but I did not have computers or video game systems. Hmmm.

- I recently moved with my collection of 13 snakes (kings, milks, pythons). I expected an adjustment period in which my snakes might not eat as they grew accustomed to a different environment. Previously, my snakes were housed in my living room, utility room and kitchen (I know, weird). After I moved, however, all my snakes were placed in my home office, which has two computers. Immediately my gray-banded king began refusing food. I tried all the old tricks that I had used to switch him to f/t mice as a hatchling, but nothing worked. Finally, after two stressful months of watching my little GBK lose weight and pace his cage, I moved him to another room with no electronic devices and offered food. Within one hour he had eaten a peach fuzzy and a pink rat (he'd never eaten a rat before).

I know that cage placement, light, humidity, heat, etc. all affect our reptiles. But I am wondering if the electrical fields found around devices using microprocessors, or perhaps the vibrations from spinning hard drives and cooling fans, while imperceptible to us, may also be affecting our reptiles. Or is it all just coincidence?
Consider this: scientists believe that migratory birds may follow the earth's magnetic field when they fly south for the winter and north for the summer. Could our pets be agitated by electrical fields?
In the case of my brothers, I have theorized that it may be due to the level of human activity in the room rather than electronics. After all, having a room full of teens and twenty-somethings playing games and watching TV all day and night would stress me until I couldn't eat! I just don't have the means or the cooperation to perform an actual study of this.

So does anyone else have a theory on this? Has anyone done any research? I'd be very interested to know.

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That's interesting. Although I'm not the most experience snake owner by far I've housed a blotched kingsnake for about 2 years. I've always kept her in my bedroom with her tank sitting above my TV stand. In this case she has an lcd TV, cable modem, router, and 5 game consoles sitting underneath her and there's another laptop and a desktop in the same room.

I've never once had an issue feeding, heck if I tried I'm positive she would eat every second day.

this is a cool concept, but i doubt snakes are affected.. now sharks on the other hand

The rainbow boas most likely were dehydrated by incorrect caging and that would lead to not eating and eventiual death.

A screen topped tank with an overhead heat lamp is a death sentence for a baby BRB. Even the same tank with a UTH is still a death sentence without modifications.

I've seen it many times where people want to keep BRB's in a ]screen topped fish tank. Those are just horrible for keeping the humidity up. You can "fix" it by blocking off most of the top with some sort of air/vapor barrier. But there is another problem, keeping the temps up without getting too hot. The glass conducts the heat out of the tank. Again, that can be "fixed" with insulation on three sides and the top. (insulation on the top can have secondary role as vapor barrier)

Of course I don't know what kind of caging your brothers had. I suspect for all there may just be too much activity around the cages. Stressing out the snakes??
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

That's very interesting, and without any other studies it seems very plausible that the vibrations or electromagnetic field could be stressing out the snake. It is known that snakes are very sensitive to vibrations, and people in Japan are using snakes to try and predict earthquakes as they seem to be the first animals to "feel" them coming. But, I too have snakes scattered throughout my house, and have not had a problem with any of them eating. Most are in a spare bedroom, but some are in the living room (near tv, dvd player and game consoles) and some are in the kitchen (near frig and dishwasher and close to washer and dryer in utility room and also close to the computer). Other than having a couple problem feeders as babies, it has not been a problem. My Hogg Island Boa was very picky at first...I added a waterfall to her cage and thought that the vibrations from the motor would stress her out more but I often find her perched on top of it, so it doesn't seem to bother her, plus she's now eating great. Maybe some individual snakes are more sensitive to electromagnetic fields and/or vibrations then others...that definitely seems curious about your kingsnake. I definitely think the problem with your brothers snakes dieing were caused by humans...the rainbows probably got dehydrated or too hot (I might be wrong since I know nothing of the setup he was using) and the ball python probably got stressed with all the activity. Ball pythons can be picky eaters anyways, and are very nervous, especially as babies. One thing he might want to do is to cover the front of the cage with a towel; I found this to be very helpful in reducing stress of young snakes as it adds security.
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-David

Check out my pet pics at:
http://www.myspace.com/obx_fisherman

1.0 ball python (Pandora - don't ask)
1.0 argentine boa (Prometheus)
0.1 hogg island boa (Andromeda)
0.0.1 brazilian rainbow boa (Inara)
1.0 kenyan sand boa (Diablo)
1.0 normal corn snake(Cypress)
0.1 amery. corn snake (Morgan LaFay) RIP
0.0.2 baby corns (Romulus and Remus)
- 1 normal, 1 ghost
0.0.1 banded cali. kingsnake (Cain)
1.0 tangerine honduran milksnake (Narcissus)
0.0.1 snow corn snake (Valkyrie)
1.0 amazon tree boa (Pegasus)
1.0 colombian boa (Poseidon)
0.1 albino san diego gopher snake (Athena)
0.0.1 sandfish skink (Slick)
0.0.1 fire skink (Phoenix)
1.0 dog (Luke)

the wife's pets:
1.0 bearded dragon (Leonidas)
1.1 ferrets (Ares, Enyo)
1.2 cats (Galahad, Ripley and Sassy)
0.1 Boxer (Zoe)

NEWEST ADDITIONS:
1.0 adult Dumeril's boa
0.0.1 baby yellow amazon tree boa

After I moved, however, all my snakes were placed in my home office, which has two computers. Immediately my gray-banded king began refusing food.

I think there could be a correlation, but I doubt very seriously it has anything to do with electricity. If it was EMR, then heat tapes and lights would have the same effect. I suspect the issue is noise.

You mention your computers, but fail to mention what you use them for. Do you play games on them? Do you have the sound up when you do? Do you listen to music on the computer or in the room?

I have heard numerous cases of snakes not settling down in captive environments when they were exposed to a lot of noise, particularly low frequency vibrations which games use a lot (shooting, engines, explosions, etc). Loud music will have the same effect, generating vibrations which would disturb the snake.

I would be more inclined to think this was your issue as well.

If you want to test my hypothesis, try turning off your speakers (or using headphones). See if removing the vibrations generated by the sound fixes the problem.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

I agree with you, Chris. Flexwatt alone puts out a good bit of EMI, as do fluorescents, incandescents, lamp dimmers and heat pads. If that was the issue alone, nobody's snakes would feed.

I would bet noise/vibration is more the problem. And people playing games all the time instead of doing homework lol.
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Mark

I am no expert but what I understand is that many snakes are solitary animals. Keeping your snakes in a heavy traffic area can stress the snake and they will not eat. Also, They need a photo period of day/night. If your constantly turning the lights on and off it will cause stress.