Do snakes yawn????

[Rindles]

Please help!

We took our gorgeous lil snake out to show some friends last weekend, we put him on our rug and he stared at my friend and opened his mouth right at her, then closed it. It was kind of like a yawn, but I want to know if there was any threat involved with this?

Eddie (spotted python) is 6 months old and is VERY placid. We have not been bitten once yet. Mind you, he hasn't eaten for 2 months and I am starting to worry. He was goign fine, but then it started to get cold. So don't know if he is hungry or was angry or if it was an innocent yawn.

Thanks for your help!

 

[cadwallader]

just an innocent yawn or just adjusting the jaws one or the other. some snakes go off over winter but what are the temps at?

 

[woody101]

Yeah they do well mine do hahaha all the time

 

[kawasakirider]

It was a threat display, they will do this to warn big predators to back off.Just kidding, he was just dying for some oxygen.

 

[Stopthatsnake]

I have seen mine yawn... occasionally ill look up at my snake and see it doing some interesting stuff!

 

[MathewB]

Wasn't there a thread on this? But with pics

 

[Renenet]

My stimmie "yawns" here and there. There's no rhyme or reason to it that I can see. She's done it while looking straight at me; equally, she's done it when she thinks no one's watching. Every time I find myself thinking, "What big jaws you have, Zephyr."

I think it's normal. I don't know what it means - it might just be a stretch. I think the only time you need to worry is if she's doing it a lot - then it might be a sign of illness.

 

[SYNeR]

Mine seem to mostly do it after a feed or during shedding (when I happen to catch them in the act).. Probably just
stretching their jaw, I suppose.

 

[AirCooled]

I have 2 7 month old unrelated Macs that have been having a fuzzy every 7 days,also shedding every 6-7 weeks.Seems strange that Eddie hasn't eaten for 2 months,have you weighed him lately,current temps?

 

[Boidae]

I see mine yawn all the time, it is truly incredible to see how much they can stretch their jaws.

 

[Bluetongue1]

Mine seem to mostly do it after a feed or during shedding (when I happen to catch them in the act).. Probably just
stretching their jaw, I suppose.

Snakes yawn after a meal to realign the jaws. They yawn during a shed to stretch and loosen the old skin around the mouth so it comes free of the new skin and will lift off once it breaks free of the lips (with a bit of rubbing).



Snakes yawn at other times to limber up the muscles and ligaments of the jaws, in much the same way humans stretch their arms or legs. Unlike a human yawn, they are not doing it to increase the oxygen flow.

If a snake coils back in the typical s-shape and opens its mouth, it is saying stay away or else!

Antaresia pythons are renown for not eating through winter even when the temps are maintained. So some will and some won’t. It also occurs much less frequently in the other python groups. Absolutely no need to worry if they were in good condition and good health beforehand. They will start again around August / September. My personal theory is that some snakes respond more strongly to changing day length.

Blue

 

[reptileKev81]

A vid I caught of my MD "yawning".
He has never bitten or showed any signs of aggression, but he did yawn from time to time. I don't think my python was showing signs of being bitey, he was just doing his thing.
[video=youtube;gjlsk2F3EHY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjlsk2F3EHY[/video]

 

[Renenet]

Nice timing, Kev, unless you were standing there all day waiting for your MD to yawn.

 

[reptileKev81]

Nice timing, Kev, unless you were standing there all day waiting for your MD to yawn.

Lols it was a lucky catch, its not often my reps do something cool shortly after you got the camera on em.Then again, it was in the first month after I got him, so I was taking lots of pics, I think that yawn was him telling me he was bored of seeing me pointing the camera at him lols