Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How much benefit do you think that feeding on a precise schedule gives towards initiating a feeding response. I know in the wild condas, all snakes for that matter, do not feed every (blank) amount of days but for captives I thought maybe if their 'metabolic' clocks were used to food every so many days it might be easier to get a differen't food introduced.
In my case it would be going from live to P/k but I dont see why this wouldn't benefit introducing a differen't prey species either.
It's based on the drooling dog when ringing a diner bell experiment along time ago. If an animal is conditioned to a certain event, time, sound, etc when given food it will associate that with feeding time.
I know someone posted that when they aren't going to feed the snake they tap the snake with a paper towel tube every time but that is an action and I was wondering how much 'time', (routine feeding schedule), would play into the mix.
Can a snake associate every Thurs., for example, with 'feeding time'.

Arik

It can be hard to say because there are so many factors that go into digestion. I mean size of the meal and temperature of the cage aside, anacondas can be so crazy with feeding scheduals since they often refuse for longer times after large meals and all around shed time. We can say all these little tricks like tapping with a towel and feeding outside the cage are making the snake "know" these things, but I tend to have doubts about a lot of them. I have one snake that will hunt a ft mouse like it is live every time. I think the best way to switch from live to pk is teasing and sometimes braining (but im not so sure about braining with condas...never thought that was a logical idea). But we are always learning and all snakes are different..try it eric and maybe set the same low lighting mood with some classical music and maybe that will say feeding time and you will have a pk success. I was not being sarcastic either, just saying "who knows what works until we try".

Arik,
Well, I think they can. However, I house Red tails, not Condas. I figure, however, they can't be that far off of base. I feed my girlie every Thursday. She knows when I open that door, it's chow time.
For example, every day except Thurday, Friday and Saturday...I open the door and she does not look to greet me. I have to spill her out of her hide box to even get her to notice me. BUT! come Thursday, I can merely turn the light on in the room and she'll have her head sticking out with that hungry look in her eye and if I walk further into the room, she will almost fully escape her hide box. She is always waiting with that, "Mom! Food?" look in her eyes...I'm sure she knows. It's amazing...I can't even remember what day of the week it is, lol!
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0.1 Red Tail boa~Ariadnae
4.6 Rats~Rex, Winkin', Kanga, Noodle, Cy, Pyp, Symone, Vyolet, Onyx, Blinkin'
1.1 Dogs~Boots, Karrey
0.1 Cat~Roxanne