pythons and music

[Trey Yeoman]

So, I just got my first ball python and this question could be COMPLETELY ridiculous, but being new to snakes in general I thought I'd throw it out there. I have my enclosure on the middle shelf of a multi-tiered shelving unit where I also have my turntable and stereo set up. The speakers are relatively small and on the top shelf of the unit. I remember somebody telling me a long time ago that snakes are sensitive to vibrations and I was just wondering if the vibrations from the speakers has any effect on my snake. Again, I'm sorry if this seems dumb, but being a new snake person I have every question under the sun running through my mind in regards to my new buddy. I've got two bearded dragons and I got pretty obsessive with random crap like this when I first adopted them too. Just curious... thanks for any input.

First of all, welcome to B-P.net

Second... Your ball python does not have an external ear, middle ear, or tympanic membrane (eardrum).
Instead, he uses a small ossicle (ear bone), called the "columella," to detect vibrations of sound waves conducted through the ground.
He is able to pick up some sound waves conducted through the air, but only at very low frequencies.

Snakes also smell in a very different way than mammals. Mammals bring air particles into contact with the olfactory (smelling) nerves by breathing them into the nasal cavities through the nostrils. Snakes have both nostrils and nasal cavities, but they are not used to smell. Instead, the flicking tongue is actually a smelling device. There is a small organ on the roof of the oral cavity called the "vomeronasal organ", or "Jacobson's organ." The forked tongue is used to bring minute air particles into contact with this organ, and the snake then perceives and identifies the smell as prey, predator, or otherwise. So, unlike mammals, the tongue is not used to taste or aid in swallowing, but simply as an accessory smelling organ.
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That was just a little informational blah blah for you , but it never hurts to know... in my opinion, the vibrations of the sound system you have are probably an annoyance to your snake... and I honestly do not know the decibel ranges of a ball pythons columella...
I had a baby ball sitting on my computer desk when I first got her and she was constantly stressed and moving and just not right... and as soon as I moved her into my closet... she started acting normal... and that was just the vibrations of my desktop tower... so it would be safe to say that you need to just watch your python's attitude and make sure he is hiding properly, and doesnt seem slugish and sick when you pick him up...
thats my two cents