Yawning - is it ever normal?

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Originally Posted by SpiffyYoshi

I know yawning has something to do with needing more oxygen in mammals. Snakes do require oxygen, so maybe it's dual-purpose. It's so darn cute though! :snake:

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Yes, it certainly is adorable! My lesser came out of her hide the other day, and gave this looooong wide yawn... I just about died of cuteness overload. :D So yeah, I guess it is normal for them to do occasionally - since I'm 99.9% sure my snakes don't have RIs, and have seen most of them yawn at least once.

I thought something was wrong with my BP because of yawning. It would yawn sometimes in the evening just coming out of hide, sometimes before catching prey and always after eating. By reading this thread, look like my BP is normal.

Yawning is not a symptom of a RI. Yawning is normal. Open mouth breathing on the other hand is a symptom of a RI.

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Originally Posted by m00kfu

I forget how it got into my head, but at some point I either read or was told that when not re-aligning their jaws yawning is just another way for them to get a taste of the environment.

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I have heard this as well but I don't know if it's true at all.

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Originally Posted by babyknees

I have heard this as well but I don't know if it's true at all.

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Since BP's can smell both with their tongue and by breathing through their nose and since BP's do not have taste buds I don't think they would get any kind of enhanced sense of anything by opening their mouth.

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Originally Posted by Agent73

Since BP's can smell both with their tongue and by breathing through their nose and since BP's do not have taste buds I don't think they would get any kind of enhanced sense of anything by opening their mouth.

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The Jacobson's organ, which is what they actually use to smell, is located on the roof of the mouth. It makes sense to me that by drawing a larger portion of air through the mouth could give them a little better sense of what might be in the air.

Are they drawing in air? I guess that would answer the yawning question. I'll have to see if they "inflate" when they do this.

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Originally Posted by SpiffyYoshi

Are they drawing in air? I guess that would answer the yawning question. I'll have to see if they "inflate" when they do this.

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I've not noticed a change in Java's breathing pattern when he does it.

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I had just read that not necessarily (Yawning) but opening there mouth was a RI symptom. I was concerned until i found this post. My new girl was yawning when she would get our of her hide at night and every now and then would open here mouth up. She dose not make any noise or anything and dose not do it all the time.

Anyway just thought this tread was very helpful and that any new snake owners may find it informative ;)

Not cool! Everytime (well, almost) I see the word 'yawn' or see pics of BPs yawning, I get all yawny, whether it be 1:00 PM, 6 PM, 4 AM... Doesn't matter...lol






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