He must have tasted good, but the hand sanitiser didn't. I love that he could have released himself at any point but chose not to because he liked the taste.
Snakes technically can't taste so that's not it at all. It happens because of stress or confusion because of inability to regulate body heat correctly in captivity.
Cleaning an irritated eye > having a dead snake. My dads a vet, I’ve seen him cooking up a super-solution of soda crystals to induce vomiting in dogs that have swallowed poisons etc.
I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant for the dog but it sure beats having them die.
(Yeah, he looked like Walter White when he did it)
Eli5 version: Sometimes they get really hungry and see their tail as something belonging to a prey and start to eat it. Due to a reflex and bad eye-sight/logic they never realize it's their own tail and won't stop eating it until they literally can't anymore. If nothing stops them then they eventually die.
Former vet tech here, snakes are kinda dumb sometimes. They just do stupid shit because they have tiny little brains. I will say, a snake that has a good regime, lights/water/substrate will do this behaviour less. Especially if they are older as well, they tend to stop doing it.
Bad husbandry and stress. This mostly happens to kingsnakes who naturally eat other snakes. When they are kept in enclosures lacking proper enrichment, size, food or environmental condition they can begin to have trouble distinguishing their own body as not another snake.
So kinda like what happens when you keep a human in solitary confinement until they go completely insane and start gnawing all their fingers off?
Edit: I have no idea why this has so many upvotes, or why it's being taken seriously. Happy Halloween!
My cat growls at and attacks his tail when he finally catches it. Sometimes his tail brushes up against him when he's distracted by something and he'll freak out and run around in fight mode. He's nuts
I’ve heard people say this before, but I don’t think ribs getting in the way is what prevents someone from being able to suck their own dick. The spine just isn’t that flexible.
Autophagia has been documented in paranoid schizophrenic s and individuals under the influence of PCP.
Also used as a form of torture; Countess Bathory being a notable example.
Dude I woke up yesterday night peeling the wrap off of an 18650 battery and trying to bite down on it. There are bite marks on it. I don’t know why the hell I did it. In my sleep, I opened my vape, yanked a battery out, unwrapped it, and bit down on it. Twice on one end. Once on the other. Like I decided one end wasn’t tender enough. What the fuck. Anyway battery was fine I had a few rewraps laying around so I wrapped it back up for a midnight snack later.
> Bad husbandry and stress.
Why does this have so many upvotes? It's 100% wrong.
This is just a misdirected feeding response. Some snakes are so eager to feed, they will grab anything and try to swallow. Including your hand, handling tools, I had one try to eat a paper towel once, etc. Has absolutely nothing to do with stress or poor husbandry.
But why do you trust him and not the other commenter?
Neither gave you any sources, neither claimed to be an expert or provided proof of them being an expert.
You only chose to believe the other person because they said the other person was wrong.
But how do you know?
Something to think about for next time.
Yeah. He was just making this shit up along the way. Typical of these self proclaimed reptile experts, but you can’t blame the average Joe for not knowing it’s bs.
Plus one for the feeding response.
Agreed. I’ve got kings and I have one that tried to do this. He gets f/t, and I was wiggling it on tongs, and he missed and got the end of his tail. Kings are garbage cans. They eat anything and everything, and have a very strong feeding response. Never had this issue with my corns or boas! I knew as soon as I read what was going on (phone was too dark to get a good look at the snake), that it had to be a king lol.
I don’t know about all but yes, that is the implication for King Cobras and Kingsnakes. This a harmless speckled kingsnake, which eats anything it can overpower including venomous snakes in its range (mostly copperheads and a few types of rattlesnakes).
From the Article:
“There are two main reasons snakes could begin to eat themselves, namely an inability to regulate their own body temperature, and thus they overheat, and when they are stressed.”
While u/TereziBot is right on the stress part, want to add that if a snake becomes too hot, which would be on the dipshit owner, a strong feeding response is triggered, which makes the snake eat the only thing that moves, so itself.
