Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My red throat male, Solomon is in a shed cycle, so I just misted him & observed him drinking the water droplets off of his own body. I guess he's too lazy to crawl over to the water bowl!
Have any of you ever witness this?

Eric
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If Jesus is your co-pilot, you'd better change seats!

Eric,

On more than one occasion I have witnessed ADULT Eastern Indigos who were in a shed cycle trying to lap up water droplets that gathered on their body.

Dureing the pahse of the shed cycle when the eyes go opaque, their vision is EXTREMELY poor, though the other senses are intact. Call it a case of mistaken identity and not laziness.

It remind me in some small way of Easterns, while NOT in a shed cycle, catching that "olfactory Whiff" of a rat or mouse in their beloved cage and the indigo biting not only itself, but the water bowl and the side of the tank also.

Makes you wonder how they exist in the wild.lol

Fred Albury

yes eric, i have seen snakes of all kinds take sips this way and/or from anywhere water will collect temporarily. it's pretty common esp. in the wild where water oft-times is not immediately avilable. a sudden rain shower will have them drinking from leaves, branches, ground depressions, etc. all creatures will employ this method if needed. i see my turtles do it all the time after a soaking summer rain even though they have ready access to a good size pond......

Thanks guys! Your answers make perfect sence, and i'm surprised that i've never witnessed it before in all my years of keeping other snakes.

Eric
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If Jesus is your co-pilot, you'd better change seats!

Dan
As I have also witnessed these behaviors,
let me take your post one step further.
With my Monitors they will postition themselves in a semi-vertical way that any water droplets run down their body and end up on the tip of their nose and lap up every drop.
Mike

"Mike's Monitors!"

i used to keep giant day 'giecos' and they would do the same basic thing. they were real good at getting the moisture they required w/ minimal effort. very personable as far as lizards go too! if i con't. to downsize a bit more, i'd get another trio of those in a heartbeat!......always wanted to keep monitors but they just get too large for the available space i never seem to have..........:>/

Fred
I have kept Eastern Indigos in the past.
When ever I saw my captives do the "shot in the dark" hunting method, it made me think any prey item (or hand) in the vacinity was dead meat. I also thought what a great method of hunting in the wild.
Perhaps this is a part of what makes them successfull in the wild!
Mike
"Mike's Monitors!"