Sights, sounds, and scents
 

I'm talking about reactions.

In my 38 years of keeping Boa Constrictor, I have witnessed Boas react to numerous things. I have been bitten many times from someone walking by me too fast while I was handling (movement/sights). I have been bitten a few times because I wanted to handle a Boa while the neighbors were thumping their loud bass rap BS, and it evidently upset the Boa (sounds/vibrations). I have been bitten many times while handling because I forgot to wash properly after handling rodents, cats, birds, ect (scents).

On the subject of scents, I find it incredible that I can have all Boas asleep in their cages, in their hides, and I can put some rats in the bathtub to thaw out, close the door to the bathroom, and walk into the living room, and see every one of them with their heads poking out of the hide, muscles tensed up, reacting to movement, ready to be fed.

Well, over the last year, I have experienced a new encounter with acute consistency. My weekend routine consists of frying up some potatoes jalapenos and onions, then tossing in some eggs and scrambling it up for breakfast. And every weekend that I do this, my TH Lipstick Jungleglow Tarzan, decides I must be preparing food for him. By the time the potatoes smell starts filling the air, he's out of his hide and waiting. As soon as I walk back into the living room...BAM, he hits the glass reacting to the movement and smell in the air. This will continue each time I walk by until the smell has dissipated.

I don't have a clue what it is he's thinking, but it sure is the strangest thing I've ever witnessed. And it made me curious...what are your experiences, or strange behaviors that you've witnessed?

Forgot to add a couple pics of the culprit...

Rich, soon as I read the section above (before getting to the last) I started thinking. Until recently I fed by schedule pretty much religiously & always figured they were out ready to go because we built a solid routine. (which I almost dont like) & never even considered they could pick up the scent that far away from inside a plastic bag. I could walk in on feeding day & actually tell you if it was after 8:00pm or not yet.

Honestly, just my opinion but snakes like any other critter will take advantage of an easy meal if it's pretty much guaranteed to be there at a certain time. at least that's the way it has always been my experience on trash night with raccoons, lol.

It's an old photo but by looking, it's exactly like you mentioned. It was as if one yelled to the other "hey wake up, it's almost dinner time".
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ictureid=14885

You mention taking a few shots because of outside factors such as sight & sound. I been pretty lucky the last few years. Some of that may be because I kind of figured out who doesn't take well to being handled so I attempt to let them be snakes as much as i can & try not to stress them out if I dont have to but I honestly think gloves play a role for me too. Occasionally, depending on my mood I will put them on but not really for protection against them but more for them against myself. The gloves, even if that's all i have on give me more confidence & grip which i think puts a larger snake more at ease. Maybe it's just natural reaction but still I tend to think these critters are just a little smarter then people sometimes give them credit for.

Never been a fan of gloves myself. For me it's the opposite. I feel more confident without them, and maybe I'm fooling myself here, but in my mind I can better fell there muscle tension, etc without them, giving me a little more warning as to how they're gonna react.

That's not to say I haven't owned a few hellions that I've used gloves with. LOL

So I'm the only one who owns weirdo's or what?

One of my females does the same thing when I am cooking pancakes.

... I really have no reason why.

I don't know ... maybe I should just give her one. Lol

You might be surprised. I've fed mine some stuff I was told they'd "never eat". LOL

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/DSC_9670.jpg

Although I ain't so sure I'd ever try a pancake. HA HA HA

That's a spectacular "om nom nom" face. Lol

Hmm I've never noticed them reacting to scents from cooking but I usually don't go in the snake room when I'm cooking either, they definitely get out and about when I'm thawing rodents in the bathtub (doors closed, snake room door is always closed), and I don't feed everyone at the same time, it's always pretty random which group of snakes is getting fed.

Next weekend when making breakfast (hashbrowns, bacon, etc) I'll go see if any of them have their 'where's my food' face on.

LOL I have one female that will put that face on if I open the door to the herp room, it doesn't matter if rodents are thawing or not, if I'm cooking or not, etc. She'd be as round as a king snake if I let her eat as much as she wants.