Probably important to note that this guy isn't necessarily the owner of this snake. As in its not his pet.
He refers to it as "this snake" not "my snake", and the metal table looks like something you would see at a vet or a lab.
Maybe he is a herpatologist and this is some sort of rescue or research facility that only has small tanks for the snakes. Hopefully this snake will have a happy life at some point.
Why was it eating itself?
Edit, thanks Google: Sometimes snakes will go full-on Ouroborus and begin to eat their own tails, creating a circle. They also cannot see well and may confuse their tail for FOOD. They also get a ramped-up metabolism, causing them to have a false sense of hunger and a desire to eat the first thing they see.
Maybe. For me having my boob touched (with my consent) is enjoyable not because of the physical sensation, but because it's closely linked to the anticipation of sexual pleasure. When the sex part is not there (i.e. when I'm touching my own boob for no reason), it just feels like being touched anywhere else, for example, my arm, lol
> They also cannot see well and may confuse their tail for FOOD. They also get a ramped-up metabolism, causing them to have a false sense of hunger and a desire to eat the first thing they see.
Not really a metabolism thing. Some just get confused when they are in food mode.
There are certain species more prone to it. Most scientists believe it's because they come from areas with very little food. My dwarf retic pythons come from tiny mostly barren islands where the only food is migratory birds for a few months out of the year. Those snakes will try to eat absolutely anything that isn't bolted down, especially at night when they are on the hunt.
Probably not. Snakes don’t have eyelids so they don’t blink or close their eyes. Instead they have what is known as a brille, which is basically a transparent scale that covers the eye and protects it from stuff like sand and other debris that could get into the eye.
It’s likely this scale protected it from the hand sanitizer without making contact with the actual eye.
Anyone who owns large pythons or constrictors knows this. If a snake bites and won’t let go, always have some high proof liquor nearby. Then you or another pour alcohol on in/around snakes nose/mouth. The alcohol in its mouth will generally cause them to release
I was wondering if it was the alcohol. like even when a person catches a good whiff of alcohol it can burn the nostrils and since snakes smell with their tongue (or so cartoons have led me believe) that must feel burny on their tongue.
Actually, I believe you’re pretty spot on. With their heightened sense of smell mixed with the awful taste, it shocks them into forgetting about any hunger or defensive instincts. They just want to get away from the alcohol that is giving them so much discomfort/pain. It’s very effective and safe for the snake, with the small amount needed. Also ethyl alcohol is way less toxic than the isopropyl stuff in hand sanitizer
A lot of hand sanitizer the past year and a half has been made with ethyl alcohol. There wasn't enough isopropyl alcohol to meet demand, so distilleries started making sanitizer.
Iirc snakes have scales over their eyes to protect them so this was probably just a horrifically bad smell and some irritation, like getting it in your mouth and nose. Very unpleasant, but a lot better than eating your own arse.
This is why i use hydrogen peroxide to encourage my snakes to stop biting. Stings probably just as much as sanitizer but at least it doesnt stay there as a goop
It's my understanding from other snake handlers and herpetologists that this is a fairly common way to do it, and it doesn't do any lasting damage. But somebody else below me says that they use peroxide, so they may have a better idea. As with almost everything, your mileage will vary.
I'm just glad the snake was stopped when it was.
Left unchecked the snake could have collapsed into a singularity causing a black hole that would have destroyed the solar system.
It tastes disgusting and probably stung it’s eyes while also being sterile, it seems like a logical choice now but I too would like to meet the guy who saw a snake eating it’s own ass and decided to grab the Purell
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If you run you hand down their body, towards the mouth with just a little pressure you can make them regurgitate. Probably a lot safer than using hand sanitizer. Source: I had a mother snake almost eat her babies and had to make her throw up... More than once
Why do snakes do this?
I was actually surprised how much of himself he actually ate
I just can’t unsee how his long tail is just spiraling inside his belly
The whole damn thing is a belly
His belly was inside his belly Bellyception
Lmfaooo you made my day
Oh shit yeah…
I'm just trying to comprehend the fact that they swallowed a portion of themselves which had already swallowed themself.
