Believe it or not. python story

[Royalherper]

First off let me say, I don't know this person or the vet in the story. I'll give the facts as they were passed onto me and let you cme up with your opinion. I already have mine just curious about yours.

This lady takes her python ( i don't know what kind or size, my assuption is that its large) to the vet cause it wont eat. The vet has it for a couple days and it eats for him. She takes it home and after another month of it not eating, she takes it back to the vet. The snake eats for the vet again. When she goes back to pick it up the vet wants to know what her typical interaction with the snake is. During the day the interaction is none but at night she takes the snake out and puts it in bed with her. Where it stretches out full length and "cuddles' next to her. The vet, apparently very shocked, tells her to get rid of the snake immediatly because it is sizing her up and starving itself to make room for its next meal......her!

This is all I know about what happened. You will have to draw your conclusion based on these limited facts. I have owned snakes for over 15yrs but they have always been ball pythons. Never owned anything large enough to be a threat to a human. I've read many books and articles on a multitude of reptiles, never heard anything about any snake taking its time and sizing someone up.

ok, lets hear your thoughts.

[Kuba]

Lol, thats is a little sad, forst of all the stupidity of the lady letteing her python to cuddle up with her, i dont think thats even real, and wouldnt you think that the snake would eat MORE to get bigger to her, its like saying my crestie is getting ready to eat my Beardie so he starves himself

[playingwithsnake_21]

IMO. i think that it is bs, i have dealt with big pythons most if not all my life, and have never had any thing like that even happen or have even thought about it the only time i have had snakes not eat was because of breeding or something else but have never had one of my retics in my bed at night , and if it were to size her up it would be doing it even in the cage not just in here bed,,and also think that the vet might be a little loony,,, but that just imo

[mainbutter]

I have no doubt that some idiots sleep with their snakes, and then their snakes don't eat.

[2kdime]

I've been hearing this story for as long as I can remember.

[WingedWolfPsion]

There are so many things wrong with this story, I can't even figure out where to begin. Absolutely ridiculous, lol.

[bubblz]

We had this discussion on another thread with the same situation. But the question was do snakes measure their prey? I don't think the snake was measuring her to eat her. It was probably just trying to warm up. But I do think that snakes measure (size up)their prey to a degree. Be it by the visual heat signature that they are picking up or after they kill something. Sometimes checking their prey after a kill, are they sizing it up or searching for the head. Or smallest side to go down first, which can't always be the case because some snakes still swallow it backwards. My baby Caramel swallowed a hopper completely wrong last week. It was f/t and he grabbed it from the back, middle of the spine. After constricting he didn't release and reposition to find the head he just went for it and it folded up and went down,.. took him a while but he did it. So not everything is instinctual some things you learn just by doing or trying it.

If they don't then how do they know whats too big for them to eat or what they can and can't handle?

Idk,..just my pesos on it.

[rabernet]

I've been hearing this story for as long as I can remember.

Me as well - my hairdresser's daughter also told me this "urban myth" that she "heard".

http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/measured.asp

[Oroborous]

Me as well - my hairdresser's daughter also told me this "urban myth" that she "heard".

http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/measured.asp

Lol, yeah, those stories are just ridiculous!

[Zach]

Ive heard about this happening before lol. Dunno about the truth to it but ive heard it.