Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm wondering where you rank bloods are far as intelligence? My experience is limited to borneos and I consider them to be very smart! While I've never observed them in the wild, I'm sure they must be very good hunters to survive, being they are so heavy bodied. Good hunters and patient, no doubt!
I've never had a "feeding response" kind of bite from a borneo either so I think they know the difference between feeding time and handling time. They seem to know when its feeding time before the cage is even opened! So do you guys see bloods this way too? Thanks
-----
PHAlex
Forum Moderator
kingsnake.com

...when it comes to feeding response...because I have been railed by both bloods (Big Red...cough cough) & STP's with strong feeding responses. Granted, I was distracted at the time & you can't fault a snake for being a snake...but it's not to say that it won't ever happen! By the same token, it's pretty easy to ramp them down from a feed response, and they quickly settle down & allow (and seem to enjoy!) handling.

As far as hunters, they're actually very effective ambush predators, and their strong, heavy build attests to their ability to pound an unsuspecting prey item out of - seemingly - nowhere.

IMO, both bloods & STP's seem to be more aware of what's going on around them - environment, interaction with keepers, etc. To this day one of my favorite things in the world is opening up a blood cage & seeing a perfectly still snake *except* for that telltale flick of the eyes that says "I know you're here!"

They are "the coolest of the cool." Who says "fat" ain't in?

K~

>>I'm wondering where you rank bloods are far as intelligence? My experience is limited to borneos and I consider them to be very smart! While I've never observed them in the wild, I'm sure they must be very good hunters to survive, being they are so heavy bodied. Good hunters and patient, no doubt!
>> I've never had a "feeding response" kind of bite from a borneo either so I think they know the difference between feeding time and handling time. They seem to know when its feeding time before the cage is even opened! So do you guys see bloods this way too? Thanks
>>-----
>>PHAlex
>>Forum Moderator
>>kingsnake.com

-----
Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean

I think bloods are dumb as stumps, as are all boids.

The only snakes seem the least bit intelligent to me are king cobras and indigos.

I'll have to stick with the dumb old boids on this one. Having kept indigos and cobras I know its a constant battle trying to keep their cages clean. Maybe I'm just getting old but less work to me equals more time to enjoy them. Have fun!
-----
PHAlex
Forum Moderator
kingsnake.com

I just said they seemed a little more intelligent, not that I'd want to keep either one. Wouldn't want to keep dolphins or a chimpanzee either.