Snake

[bladespark]

As some of you may recall, I fed Anthony his first adult mouse last Monday. I expected, given that it was three or four times the size of what he'd previously been eating, that he would sleep and digest quite a long time. Well, he's been sleeping a week and two days now. He's come out only to move from the cool hide to the warm one, though mostly he stays in the cool one, he seems to prefer it. I suspect he may be shedding again already. Give how fast he's growing, this wouldn't surprise me, and it's really the only explanation I can think of for him still not being hungry enough to come out and look around for food after nine days. I do wish I knew for sure what the heck he's doing though. Sleeping this long is a little odd.

(I'm taking bets on the kind of response I get to this post...)

Comments

[emirasan.livejournal.com]

Sounds like he's doing ok. He might just be slowing down for the winter. I know Spooky doesn't eat as much during the fall and winter as he does in the spring and summer and he sleeps more, so it might be the same with Anthony.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Considering that the temperature is the same as it's always been, and the lighting likewise, how does he know it's winter? If anything it's warmer than it's been in here.

[emirasan.livejournal.com]

I really don't know. Spooky's room stays pretty much the same temp all year round as well. Guess it's his internal clock. Considering he did eat recently, it would also make sense that he is probably about to shed.

[lightgreendryad.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be surprised if snakes, and other aninmals, have the same internal clock as plants do. It's the same way plants know that it's day or night even when they're inside when the temperature or lighting never changes.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

The same way my damn cat knows its time to moult fur EVERYWHERE despite climate control :)

[jtbeckett.livejournal.com]

i'm not the betting type... but what kind of odds are you offering?

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

I'm giving it about 2:1 that somebody's going to tell me what I'm doing wrong.

[silveradept]

Well, movement means he's not gone into hibernation or anything like that. So long as he's not exhibitng visible signs of distress or that something is wrong, I think you're right just to let him work things out at his own pace.

hee

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

I wonder if he's a cool side snake like mine. My one female loves the hot side, while Lycaeus and the other girl seem to love it cool. Lycaeus's hot spot is only about 85 degrees and he barely ever uses it, except after eating a HUGE meal... I think the older ones seem to need less heat in general since they can retain it better with their body mass.
i have NO idea how they know it is fall, but they do. They get pickier now and may end up not eating for awhile. I am hoping to keep mine eating through the rainy season, but I think at least one will go a few months without eating at all :P


<< oh and don't be surprised if his next bowel (cloacal?) movement is gigantic and resembling dog poop. when they get bigger prey, their poop looks less like bird poop and more like larger mammal carnivore poop. scared the heck out of me the first time Lycaeus left an enormous "adult" pile after eating two adult mice. :D wow, not to foul up your LJ with turd talk, i can edit if you like, lol. >>

Re: hee

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

He had uberhuge poop fairly early on, actually. I guess because the fuzzies used to be so large in comparison to him.

Re: hee

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

oh good. The gross things that come out of reptiles sometimes... lol. Just hope you don't have to deal with regurgitations ever, those are not fun.

Re: hee

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

I hope so too. Yuck!

[roseredhoofbeat.livejournal.com]

With my checkered garter snake, who ate fish and the occasional pinkie, my dad used to say that we should just get a rock and tell people there's a snake under it.