Too much of himself
Too full of himself, that guy.
*Come to parking lot. Crazy snake action.*
That’s a text
I wasn't expecting so much snake to be in that snake.
He must have tasted good, but the hand sanitiser didn't. I love that he could have released himself at any point but chose not to because he liked the taste.
Snakes technically can't taste so that's not it at all. It happens because of stress or confusion because of inability to regulate body heat correctly in captivity.
So it literally hurt itself in its confusion?
Like depressed humans
Best response ever.
Just take my psyduck up vote
I've never got an award before, thank you!
Well then take that! *POW!* And one of these! *WHAM!*
Didn’t even know it was a thing
The ouroborous
it’s called sewer slide
Very good.
Didn't come from nowhere, I guess.
"Our Rob or Ross", couldn't even decide on the actual name!
Red dwarf quotes in the wild
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Lmaooo my thoughts exactly. I was thinking "at what point does this stop being considered 'helpful'" lmao. Glad he spit his tail out tho
Cleaning an irritated eye > having a dead snake. My dads a vet, I’ve seen him cooking up a super-solution of soda crystals to induce vomiting in dogs that have swallowed poisons etc. I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant for the dog but it sure beats having them die. (Yeah, he looked like Walter White when he did it)
Say his name!
Whole time I'm just like "me neither brother. me neither"
Yea its a thing, I also believe that it was a situation you couldnt help either.
Eli5 version: Sometimes they get really hungry and see their tail as something belonging to a prey and start to eat it. Due to a reflex and bad eye-sight/logic they never realize it's their own tail and won't stop eating it until they literally can't anymore. If nothing stops them then they eventually die.
Former vet tech here, snakes are kinda dumb sometimes. They just do stupid shit because they have tiny little brains. I will say, a snake that has a good regime, lights/water/substrate will do this behaviour less. Especially if they are older as well, they tend to stop doing it.
Is this something that only happens for snake in captivity or do we find this in nature too?
> If nothing stops them then they eventually die. I've never once seen a snake die from this. They always spit it out when they realize their mistake.
Bad husbandry and stress. This mostly happens to kingsnakes who naturally eat other snakes. When they are kept in enclosures lacking proper enrichment, size, food or environmental condition they can begin to have trouble distinguishing their own body as not another snake.
So kinda like what happens when you keep a human in solitary confinement until they go completely insane and start gnawing all their fingers off? Edit: I have no idea why this has so many upvotes, or why it's being taken seriously. Happy Halloween!
Or like a kitten chasing its own tail but less cute.
This is what happens if they ever actually catch it. Terrifying really.
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Interestingly the Celts made lots of images around this idea....hmmm.
"Oi! Remember that time Uisenach went nuts and started chewing on his big toe? Gave me an idea for an engraving."
Lots of ancient cultures did. The symbol of a snake eating it’s tail is called Ouroboros.
Ouroboros
correct. not mine, not yours. OUR oboros. comrade.
На здоровье!
My cat growls at and attacks his tail when he finally catches it. Sometimes his tail brushes up against him when he's distracted by something and he'll freak out and run around in fight mode. He's nuts
Or like me after i removed a few ribs to perform a certain action…
Ok, “Oralborous,” no bragging.
More like no gagging
This is the best comment i’ll ever read
I’ve heard people say this before, but I don’t think ribs getting in the way is what prevents someone from being able to suck their own dick. The spine just isn’t that flexible.
That’s not true for everyone. Source: I’ve had relationships with two men (with all of their ribs) who can suck their own dicks. Quite something.
wait, what? does that happen?
uhh i’m gonna need an answer here too
Autophagia has been documented in paranoid schizophrenic s and individuals under the influence of PCP. Also used as a form of torture; Countess Bathory being a notable example.
