How do BP's drink?

[fishmommy]

I have seen my snake dip his head into his water dish and have a nice long drink many times. The dish is not see-thru and I never approach him when he's drinking so as not to disturb him.

So, has anyone seen the actual mechanism of a BP drinking?
Do they scoop, suck, or lap up the water?
I don't see any head movement, so I am guessing it's either suck or lap, not scoop.

[Ladydragon]

okay I was gonna be a wise arse and say with its mouth. lol.
but having seen my corn snake drink I think its a suck motion. I would imagine that it would be same for all snakes.

[joepythons]

okay I was gonna be a wise arse and say with its mouth. lol.
but having seen my corn snake drink I think its a suck motion. I would imagine that it would be same for all snakes.

I almost said the same thing .Yes they do a slurping kinda way to get a drink .If you watch the sides of thier jaws you will notice them moving

[SoundUnsleep]

Reminds me of a hamster - when they take a big gulp the cheeks inflate.

[parabuzzle]

My BP started drinking while soaking in a clear bin with his mouth against the side slightly. It is most definitely a slurping type of drinking although I am not sure exactly how it works. I mean we use air as the vacuum for drinking that way (through a straw) but when Monkey was drinking his nostrils were submerged and no air was visible (bubbles). I would venture to say that my theory is that they use some air in their lungs (deep breath) and then suck some water in initially. Then they use that water and air combination to create the vacuum to suck more water in much like if you swish water in and out of your mouth while under water. They then swallow a little and push the rest back out to create the vacuum to pull more water in...doing this until they are satisfied. I was going to video tape it but he never gives me enough time to get the camera and if I have the camera ready, he never does it. Little booger.

[Patrick Long]

yeah i agree, i think they kindof slurp and gulp. moving there jaw back and forth may cause suction, i dont know. interesting thought

[Noek]

I read somewhere that their main water source comes from their food..can anyone validate this?

[babygerl3094]

yeah..thats what i have heard as well cause i have never seen mine drink from his water bowl

[joepythons]

I read somewhere that their main water source comes from their food..can anyone validate this?

Never heard of anything even close to this .They probably drink when no one is around

[Noek]

I got it from this site..took a while for me to remember...it stuck with me when i read it because I had never heard of this before.

it's down towards the end of the Q&A section

http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/