Bedding imprinting?

[Grimmie]

I was just waondering is it possible for bp's to imprint on bedding? i.e only eat on one type of bedding.

Its just i have the following story to tell...

I got Chloe 9 months ago and for the 1st month i had her on aspen in a tub, she wouldn't feed.
I then moved house and put her in a nice tank (which incedently was the same floor space as the tub but much higher, don't ask how i justified this move considering the situation) and changed her bedding to repti bark. Almost immediately she ate and has be a brilliant feeder ever since.

Until now that is, i've built a rack and put her in it along with 2 new younger females, seperate tubs obv. Well after 4 weeks of the little'uns on newspaper i decided i wanted to change the bedding and realising that repti bark works out expensive decieded to go with meadow hay.

So i change the bedding of all 3 snakes, now this is where it gets interesting. After 2 feeding days both the new snakes (in my opinion) give stronger feeding responses (strike harder/faster, want more to eat ect) but Chloe refuses to eat point blank both times, her first food refuses ever since i got her eating.

Also she didn't like laying on it, she spent alot of time on her branch/rock/hides rather than on the hay. The hays made from grass which as far as i know isn't toxic and i have been watching all 3 snakes there seems to be no sign of any kind of reaction on any of there belly scales.

So i deceide to give her her repti bark back, and lo and behold she eats the very same day twice the amount she did last feeding!

So is this unusual or do snakes imprint in this way?

Well that ends the story sorry for the long post.

Graham

[Freakie_frog]

Wow good question. All of your temps and humidity the same I am assuming. No clue. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[Grimmie]

Yep temps were the same in tub, tank and rack. The only thing that changed in that respect was that the tank humidity had a higher average than the rack and tub.

Regards

[bigballs]

if you moved her it could just be that maybe she felt safer in the other location or enclosure... and if the younger females are new it could also just be the fact that they are starting to become more comfortable within your care and husbandry setting...


just thoughts of mine but who knows...

i have a female that has been on all sorts of substrates from coco fibre to reptibark, cypress mulch and paper towels and her feeding response has always been wierd so who knows. i do know that when the temps and humidity are raised her feeding response is much stronger than when they are lower...