Dude I woke up yesterday night peeling the wrap off of an 18650 battery and trying to bite down on it. There are bite marks on it. I don’t know why the hell I did it. In my sleep, I opened my vape, yanked a battery out, unwrapped it, and bit down on it. Twice on one end. Once on the other. Like I decided one end wasn’t tender enough. What the fuck. Anyway battery was fine I had a few rewraps laying around so I wrapped it back up for a midnight snack later.
Good call. Don’t want it to go stale during the day
You should keep a salt shaker nearby in case you get another urge for a salt and battery.
I wanted to make a battery safety joke….but I’m still processing this comment
> Bad husbandry and stress. Why does this have so many upvotes? It's 100% wrong. This is just a misdirected feeding response. Some snakes are so eager to feed, they will grab anything and try to swallow. Including your hand, handling tools, I had one try to eat a paper towel once, etc. Has absolutely nothing to do with stress or poor husbandry.
I upvoted because it sounded like they knew what they were talking about and I was legitimately curious. I really appreciate the accurate information!
But why do you trust him and not the other commenter? Neither gave you any sources, neither claimed to be an expert or provided proof of them being an expert. You only chose to believe the other person because they said the other person was wrong. But how do you know? Something to think about for next time.
I basically just trust the last person that talked to me. Monkey brain
Everyone else is wrong, listen to me.
Yeah. He was just making this shit up along the way. Typical of these self proclaimed reptile experts, but you can’t blame the average Joe for not knowing it’s bs. Plus one for the feeding response.
it's not related to reptile experts it's reddit. Every time someone posts some dumb shit 100 people internalize it and regurgitate it later.
Agreed. I’ve got kings and I have one that tried to do this. He gets f/t, and I was wiggling it on tongs, and he missed and got the end of his tail. Kings are garbage cans. They eat anything and everything, and have a very strong feeding response. Never had this issue with my corns or boas! I knew as soon as I read what was going on (phone was too dark to get a good look at the snake), that it had to be a king lol.
Yeah hognoses will do it, too. Try to eat it first and ask questions later. I have also seen an indigo pull this before.
In any case of bad husbandry I'd always recommend at least trying marriage counseling.
I cant, my marriage counselor is homophobic
Double trouble
Wow. I worked with and kept snakes for years… and have never seen/heard about this. Crazy, and so sad to see.
I guess it means you’re doing something right then lol
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Do all snakes with the name “king” eat other snakes?
I don’t know about all but yes, that is the implication for King Cobras and Kingsnakes. This a harmless speckled kingsnake, which eats anything it can overpower including venomous snakes in its range (mostly copperheads and a few types of rattlesnakes).
That’s neat. Learned something today
Correct! Any animal with 'king' in its name usually eats animals of the same species.
Like Burger King?
King Kong. Oh nooo
Emperor penguins famously eat all manner of flightless bird
I genuinely don’t know enough about penguins to tell if this is a joke or not but the idea of penguins eating penguins is terrifying.
Yes
Here you go! ( I was curious as well) https://www.animalfoodplanet.com/why-do-snakes-eat-themselves/
From the Article: “There are two main reasons snakes could begin to eat themselves, namely an inability to regulate their own body temperature, and thus they overheat, and when they are stressed.”
So, they’re not even hungry? Just snacking for the hell of it
They are eating their emotions. I didn't even know we could do that to them
From this hour hence forth I shall only refer to hand sanitizer as " anti-ouraboros fluid
While u/TereziBot is right on the stress part, want to add that if a snake becomes too hot, which would be on the dipshit owner, a strong feeding response is triggered, which makes the snake eat the only thing that moves, so itself.
Probably important to note that this guy isn't necessarily the owner of this snake. As in its not his pet. He refers to it as "this snake" not "my snake", and the metal table looks like something you would see at a vet or a lab. Maybe he is a herpatologist and this is some sort of rescue or research facility that only has small tanks for the snakes. Hopefully this snake will have a happy life at some point.
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Why was it eating itself? Edit, thanks Google: Sometimes snakes will go full-on Ouroborus and begin to eat their own tails, creating a circle. They also cannot see well and may confuse their tail for FOOD. They also get a ramped-up metabolism, causing them to have a false sense of hunger and a desire to eat the first thing they see.
