Sense of Smell?

[Garnet]

Just how good is a ball python's sense of smell? I know I can Google it but I thought it would be more fun to have a conversation about it here. Anyway, I swear that my little guy can smell his prey as soon as I take it out of the ziploc bag, even though it's still cold and in another room. By the time I've heated it, and hubby has the prey in tongs, Skull is out of his hide, neck in an S and waiting for it. This is remarkable, I think, given that I'm using water to warm up his prey which diminishes the scent a bit.

[Pythonfriend]

they have an excellent sense of smell and with their split tongue they can even sense if a smell is stronger on the right side or the left side.

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

Dude,just defrost with room temp and with a hair dryer or lamp heat it up....I was told it depletes nutrients,so I don't do it.. True or not I don't know,so I just feed live these days.

[200xth]

Dude,just defrost with room temp and with a hair dryer or lamp heat it up....I was told it depletes nutrients,so I don't do it.. True or not I don't know,so I just feed live these days.

Interesting answer to the question, "How good is their sense of smell?".

Makes me think you don't read anything, you just scan for a keyword you recognize and type everything you know about that word.

Anyways, to get back on topic, their sense of smell is really good from what I've noticed.

[Raven01]

My snakes have figured out when feeding day is. Smell or not if I enter the room they pop out to see if I have noms for them.
I warm my thawed rodents in the same room as the snakes so by the time they are warm usually I have snakes very ready to eat.

[Naom9Anne]

I don't doubt their smell is amazing but my guys tend to just stay in their hides until I zombie dance the rat in front on them. I know their hearing and sight isn't anywhere near as good and I'm surr I read that their smell is remarkable and used as their main hunting method (that and heat sensory)

[bcr229]

I thaw/warm my feeders downstairs in the kitchen, and when I take the bowl upstairs into the snake room I see a bunch of little noses pressed up to the ventilation holes at the front of the tub.

[Garnet]

They are amazing creatures. I fixed myself a cup of hot tea tonight. When I came out of the kitchen with it, guess who was sticking out of his hide all in an S? I use the tea kettle when I'm warming his prey.

[jasonmcgilvrey83]

Every feeding day one of mine is out of his hide and by the glass. Like clockwork. I think they are smarter then some people think. My boy knows what day is feeding day lol. Three sent of smell is crazy tho. Been bit a couple times cause of it. Lol. Owner error. Didn't wash hands after holding my bunny.

[Chemromance98]

Same for mine. On feeding day he sticks his head out for every noise i make. I also thaw my house on a table next to his cage and he stays on that side of the tank. He knows what day is feeding day and can definitely smell it