Snake senses question

[Ptarmigan]

Hi Everyone!

I'm planning to get an antaresia python in the near future, and would like to keep the enclosure in my room. However, I already have some pets in my room - a pair of king quails. I wouldn't be keeping the snake enclosure right next to their cage, but it would be in the same room.

So the question is, would the snake be able to smell the quails, and would it agitate them? Just want to know if this is an okay idea or a super bad idea.

 

[Foozil]

Yeah, you could, but it'd be a bit of a tease to the snake. I personally wouldn't

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

I know someone who used to keep their breeder rats in the same room as their snakes.
He didn't seem to have any concerns from it but it's not something I would enter into personally.

 

[Ptarmigan]

Yeah, you could, but it'd be a bit of a tease to the snake. I personally wouldn't

Yeah, that's what I was worried about, no need to unnecessarily excite the little guy.
[doublepost=1519557745,1519557700][/doublepost]

I know someone who used to keep their breeder rats in the same room as their snakes.
He didn't seem to have any concerns from it but it's not something I would enter into personally.

Interesting. Did it seem to agitate or upset the snakes at all?

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

Don't know but it wouldn't be a good environment for them where they can smell a potential feed every minute of the day.
I imagine it would have an impact on their natural behavior but each to their own.

 

[Bluetongue1]

Speaking of natural behaviour, it is not unusual for snakes occupy mice, rat and rabbit burrows for refuges. Surely they would be very strongly scented of prey items. They use scent to locate prey and then sight to strike and capture, so there seems no reason it should affect feeding. Just like us, when in a continuous smelly environment like mucking out a duck yard, I’d reckon they would soon adjust to the smell and not be concerned by it.

 

[Yellowtail]

Others on here may be better qualified to comment but scent is used more by elapids that follow scent trails and hunt their prey including searching burrows, adult pythons with heat pits seem to rely more on the heat signature of their prey, they use scent to identify suitable ambush positions. Scent certainly is a major factor with baby pythons but they strike at the heat which is interesting considering their natural food is cold blooded. When adult pythons grab hands instead of the food item it is usually because of the larger heat mass.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Since it started warming up in December, I moved my 3 mice tanks down into the cool of the reptile room. My 2 snake tubs would be no more than 2.5m straight line distance from all the mice. Have noticed no change in the python's behaviours whatsoever.
[doublepost=1519622633,1519622422][/doublepost]My python tubs are also directly behind my budgie cage, within 12 inches of him. No issues.

 

[GBWhite]

Hi Everyone!

I'm planning to get an antaresia python in the near future, and would like to keep the enclosure in my room. However, I already have some pets in my room - a pair of king quails. I wouldn't be keeping the snake enclosure right next to their cage, but it would be in the same room.

So the question is, would the snake be able to smell the quails, and would it agitate them? Just want to know if this is an okay idea or a super bad idea.

To answer your question...yes the snake would be able to smell the quails.

You'll hear points for and against both sides of any discussion relating to keeping food items in the same room as snakes so it basically comes down to what you believe is best for the snake and I might add any other pets (in your case the quails) that are intended to be housed in the same room. The quails will be aware of the snake just as the snake will be aware of the quails.

Snakes have an excellent sense of smell and use their nose and tongue to pick up chemical signatures from both the air and ground to assist them in detecting prey. They determine the direction of the prey by the strength of the scent captured on either of the tynes (tips) of their tongue. The strength of the scent on each individual tyne helps to inform them if the prey is to their right or left. The strength of the scent, vision and in the case of pit vipers and boids, thermal signature combine to help a snake determine the distance and direction of the prey at the time of strike.

Smell is also the primary method used by snakes to attract and detect mates.

As a footnote...As mentioned (and I'm sure you're aware) pythons and boas use thermal signatures to locate prey via heat sensing pits situated on the upper and lower lips. Detecting heat signatures is especially beneficial to the strike accuracy of nocturnal wild snakes when hunting prey at night and vision may be limited or hindered. Both Antaresia and Morelia have been observed taking bats on the wing, in the dead of night with no moon at a success rate of almost 100%.

Pythons are generally ambush feeder but when foraging like other snakes such as elapids and colubrids may utilise a combination of techniques and senses to detect food items.

 

[richyboa72]

My boas definitely know when I’m defrosting mice and rats in the room as there at the glass normaly in minutes tongues flicking like mad and little faces pressed against it unless there in shed like


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[Ptarmigan]

Hey guys, thanks for all the responses! It's really helped me in deciding what to do.

I think I'll keep the enclosure out of my room for the first few weeks while the little guy settles, then move it into my room. If it or the quails starts acting agitated, it can go back out into the living room.