My Mother, the Boa Charmer

**lady_bug87** · 10-26-11, 07:57 AM

So 2 of my snakes my BP Mav and my Colombian Boa Leela are housed at my mom's because I am attempting to move and I need to start de-cluttering.

Now my mother is not afraid of my snakes she in fact is the only one in the house that I can ask to check on them however she refuses to open the tanks which is fine.

Last night I called to check up on my critters I gave her the husbandry checking instructions and she - while on the phone - went down stairs where my babies are being kept. After checking that the temps and humidity are ok I asked if she sees them coming out (it was night time) so she said well Mav is but Leela isn't

being ready to hang up the phone my mother starts to BABY TALK MY SNAKES and after me telling her they probably wont respond she says "yea well Leela slithered her whole body out of her hide and is curled up ON TOP OF IT watching me" and the baby talk continued, as long as she baby talked the snakes stuck around OUT of their hides and listened to her babbling when she stopped they slithered back to doing what they were doing before.

I laughed for a good 15 minutes.. my mother.. the snake charmer

ZARADOZIA · 10-26-11, 08:55 AM

LOL That is Fabulous! I baby talk all my animals, just like I do the wild ones I have tamed, just like I do my God Daughter, just like I did my son...lol

**lady_bug87** · 10-26-11, 08:57 AM

the thing that kills me is when they're with us they hear voices all the time because our apartment is so small they NEVER respond. I guess at my moms they're in the basement and its quiet they're wondering where their humans are at

Jay · 10-26-11, 09:06 AM

Most likely reacting to the vibrations your mom was causing, snakes can not hear...

ZARADOZIA · 10-26-11, 10:14 AM

Snakes-
When mechanical vibrations are applied to the body, they result activation of the inner ear just as do airborne vibrations detected by the tympanic membrane and extrastapes do in eared reptiles. Responses to groundborne vibrations are low in sensitivity and frequency, in the 50-1,000Hz range; their peak sensitivity is at 200-300 Hz range, superior to cats. Like the crocodilians, and other reptiles with linkages of their inner ear structures to their jaw and other structures in the head and throat, snakes have another way to conduct sound to their ear.

Vibrations picked up by mechanoreceptors in the skin of their bellies (and bodies?), and possibly their venter, are transmitted to the quadrate via the spinal nerves and from there into their inner ear structures. In other words, most snakes can hear a person speaking in a normal tone of voice in a quiet room at a distance of about 10 feet (3 m). So, if you think your snakes recognize their names, you are probably right. Researchers debate whether the snake's receptors cannot tell the difference between airborne or groundborne (somatic) stimuli, but that higher level processing could enable the snake to tell if the stimulus was airborne or groundborne.

Sources

Audioholics: Watts and dBs

Carson, John. 1998. Shhh! The Snake May Hear You. Originally published online at the Torrey Pines State Park (CA) website.

TIGR Reptile Database

Physics of Sound Lecture

Kaplan, Melissa. 1994. Did you hear the one about...?
Lizards of Mexico
Chameleon Communication
Murray, Michael J. 1997. Aural Abscesses. In, In, Reptile Medicine & Surgery, pp. 349-352. Douglas Mader DVM, editor. WB Saunders, NY.

Young, Bruce A. 1997. Hearing, taste, tactile reception, and olfaction. In, The Biology, Husbandry and Health Care of Reptiles, Vol I, pp 185-213. Lowell Ackerman DVM, editor. T.F.H. Publishing, Neptune City NJ.

Wright, Kevin M. 1997. Amphibian husbandry and medicine. In, Reptile Medicine & Surgery, pg. 440. Douglas Mader DVM, editor. WB Saunders, NY.

For those desirous of further research, Young cites, amongst the 214 or so references he at the end of his chapter, three in particular in regards to the structure and function of the reptilian ear:

Baird, I. The anatomy of the Reptilian ear. In, Biology of the Reptilia, Gans, C.; Parsons, T (Eds.) Academic Press, New York, NY. 1970, pp. 193-275

Bellairs, A. The life of reptiles. 2 vol. Universe Books, New York. 1970.

Wever, E. The reptile ear: Its structure and function. Princeton University Press, Princeton. 1978.

Reptile Hearing

KrazyKat · 10-26-11, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZARADOZIA

Snakes-
When mechanical vibrations are applied to the body, they result activation of the inner ear just as do airborne vibrations detected by the tympanic membrane and extrastapes do in eared reptiles. Responses to groundborne vibrations are low in sensitivity and frequency, in the 50-1,000Hz range; their peak sensitivity is at 200-300 Hz range, superior to cats. Like the crocodilians, and other reptiles with linkages of their inner ear structures to their jaw and other structures in the head and throat, snakes have another way to conduct sound to their ear.

Vibrations picked up by mechanoreceptors in the skin of their bellies (and bodies?), and possibly their venter, are transmitted to the quadrate via the spinal nerves and from there into their inner ear structures. In other words, most snakes can hear a person speaking in a normal tone of voice in a quiet room at a distance of about 10 feet (3 m). So, if you think your snakes recognize their names, you are probably right. Researchers debate whether the snake's receptors cannot tell the difference between airborne or groundborne (somatic) stimuli, but that higher level processing could enable the snake to tell if the stimulus was airborne or groundborne.

Reptile Hearing

Ahhh there it is! Thanks so much for quoting that, I had read this before but forgot where to find it again - really neat discovery

@ lady_bug: Your mum reminds me of mine! It took extreme baby steps, but she went from "no reptile will ever enter my house" to having her "favourites to hold"!

I'm very happy for you seeing her warm up to them like that

stephanbakir · 10-26-11, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay0133

Most likely reacting to the vibrations your mom was causing, snakes can not hear...

Snakes can sort of hear, I made a post about it a while back.

Secondly, am I the only one who is driven absolutely insane by baby talk?

ZARADOZIA · 10-26-11, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

Snakes can sort of hear, I made a post about it a while back.

Secondly, am I the only one who is driven absolutely insane by baby talk?

LOL baby talk for me is talking in a sweet, loving, soothing, soft voice. Not "Oochie goochhie goo"

**millertime89** · 10-26-11, 10:50 AM

wow, that's really interesting, surprised a study like that from 1998 hasn't been talked about more often.

**millertime89** · 10-26-11, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zaradozia

lol baby talk for me is talking in a sweet, loving, soothing, soft voice. Not "oochie goochhie goo"

this drives me nuts!

Gungirl · 10-26-11, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

Secondly, am I the only one who is driven absolutely insane by baby talk?

I HATE everything about baby talk no matter the way it is done. Annoys the crap outta me.

stephanbakir · 10-26-11, 10:54 AM

Kat and I are destined to be :P

Gungirl · 10-26-11, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

Kat and I are destined to be :P

Me and my husband think otherwise..

LMAO!

stephanbakir · 10-26-11, 10:58 AM

I've never met your hubby but you sound awesome together :P Just hope there is room for me... LOL

Snakefood · 10-26-11, 10:58 AM

LOL!! my mom says she's gonna stop visiting now that there are snakes in my house!!! She won't, but I thought it was funny!!