Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's a funny one for the record books: The other night I was misting my blood with water, as she was about to shed. She started to drink the droplets of water off of her scales, then (to my amazement!) directly from my misting bottle as I sprayed! Her mouth was literally touching the spray nozzle, and she drank away. It went on for probably five minutes. I kept thinking she would eventually drain the whole bottle.

Boy I tell ya, these pythons are a menace to society all right! My drinks from a bottle she's so fearsome... I don't think there's a more tame blood out there than mine.

I wish I could have held a camera and the spray bottle at the same time. It would have been a great photo.

I love when they do that, alot of my boas will just sit there and drink straight from the spray bottle, this is the type of thing that the people that are afraid of snakes dont see, if we were able to show how rewarding they can be and not that they're out to kill you and bite you for no reason that might help them atleast understand and not be so fearful
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Zack Greens Reptiles

I totally agree.

Without going completely off the deep end and anthropomorphizing snakes, I also think our captives get to know us--or at least our patterns of behavior--with regular handling. The same female that drank from the spray bottle generally won't even lift up her head when I pet her. She just doesn't startle anymore. She's also head tame and isn't bothered by touching her head. I'd like to think that it's because she knows she's not in any danger. They probably can detect familiar smells from us as well and associate that with what's normal in their world.

Regardless of how future legislation goes, they'll have to pry my snakes out of my cold, dead hands before I'd give them up. In fact, I like them better than a lot of people I've known. Endlessly fascinating and peaceful. I just love em.

I think they definitely learn our routines, and they do associate our smell with us. I've seen some snakes get all defensive when someone new walks into the room, and I feel this is just strictly that it's an unfamiliar smell and a large animal coming towards it that it doesn’t recognize, also for a snake to get to know you and calm down a common trick is to put a shirt in the cage that you have worn all day to get it use to your small. As far as being docile it has a lot about trust, the snake has to trust you that your not going to hurt it and when you build up that trust with the snake usually it becomes very calm, that’s the main reason you should never be aggressive with them but just gentile handling is the best to build that trust.

Just my thoughts on it
Zack
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Zack Greens Reptiles

I totally agree that our snakes recognize our smell and patterns of actions. I have noticed that my snakes are calm for the most part untill I bring in visitors. That is when they start getting defensive. I have some snakes that I can pick up with no problems whatsoever ....until I try to show them off to someone. I don't allow a lot of people to see my collection just because I don't want to throw off their routine. As for the legal aspect of my hobby...noone will ever take my animals while I am alive. I have friends named colt,winchester,barretta and smith and wesson to back me up!

>>Here's a funny one for the record books: The other night I was misting my blood with water, as she was about to shed. She started to drink the droplets of water off of her scales, then (to my amazement!) directly from my misting bottle as I sprayed! Her mouth was literally touching the spray nozzle, and she drank away. It went on for probably five minutes. I kept thinking she would eventually drain the whole bottle.
>>

I have had this with my lizards alot! Most of my iguanids will drink directly from the nozzle. I dont recall having a snake do it however.
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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That's cool, Cindy! I don't have lizards, so it's interesting that they'll mosey up to the drinking fountain too. My blood really surprised me, particularly because she drank for so long. Then shed last night. Guess it was good timing for us both.

thats awesome. new behavior for sure!!! and i dont care what anyone say bloods are so nice and have sweet personalities and you proved it.
Jason