Head Movement Question.

I have a 6 month old normal bp. Recently I noticed that she moves her head from side to side slightly while sitting in the S position. What does this mean? Is it normal? She seems to be healthy. I haven't noticed any mites or changes in her mouth. She eats well and is calm and friendly but this is a new behavior for her and I'm a newbie so should I be worried?

I wouldn't be...

I would say it due to it being a ball python. "snakes do weird stuff". :)

Hold your arm up straight in front of you, at shoulder level, and see how steady your arm is. :)

Our understanding of how snakes perceive their world is still very limited. Could be she is trying to listen for something (moving head from side to side to see which side is closer to the noise), trying to sense something with pits, smell something, look at something, or it's just plain kinda hard to hold your head and half your body up in a tense, ready to strike position and she's a lil bit wobbly.

I wouldn't worry, what you're describing sounds like a pretty normal snakey behavior.

-Jen

I see no worries either :)

I wouldn't be too worried about it. Sounds fairly normal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LLLReptile

Could be she is trying to listen for something (moving head from side to side to see which side is closer to the noise)

---

Jen, I need you to help me understand your theory. Snakes can't hear airborne sounds...

Thanks guys I was hoping you all would say that. She doesn't seem to be sick but what do I know? lol

Is she a spider?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mike41793

Is she a spider?

---

That was my first thought too lol, then I saw it said normal Bp.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rob

That was my first thought too lol, then I saw it said normal Bp.

---

DUHHH!!! Yea lol, good call

I still wouldnt worry about it though, i was just curious if it may have been a spider

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slim

I wouldn't be too worried about it. Sounds fairly normal.




Jen, I need you to help me understand your theory. Snakes can't hear airborne sounds...

---

They CAN hear airborne sounds, actually, they're just not as sensitive to it as we are.

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/54/2/349.short

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/205/19/3087.full

As a couple of examples. Just because ball pythons in particular have not been studied does not mean they can't hear sound. They also perceive it differently; again, since they haven't been studied in particular, who's to say they don't use their head in some way to perceive sound?

I was merely offering it as one of many possibilities, not saying that for sure is why the snake is moving its head.

-Jen

No not a spider but i did wonder if it was possible for her to have a resessive spider gene so i looked up the wobble on youtube. Its nothing as dramatic as that. Its just a gentle swaying from side to side and only when she is waiting to strike.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LLLReptile

They CAN hear airborne sounds, actually, they're just not as sensitive to it as we are.

---

Your own source material states that the auditory system in Boidae (most similar to Pythonidae) is limited to a range band of 150 Hz to 600 Hz, and that there is a U-shaped curve along that range where there is a distinct, best frequency....In humans and mammals, we would identify that range of hearing as being effectively deaf.

I have done anecdotal testing with my own animals, and I can assure you that my BPs do not react to airborne sounds higher on the frequency range than those which can be felt through their jaw bones i.e. very low frequency.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slim

Seriously, Jen? Your own source material states that the auditory system in Boidae (most similar to Pythonidae) is limited to a range band of 150 Hz to 600 Hz, and that there is a U-shaped curve along that range where there is a distinct, best frequency....In humans and mammals, we would identify that range of hearing as being effectively deaf.

I have done anecdotal testing with my own animals, and I can assure you that my BPs do not react to airborne sounds higher on the frequency range than those which can be felt through their jaw bones i.e. very low frequency.

---

That first link is from a paper published in the 1970's.

Check the second paper.

"This study provides the first experimental evidence that snakes can respond behaviourally to airborne sounds."

-Jen

I did read the second study report, which states that snakes can only percieve sounds up to 450 Hz, effectively rendering them even deafer than those in the first study you sited.

I still stand by my observations.

Please feel free to believe anything you wish, however, I would urge you to maybe do some experimentation of your own, with your own animals.

It's not that I automatically distrust scientific journal results, it's just that often times they are not searching for the same answers I am. Different expectations often arrive at different results.

So I'm confused. Are you guys saying that my bp is or is not moving her head in an attempt to hear?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by enchantress62

So I'm confused. Are you guys saying that my bp is or is not moving her head in an attempt to hear?

---

It's probably not an attempt to hear. I was throwing it out there as one of a myriad of possibilities. :)

-Jen

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by enchantress62

So I'm confused. Are you guys saying that my bp is or is not moving her head in an attempt to hear?

---

For the record, I am not saying your BP is moving her head in am attempt to hear.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slim

For the record, I am not saying your BP is moving her head in am attempt to hear.

---

So what your saying is, ball pythons can hear? :p

I remember reading somewhere that animals with eyes on the sides of their heads sometimes move side to side for depth perception.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rob

So what your saying is, ball pythons can hear? :p

---

Sure they can...in a very narrow range between about roughly kinda' 150 Hz and just north of some where in the roughly sortta' kinda' 600 Hz range. Or in laymans terms, deaf as a freakin' post
:D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mikel81

I remember reading somewhere that animals with eyes on the sides of their heads sometimes move side to side for depth perception.

---

This explaination actually makes a lot of sense to me.

Here's an interesting update. Last week I switched Baloo from f/t mice to f/t rats. It's the only thing different since the last time I saw her head swaying. This morning I noticed she's back in the strike position and no head movement. Probably coincidence but interesting anyway. I don't feed until Wed. but I'm going to watch and see if she starts doing it again before her next feeding.