Vacuuming & Other Loud Sounds

Sorry if this is a silly question, but I haven't been able to find an answer online other than how snakes interpret sound.

Does vacuuming near a snake scare it? What about loud sounds in general made in the same room as the snake is kept? (Although in this house, vacuuming is just about the loudest sound.)

All our pets (dogs, cats, various rodents) have adjusted to the vacuum, but they aren't even half as skittish as our new BP, so I don't know what its tolerance level is.

Yea I think using a vacuum might affect a ball python, since whenever I vacuum in my room they try to feed it, they usually miss the first 2 tries, then finally grabs onto it. It usually depends on the snake also. Some could not be affected while others go off-feed.Hope that helps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by guambomb832

Yea I think using a vacuum might affect a ball python, since whenever I vacuum in my room they try to feed it, they usually miss the first 2 tries, then finally grabs onto it. It usually depends on the snake also. Some could not be affected while others go off-feed.Hope that helps.

---

I'm confused by this statement. :confused: Your snake tries to "feed" your vacuum?? Why are you putting a vacuum that close to your snake??

Snakes are deaf. They pick up vibrations and low sounds through their jaw bones.

I don't think vacuums give off vibrations...?

Vacuums give off a ton of vibration. :) At least against the floor. If you run the vacuum really close to the snake, then they will at least come out to see what's going on and if it's a threat. When vacuuming in the room with the snakes, I always use the hose extension near the cages since it cuts down on vibrations.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DutchHerp

Snakes are deaf. They pick up vibrations and low sounds through their jaw bones.

I don't think vacuums give off vibrations...?

---

Incorrect. Snakes are not deaf. They may hear in a way different from you and me but they do hear. Below are quite a number of studies confirming that the idea that snakes are deaf is a myth.

http://www.healthyhearing.com/releas...ar-ssssssounds

http://www.physorg.com/news130165463.html

http://www.anapsid.org/torrey.html

http://www.uni-protokolle.de/nachrichten/id/150678/

Patricia, many things can bug any animal. Make your noisy housework a routine for the snake. Try to avoid high vibration work on the day of feeding. Vacuum certain days of the week if that works for you. Any action done over and over and over again which produces no danger to an animal eventually becomes assimilated somewhat into that animal's experience and they will become used to it. They might not like it but they tend to not freak about it quite as much.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frankykeno

Incorrect. Snakes are not deaf. They may hear in a way different from you and me but they do hear. Below are quite a number of studies confirming that the idea that snakes are deaf is a myth.

http://www.healthyhearing.com/releas...ar-ssssssounds

http://www.physorg.com/news130165463.html

http://www.anapsid.org/torrey.html

http://www.uni-protokolle.de/nachrichten/id/150678/

Patricia, many things can bug any animal. Make your noisy housework a routine for the snake. Try to avoid high vibration work on the day of feeding. Vacuum certain days of the week if that works for you. Any action done over and over and over again which produces no danger to an animal eventually becomes assimilated somewhat into that animal's experience and they will become used to it. They might not like it but they tend to not freak about it quite as much.

---

I was just about to reply to that, but Jo was all over it!! :D :gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frankykeno

Incorrect. Snakes are not deaf. They may hear in a way different from you and me but they do hear. Below are quite a number of studies confirming that the idea that snakes are deaf is a myth.

http://www.healthyhearing.com/releas...ar-ssssssounds

http://www.physorg.com/news130165463.html

http://www.anapsid.org/torrey.html

http://www.uni-protokolle.de/nachrichten/id/150678/

---

I just tried explaining this to someone the other day, but I couldn't find where I had read the info (well, some of it is covered in the Barkers' book, but not enough).

Snakes do not have ears, as they only can feel vibration through their jaw bone. Snakes cannot hear any loud sounds, so you can shout and scream and that will not effect the snake. The vacuum doesn't bother the snake at all, since the snake cannot hear. Vacuum don't give off vibration, I don't think..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BallPythonLOVER

Snakes do not have ears, as they only can feel vibration through their jaw bone. Snakes cannot hear any loud sounds, so you can shout and scream and that will not effect the snake. The vacuum doesn't bother the snake at all, since the snake cannot hear. Vacuum don't give off vibration, I don't think..

