Routine trained snakes?

[owen]

Whenever I feed my ball pythons, I always feed them in the same manor. I put each ball python in a feeding tub, and let the defrosted rat warm up before I open the feeding bin lids, and offer the rat. They always slam the rat like monsters. Today I was feeding them, and i had the rats all warm and ready before hand, so I put the snake into the bin, and just offered the rat (didnt put the lid on the bin, just offered). Both the snakes refused, and seemed almost a bit afraid of the rat. They pulled their heads under their coils, and shyed away. I was wondering why they werent eating. Then I thought maybe it was routine. So for each snake, I put the lid on the bin for litterally no more then a couple seconds and then pulled it off, and offered the rat again. Both snakes instantly perked up when the lid lifted off. They had their heads held high, watching above, and their tongues were going nuts. I barely had the time to put the rat infront of the snake before it snatched it from the tongs. Both snakes had the same reaction to this.

Is it possible that through the constant repetative routine for feeding time, they have adapted a routine and now look for those steps before they eat?

STEPS
1. the snake is lifted from cage, and dropped into feeding bin
2. feeding bin lid is closed
3. lid opens, and rat appears

Is it possible that throwing one kink in this routine (such as not putting the lid on, and just offering the rat) can mess up the snakes idea of what to do next, causing a refusal, or a slower reaction?

thnx for reading

[pythonguy21]

thats a very interesting question owen.

i wonder what the thoughts are on that.

[ssjsmits]

Very possible I'd say.

[PythonGirl]

Just like baby's my little girl thrives on her bed time routien, she knows when I get the bottle, blanket and sucker and take her down to her room and start her music and sit in the rocker... must be bed time! I am sure that they get used to something and start to expect it just like anything else would.

[Addicted]

To me it seems unlikely that two or more snake would be that conditioned,I'm sure this is mostly a matter of opinion though.My vote is no on this one.

[burmeselover15]

well thats a pretty hard question if you ask me my only awsners would be try it and find out but i wouldnt change anything really but if you did it shouldnt have any affect on anything really just depends on what your changing at the most

[razeraze]

Definitely and with out a doubt. Reptiles are capable of learning, and are intelligent. Snakes tend to be on the lower end of the reptile intelligence chart, but with out a doubt they learn. Our retic learned her separate food door in a matter of weeks. They learn a hook is not food and means they are being moved. They can even learn treatment rountines.
One of the reasons I do not use a feeding schedule is because the animals will learn it and expect it.

[burmeselover15]

you pretty much summind it all up right there razeraze great job

[AbsoluteApril]

I agree 100%. I've been conditioning my snakes for the last few years. I feed in the enclosure and noticed they seemed to be very attentive and looking for food when the door opens. (I also vary my feeding shedule so they don't get in a routine, but at the same time, this may be why they think 'food' when the door opens. heh) They are learning that when they get misted and a hook touches their head, it means they are going to get picked up, it's been working good so far.

Good observations!

[ssjsmits]

I thought about bringing up Precious Tom, but I'd figured you'd see this eventually.