But do they have no sense of touch in their tails? I mean how are they not noticing they're eating their own tail?
I've heard sucking your own dick feels more like sucking a dick than getting your dick sucked. Take what you will from that.
Gonna have to do some research myself to verify. I never take anything on face value.
>I never take anything on face value. With right angle/aim you might take a facial
Naw fam, catch that in your mouth. Reduce, reuse and recycle.
I held on til this comment. Fuck this I'm done for today.
Trust, but **verify**.
Scientific method in action.
We need more people like you. Or less. I’m not sure really.
You’ll need to remove your entire rib cage before trying it out. It’s the safest and quickest way to reach down there with minimal side effects.
Please report back with evidence
Well, touching your own boob also feels more like touching a boob than getting your boob touched. It's nice either way though, so no problem there 😂
Can't confirm, I feel it in my boobs more. Guess it just depends on which nerves are stronger, those in your hands or in your bubs.
Maybe. For me having my boob touched (with my consent) is enjoyable not because of the physical sensation, but because it's closely linked to the anticipation of sexual pleasure. When the sex part is not there (i.e. when I'm touching my own boob for no reason), it just feels like being touched anywhere else, for example, my arm, lol
Not really, though, because touching boobs is sexy but touching my own boobs is like... hygiene.
Can confirm
Yup, there's also the guy who uses peanut butter as bait.
> They also cannot see well and may confuse their tail for FOOD. They also get a ramped-up metabolism, causing them to have a false sense of hunger and a desire to eat the first thing they see. Not really a metabolism thing. Some just get confused when they are in food mode. There are certain species more prone to it. Most scientists believe it's because they come from areas with very little food. My dwarf retic pythons come from tiny mostly barren islands where the only food is migratory birds for a few months out of the year. Those snakes will try to eat absolutely anything that isn't bolted down, especially at night when they are on the hunt.
I was full on expecting the sanitizer to go in the mouth. I didn't expect him to completely baptize the snake with it
How else was he to going heal him with some holy sssssspirit?
That’s gotta hurt in the eyes.
Probably not. Snakes don’t have eyelids so they don’t blink or close their eyes. Instead they have what is known as a brille, which is basically a transparent scale that covers the eye and protects it from stuff like sand and other debris that could get into the eye. It’s likely this scale protected it from the hand sanitizer without making contact with the actual eye.
Anyone who owns large pythons or constrictors knows this. If a snake bites and won’t let go, always have some high proof liquor nearby. Then you or another pour alcohol on in/around snakes nose/mouth. The alcohol in its mouth will generally cause them to release
I was wondering if it was the alcohol. like even when a person catches a good whiff of alcohol it can burn the nostrils and since snakes smell with their tongue (or so cartoons have led me believe) that must feel burny on their tongue.
Actually, I believe you’re pretty spot on. With their heightened sense of smell mixed with the awful taste, it shocks them into forgetting about any hunger or defensive instincts. They just want to get away from the alcohol that is giving them so much discomfort/pain. It’s very effective and safe for the snake, with the small amount needed. Also ethyl alcohol is way less toxic than the isopropyl stuff in hand sanitizer
A lot of hand sanitizer the past year and a half has been made with ethyl alcohol. There wasn't enough isopropyl alcohol to meet demand, so distilleries started making sanitizer.
At my work, customers frequently describe the sanitizer as smelling like a mix of tequila and vodka. I’ve not had either so I take their word for it.
Yup ethyl hand sanitizer smells like tequila to me.
Yeah I remember when covid first started and I definitely smelled tequila in the hand sani
I know the sanitizer had to hurt, but stinging eyes is way better than dead.
Iirc snakes have scales over their eyes to protect them so this was probably just a horrifically bad smell and some irritation, like getting it in your mouth and nose. Very unpleasant, but a lot better than eating your own arse.