---

They do not have outer ears. They do in fact have inner ear structures. Snakes can indeed hear loud noises under certain circumstances. If you "shout and scream" at your snake while it was against your body for instance it would most certainly both hear that and also likely react to it.

A vacuum cleaner with either a beater brush or a deep cleaner head cleans your carpet by the dual action of suction and vibration. That's how it loosens the dirt trapped in your carpet so it can be sucked up. Whether that vibration frequency is strong enough to affect your snake if it's across the room, off the floor in it's environment would be impossible to know other than the monitor the snake's reactions when you vacuum close to it.

I think it would scare the BP, but the vacuum also scares my cat. I don't think its much of a difference. The cat isn't afraid once the vacuum is off. Please do not stop cleaning your house so that your snake doesn't get scared :giggle:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaorte

I think it would scare the BP, but the vacuum also scares my cat. I don't think its much of a difference. The cat isn't afraid once the vacuum is off. Please do not stop cleaning your house so that your snake doesn't get scared :giggle:

---

Well dang it there goes another handy dandy excuse to not vacuum! :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frankykeno

Incorrect.

---

No...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DutchHerp

They pick up vibrations and low sounds through their jaw bones.

---

Matt, sorry but you cannot state that snakes are deaf when studies clearly show they are not. You could state that they hear by way of picking up vibrations or that they do not have external ears but do have internal structures or whatever you want but a flat out statement "snakes are deaf" is incorrect.

LOL, go figure. We pick up vibrations called "sound waves" through little membranes and bones in our head and those vibrations are turned into electrical impulses that travel to our brain, just like snakes do.

Jo is 100% right about this one. Snakes can hear, although primitively. Go ahead and plug your ears, then talk. Can you hear yourself speak? I imagine this is much like what snakes hear, the bigger the vibration (or deeper the voice), the easier it is to hear it.

We can't judge what exactly they can hear, but the tools are there for them to use, it's wrong to say they are just for decoration and don't serve a purpose. Even if it is for minimal sound detection.

I would think the snake is reacting more to you moving in front of the cage than the vacuum cleaner...



Rob

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frankykeno

Matt, sorry but you cannot state that snakes are deaf when studies clearly show they are not. You could state that they hear by way of picking up vibrations or that they do not have external ears but do have internal structures or whatever you want but a flat out statement "snakes are deaf" is incorrect.

---

Yes, you're right...

I suppose my statement was completely incorrect. Not my intention, though ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DutchHerp

Yes, you're right...

I suppose my statement was completely incorrect. Not my intention, though ;)

---

No Matt is wasn't completely incorrect and I never said that as you are well aware. My only concern was the part I addressed in my previous posts.

I believe it is incumbent on all of us when we share information that is read by newcomers to strive to share what is correct. Also that the information is either supported by our own personal experience or by very reliable sources, which we would of course quote to encourage the reader to further study the issue themselves.

We are all learning every day. I think that's one of the best parts of owning such interesting creatures. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaorte

Please do not stop cleaning your house so that your snake doesn't get scared :giggle:

---

You should've seen the size of the dust bunny that had grown a few feet away from the tank, LOL! Our 15yo held our snakey outside in the yard while I vacuumed. (Taking them just outside the back door and then gradually bringing them further in is how I've done it will all our little critters.)

Quote:

---

Patricia, many things can bug any animal. Make your noisy housework a routine for the snake. They might not like it but they tend to not freak about it quite as much.

---

Thank you! I've been able to get all our other critters familiarized with vacuuming, but a snake is so different, so I wanted to be sure I wasn't overlooking something. (I thought you were a guy named Franky, but now I notice your name is Joanna. What does your screeen name stand for?)

Re. hearing, even before the links posted here I've seen some convincing info about how snakes interpret sound. I hesitate to use the word "hear" as that is more of an audio thing, but hey, those 3 tiniest bones in our inner ear vibrate to create what our brain interprets as sound, so I can understand how it would be very similar/the same in snakes. I also read that snakes not only pick up tangible vibrations, but soundwaves carried in the air too, hence my question.

Thanks, all, for the input. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by guambomb832

Yea I think using a vacuum might affect a ball python, since whenever I vacuum in my room they try to feed it, they usually miss the first 2 tries, then finally grabs onto it. It usually depends on the snake also. Some could not be affected while others go off-feed.Hope that helps.

---

oops sorry I meant "I vacuum in my room THEN try to feed it"
Really need to double check :)