Have you ever smelled a delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen and followed your nose, only to find that someone else got to the food first? The snakes had a similar experience today.
I checked on Digger and Emory in the morning and, finding them both curled up under their rock hides, wondered how I could encourage them to get out more. I decided to try combining tactile and scent enrichment to spice up their morning.
I pulled out two tiles (free samples from a hardware store) with different textures that would be new, interesting surfaces for their bellies to slide across. To make them even more enticing, I took a rat from the refrigerator and rubbed its fur across the tiles.
Within minutes, Digger and Emory were on top of their tiles with tongues flicking, sniffing around for the tasty snack. Emory soon gave up, but Digger the hognose snake was a little more persistent. Snakes do not have facial expressions, but I couldn't help but think that she looked incredibly unamused at my little trick. She learned the lesson that her wild relatives know well: some days you find the rat, some days you don't.
Comments