Creatures of Conditioned Routine

My ball python is definitely a creature of routine, as are we. He knows when I'm going through my weekly ritual of preparing his Frozen thawed meal. He comes out of his hide and just sits there and waits and watches me. Pretty cool:gj:

When it's time to feed, most of my snakes start staring at me...almost as bad as my dogs, but just not daily. It's pretty cute.

He always amazes me. One can learn a lot by just observing a snake. They have a calendar in their head and know when meal day is approaching. Mine starts cruzing his enclosure on day 6. But doesn't it suck when you try to share your fascination with a person that doesn't even hear what you're saying becuz you are talking about a snake? :weirdface. My roommate doesn't get it. Has zero interest.

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Originally Posted by Jellybeans

He always amazes me. One can learn a lot by just observing a snake. They have a calendar in their head and know when meal day is approaching. Mine starts cruzing his enclosure on day 6. But doesn't it suck when you try to share your fascination with a person that doesn't even hear what you're saying becuz you are talking about a snake? :weirdface. My roommate doesn't get it. Has zero interest.

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Yes, sadly it happens a lot. We must persevere to enlighten the uninformed...(sigh!) Seems people find hate (or ignorance) easier to manage than admiration or
understanding. Especially if it means actually changing one's mind...:rolleyes: Good luck with your roommate. At least we can share it all here, among the like-minded.

That's so cute haha, reminds me of a cat or a dog!

Mine starts poking his head out of his hide around day 5-6 to wait for his next meal to "wander by".

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

When it's time to feed, most of my snakes start staring at me...almost as bad as my dogs, but just not daily. It's pretty cute.

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Yes Noodle does this to me and it's kinda disconcerting! LOL! She will also do it right after she just ate, like "Do I get more?"

I can tell mine are due to feed*...yesterday one of my female Florida rat snakes kept watching my every move near her cage. She had just shed & I noticed
she left about 1.5" still on her tail tip, so I got my (water) spray bottle to moisten it, then reached in for her tail to work it off. The old skin came off easily, but
Lainey kept intensely studying my hand ("are you sure that's not for me"), ha ha! I got away unscathed...:snake: She slams her food, a feeding-bite wouldn't be
nice.

*This being winter, my all-adult snakes are fed at longer intervals, closer to 3 weeks sometimes (instead of 2). I keep track on calendar of last feeding & note
any that don't eat, but do not feed on a precise schedule.

And yes, most of mine give me that "do I get more?" look too, after feeding. LOL

My boy would probly eat every day if I offered. He's all about his food !

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Originally Posted by Luvyna

That's so cute haha, reminds me of a cat or a dog!

Mine starts poking his head out of his hide around day 5-6 to wait for his next meal to "wander by".

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Same! We feed on Saturday evenings, and usually after a mid-week poop, Thursday they're "hunting" in their cages. I just say hello and go about my business!

I don't really feed on a set schedule so the critters don't necessarily know when food is coming but they sure do perk up when I start defrosting their meals. My snakes eat anywhere from every 10 days- every 6 weeks depending on the season and my mood.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

When it's time to feed, most of my snakes start staring at me...almost as bad as my dogs, but just not daily. It's pretty cute.

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Originally Posted by FollowTheSun

Yes Noodle does this to me and it's kinda disconcerting! LOL! She will also do it right after she just ate, like "Do I get more?"

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My BP (also named Noodle lol) does this too. Here he is hoping for seconds immediately after swallowing a mouse:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/2nbvxjt.jpg

Normally to feed my retic I let him out to wander and get some exercise on the enclosure stack. When he isn't looking I put his food in his enclosure. Typically he will track down the smell and find his food waiting for him.

It had been 3 weeks since his last feeding and he was pacing by the door of his enclosure. I kept pulling him out and putting him on the enclosure stack and he kept putting himself back into his enclosure hoping suddenly find food in there.