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+--- Thread: Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? (/Thread-Does-Your-Snake-Ever-Adopt-It-s-Food)
Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? - writer811 - 08-09-2012
My friend has a large ball python that eats rats. About a year ago, he put a rat in the snake's tank and instead of killing and eating it, the snake and rat didn't bother each other. I saw it with my own eyes, the snake would coil up and the rat would sleep in the center of him. They've been living together for about a year. The snake still eats other rats fed to him. Does this kind of thing ever happen to you?
RE: Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? - Fishbone - 08-09-2012
So, he has a rat and a ball python, living in the same cage? He feeds the rat in there and cleans up after both of them? For over a year? And he then puts another rat in, the snake goes into feeding mode, only on the new rat, and never bothers the other one? And this has gone on constantly for a year? I have never even heard of such a thing. I'd love to see a video of this if he has one. I've seen rats not get eaten, and snakes coil up around them to sleep cuz their warm, but nothing close to that. I almost want to call shenanigans, but life is a strange thing.
RE: Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? - Ram - 08-09-2012
Is this rat extra large or something like that which makes it too big for the snake to eat?
I really do not see a reason for a snake to develop affection for a rat.
Have you actually seen this happen? As if the snake was co-existing with one rat for a very long time while eating other rats of the same species one after another? It is quite hard to believe until I see it lol.
RE: Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? - writer811 - 08-13-2012
No, it's not that big. Excluding the tail, I would say about six inches long. About the same size as the other rats. I did a little bit of research and this isn't the first time it's happened. It's not common, but it's not unheard. I don't think it's affection (Unless there's some sort of hormonal or mental imbalance that makes the snake act parental toward it or something). I think it's just a symbiotic relationship. "Keep me warm at night and I won't eat you" or something like that.
RE: Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? - Fishbone - 08-13-2012
(08-13-2012, 04:03 AM)writer811 Wrote: No, it's not that big. Excluding the tail, I would say about six inches long. About the same size as the other rats. I did a little bit of research and this isn't the first time it's happened. It's not common, but it's not unheard. I don't think it's affection (Unless there's some sort of hormonal or mental imbalance that makes the snake act parental toward it or something). I think it's just a symbiotic relationship. "Keep me warm at night and I won't eat you" or something like that.
I'm officially calling shenanigans. You have found anything resembling evidence of a snake cohabitating with a rat, for a year, living in the same enclosure, with the snake being fed another rodent, of the same size and species, on a regular basis, with the rat that lives in the cage in there the whole time. Can you post some links to where you did your research?
There are hundreds of stories of snakes that didn't eat a rodent and the rodent living there a while. But this is the weirdest thing I've heard, and I joined my first reptile forum in 1997 I think, and have had pet snakes since 1990, hung out with breeders and collectors, gone to shows, etc...
So, I am not trying to be a jerk, really, but I would love some evidence, pictures, videos, anything. I'd really love if you guys could get some videos of the snake being fed with the other rat in there.
RE: Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? - writer811 - 08-15-2012
Well, I keep repeating in this forum that I don't know how to upload pictures and videos. I understand the concept of uploading but I don't know how to do it and I don't want to spend hours trying. However, I can post links for my research but it will have to wait until I can get to a computer (I'm using a phone to post this). I don't own one of my own, I have to use public libraries.
Ok, but I don't understand how you get a picture from your camera to your computer. If you need a scanner or something after they're developed, I don't have one. And I wouldn't know how to get a video online. My old computer teacher had machine where you could put a video tape in and it would copy it onto your computer. He had another one for CDs or DVDs but I don't have any of those either.
RE: Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? - Thor - 08-15-2012
(08-15-2012, 05:45 AM)writer811 Wrote: Well, I keep repeating in this forum that I don't know how to upload pictures and videos. I understand the concept of uploading but I don't know how to do it and I don't want to spend hours trying. However, I can post links for my research but it will have to wait until I can get to a computer (I'm using a phone to post this). I don't own one of my own, I have to use public libraries.
The instruction of posting uploaded photos on this forum is quite clear. It is stated in every sub-forum section. I will repeat it here just for you.
If the photos are online, right click on the photo, copy and paste the "image location" or "image address". Then paste it here in the format of [img]image address[/img].
If the photos are on your hard drive, then go to http://imageshack.us and upload the photos there first, then do what I said above.
As for posting videos, it is simply. Upload it to Youtube, then post a link here.
Quote:Ok, but I don't understand how you get a picture from your camera to your computer. If you need a scanner or something after they're developed, I don't have one. And I wouldn't know how to get a video online. My old computer teacher had machine where you could put a video tape in and it would copy it onto your computer. He had another one for CDs or DVDs but I don't have any of those either.
I don't know anyone who don't use digital cameras. Plug the camera to a computer, upload the photos to the computer. Who still develop films? cellphones can take digital photos too, and you can easily transfer them to a computer.
All digital cameras can also shoot films. Same way to upload the video to a computer as you upload the photos. Who still use video tapes?
RE: Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? - ACSAPA - 09-18-2012
When I read the OP's post, it reminded me of a snake in Japan named Ao-chan that adopted a hamster named Gohan-chan that it was originally supposed to eat. I found the video here:
http://player.swagbucks.com/free_videos/uzoo/snake_befriends_hamster/429/90767/
I'm sure the snake in this video has been fed other rodents during the time this hamster has been living with him, otherwise he would be dead, but he still lets the hamster live in the same cage with him and doesn't eat him.
RE: Does Your Snake Ever "Adopt" It's Food? - Fishbone - 09-18-2012
(09-18-2012, 04:03 AM)ACSAPA Wrote: When I read the OP's post, it reminded me of a snake in Japan named Ao-chan that adopted a hamster named Gohan-chan that it was originally supposed to eat. I found the video here:
http://player.swagbucks.com/free_videos/uzoo/snake_befriends_hamster/429/90767/
I'm sure the snake in this video has been fed other rodents during the time this hamster has been living with him, otherwise he would be dead, but he still lets the hamster live in the same cage with him and doesn't eat him.
In life, anything is possible. So who knows. And a snake that size, if its healthy, and otherwise had all it's needs met, could go months without food. He also may just not like hamsters. Many snakes can get stuck on certain prey items, in captivity and in the wild. But, again, I will bet almost anything, that hamster would not live in that cage for a year with that snake, while the snake was being fed other hamsters of the same species.
And it never says how long they are together, and the body language of that snake is NOT happy. Hard to say from such a short video, but that looks like a wild caught, stressed out, japanese rat snake, Elaphe climacophora. They are considered semi-arboreal, and he had absolutely no climbing areas that I can see, and no hides. In the wild many animals also prey mainly on birds, eggs, and other reptiles. While they will eat rodents, he had probably never seen a hamster before. All this, if he's wild caught especially leads to a very stressed out, mistreated animal, which wouldn't be surprising at all if he wouldn't eat. And if that's true, probably won't live more than a year, if that.
Not trying to rain on the cute parade, but I am always unamused with abused reptiles because people don't understand their needs, and then make videos and pictures of them