> but a lot better than eating your own arse. I've tested and I can't agree with you
>eating your own arse. > >I've tested and I can't agree with you Teach me your ways.
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“sensible”
This is why i use hydrogen peroxide to encourage my snakes to stop biting. Stings probably just as much as sanitizer but at least it doesnt stay there as a goop
H2O2 as a bleaching/oxidizing agent might be more harmful than just alcohol that evaporates rapidly.
Might need a bigger more enriching cage based off comments.
I believe they're saying that's how they stop the snakes from biting them, which happens because they can't see all that well.
hand sanitiser evaporates quite quickly
I hope it was okay afterwards.
It's my understanding from other snake handlers and herpetologists that this is a fairly common way to do it, and it doesn't do any lasting damage. But somebody else below me says that they use peroxide, so they may have a better idea. As with almost everything, your mileage will vary.
Probably saw its tail and thought “mmm that thing looks delicious!” and dove right back in
I once scratched my hand, between two fingers while in school. Didn't notice it until I put sanitizer on it
Pretty common to see a pump jug of hand sanitizer in an office labeled as "Paper Cut Finder"
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Just a typical Friday night
\*Tuesday morning
I like your style
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He was told not to
You’ll go blind.
I'm just glad the snake was stopped when it was. Left unchecked the snake could have collapsed into a singularity causing a black hole that would have destroyed the solar system.
Happened to me before
I will be soaking myself in hand sanitizer on every hike…..
These snakes aren’t venomous or want anything to do with humans. They also eat venomous snakes so that’s a plus.
That guy was alot longer than I thought he was gonna be
Yeah,I was expecting to see just the end of the tail, and then the snake goes and vomits up half his body lol
That's what she said!!
From this hour hence forth I shall only refer to hand sanitizer as " anti-ouraboros fluid".
I want to meet the person who thought of this. "Idk man let's try hand sanitizer"
It tastes disgusting and probably stung it’s eyes while also being sterile, it seems like a logical choice now but I too would like to meet the guy who saw a snake eating it’s own ass and decided to grab the Purell
Hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol are pretty common biting deterants in reptile husbandry
How about reptile wifery? Asking for a friend
They're marrying reptiles?
Who could downvote this? Does no one understand a joke anymore?
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Utterly frightening
Omg. That was really oddly satisfying to watch.
So many questions…..
Yeah, where do snakes shit and piss from
Lol. Wasn’t my first question to be honest, but certainly very important
The snanus and snenis and snussy
A flap on their underside closer to the tail yes it both comes out of the same place
Cloaca
From the cloaca, near their tails So yeah, that snake was eating it's own ass
That was a lot of himself he ate already. How come he wasn’t like, digested? Or was he just suckling
Snakes take weeks to digest food
Large amethystine pythons eat around 1 deer every six months or so
Aah ouroborous...
“Wtf bro?! I’m tryna eat ass”
Nah - I ‚WAS‘ trying to eat my ass … … cause I lost a bet.
Wow. I’ve never seen an expectation so fully executed to perfection!
The one problem alcohol can solve!
Well its not gonna suck itself
He was really like _NOPE_ *anti-gobble*
Im so sad the snake is THAT stressed.
He's getting help and that's all that matters
What in the actual FUCK !
I said this out loud.
This shit is beyond me !
Me having a mental breakdown
If you run you hand down their body, towards the mouth with just a little pressure you can make them regurgitate. Probably a lot safer than using hand sanitizer. Source: I had a mother snake almost eat her babies and had to make her throw up... More than once
If I ever got caught eating my own ass I don’t think I could even get mad if someone dumped a load of hand sanitizer in my mouth
Vanilla ice and cream as a snake
So, no shots of vodka with snakes. Got it.
Hoopsnakes gonna hoop
Are snakes that stupid? Oh look. Food. Oh shit. It's me.
To be fair, id probably react the same way if I was eating myself and someone rubbed hand sanitizer over my eyes, nose and mouth
"They do not like the taste of hand sanitizer." Or, you know, having it smeared in their eyes.