Snake Weight, Don’t Tell Me!

In anticipation of the recent vet visit from Dr. Maas of The Center for Bird and Exotic Animal Medicine, Animal Care staff performed the quarterly weigh-in of our reptiles.



We weigh the boa constrictors by weighing staff members with and without snakes, and subtracting the difference. This is simple arithmetic, which we sometimes ask younger guests to help with. Any chance to sneak math into the day is worth it.


Here are the results:

Estrella – (21.6 lbs.) 9.8 kg, (7ft 10in) 2.4 meters
Esteban – (19.4 lbs.) 8.7 kg, (8ft) 2.4 meters
Estella – (24.8 lbs.) 11.2 kg, (7ft 11in) 2.4 meters

Why do we convert pounds and feet to metric readings? Partially, we do this because metric measurements are accepted universally. Even more importantly, we like to know the animals’ weights in kilograms because nearly all medication is dispensed in units per gram or kilogram, and the math is much simpler if we already have the weights in those increments.


Measuring a snake’s length is tricky. Snakes rarely stretch out to their full length, and they resist our efforts to make them do so. Instead, we lay string along their spine from head to tail and measure the string. Because the snakes are moving, these measurements are not accurate. However, as we take multiple measurements over time, their averages will come closer to a real reading.


Zea – 460 grams, (45 in) 1.14 meters
Tillamook – 480 grams, (45.5in) 1.15 meters
Nacho – 80 grams, (26.5in) 0.67 meters

Lydia – 100 grams


The corn snakes and the leopard gecko were weighed on a smaller and more precise scale, since a few grams means a lot for an animal of their size. If Estella gained or lost 100 grams (Lydia’s entire weight) it would account for less than 1% of her body weight, so we do not need to weigh her to the same degree of precision.

As we track our animals over time, we hope to see signs of growth in the younger ones, stability in the adults, and help bring Estella, who is a tad heavy and Zea and Tillamook, who are a trifle thin, back to their ideal weights.


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It's Official!

The corn snake formerly known as "Hey You" now has a name. Thanks to all the loyal readers who participated in our recent naming contest here and on Facebook. The winning name is ...

NACHO

Here is the vote count:

Nacho 15
Checkers/Patches 11
Fluffy 2
Mobius 2
Sir William Biscuit 2
Harry Potter related names 3
Houdini 2
Other write-ins (1 vote each) 9

Some of our mathematically gifted readers may notice that out of 27 replies we ended up with 46 votes. Life Sciences Manager Sarah Moore explains:

“I took some liberties here. For example some people voted more than once, saying in effect ‘I nominate the following write-in name but if you don’t use that, my preference among the offered choices is …X.’ In that case I counted both votes. I also included several votes that came to by other methods than the blog. Most families ended up all voting for the same name, and I counted all the votes. I’m honored that there were family discussions on this subject and I’m happy to give votes to those too young to post on our blog. I bundled together very similar names.”


No matter how we look at it, the people have spoken. Our new corn snake will henceforth and forever be known as Nacho!

The food photograph of nachos has been adapted from one in the public domain.

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Help Us Name Our Snake

While you read about our new corn snake’s adventures, you may have been asking yourself whether our new corn snake has a name, or whether we just call him ‘hey, you’.

The answer is, we have several naming ideas but not everyone agrees on which one is best.



Choice # 1 – Nacho.

Why we like it: The scientific name for corn, Zea mays, already inspired the names for our corn snakes, Zea and Maizy. We were going to stop with the food names but Tillamook came with his name, and his rich orange color makes it very appropriate. With corn and cheese names already spoken for, Nacho seemed like a natural to combine the two themes.

Problems with it: It makes some staff members hungry. Since it is never appropriate to eat while handling animals, we just have to stay hungry till our work is finished. Is Nacho too corny a name? Too cheesy?


Choice # 2 - Checkers

Why we like it: If you look closely at the underside of the corn snake, you notice perfect little black and white squares that form a perfect checkerboard motif. This pattern is quite unlike the markings on our other two snakes.

Problems with it: There is already a famous historical dog who was named Checkers. For some, the connection is too strong to use the name on a different species.

What do you think? Please give us your comments on the names – or your write-in candidate not on our list. Don’t let our little corn snake go nameless.

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How We Feed Our Snakes

If you visit the boa constrictor and corn snake cages at Pacific Science Center, you will notice a blank area on each animal’s sign, where we write in their next feeding time. When the time approaches, we inevitably attract some loyal fans, as well as new guests eager to see what will happen. This article will try to give you a sense of what you might expect to see and learn at a snake feeding.

Warning – This following article contains a graphic descriptions of eating whole rats!


The first thing most people notice is how infrequently the snakes eat. Our boa constrictors eat once a week and our corn snakes eat once every 2 weeks. In fact, they could go much longer between meals and occasionally a perfectly healthy snake will refuse food for several feedings in a row. However, we generally see refusal of food as a warning of other possible problems.

There are no known vegetarian snakes; all eat either some kind of animal or eggs or both. We feed our corn snakes mice and our boa constrictors mice or rats. All of our snakes are constrictors, which means they use their bodies to wrap around prey animals and suffocate them.


In captivity, it is wise to feed snakes a prey that has already been killed. Live prey can fight back and injure the snake, sometimes quite badly. Or if the snake is not hungry, the caretaker can be injured while taking out an uneaten –and angry – prey animal.

Note: We do not kill the rats and mice that we offer our snakes. They are shipped to us frozen, after being humanely euthanized.


A snake that has been fed killed prey her entire life may still strike at her food, as it is instinctive for them. This is scary. The snake slams into the food with her mouth open, seizing it and holding it while she constricts. It can take up to several minutes before she relaxes her hold. If our Animal Care staff seems jittery during feeding, it may be because it is very hard not to have a reflexive reaction when this happens.


Because of their unique anatomy, snakes swallow their prey whole. They usually start at the nose of their prey, which allows for a more streamlined swallowing of limbs than starting at the other end. Snake jaws have a unique ability to separate to allow them to open wide enough. They can continue to breathe while swallowing thanks to the placement of the epiglottis on the lower part of the mouth. The snake’s teeth are too pointed and delicate for chewing, but their backward curve helps them to push the food backward. Snakes surround their food with a thick mucous as they swallow. This helps protect their throats from being abraded by they hair and claws of their victim.


Once the snake finishes eating, we give them at least three days off to digest. They are not scheduled for demonstrations and we handle them only when they need cleaning or medical attention. Swallowing food whole is hard work and they need plenty of time to rest afterwards.


If you’d like to see a snake feeding live and in person, come visit us at Pacific Science Center. Snake feedings are generally scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday afternoons. But please remember these are live animals and we can’t always guarantee that they will eat as scheduled.

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January Vet Visit

On Jan 19, Dr. Maas and Dr. Temple from Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital paid a routine house call to Pacific Science Center’s animals.



Each of our snakes received a full physical exam from head to tail. The insides of their mouths were examined for broken teeth, pale gums, excess saliva, or loud breathing. The skin was inspected as well. Snake skin should be clear and unblemished, without old scales from previous skin sheds.


Snake’s undersides were felt for lumps or irregularities. Overall conditions were noted. Estella is a little heavy! Dr. Maas recommended we feed each of the boa constrictors a small rat on a weekly schedule.


It was in this exam that a strange lump was felt in Maizey, the corn snake’s abdomen. As previously explained, Dr. Maas took Maizey back to his hospital for further examination with sad results.

Lydia, the leopard gecko, looks great. She has a fat tail which is a sign of good health in these animals. We were warned to not associate her with other leopard geckos as they might not be as healthy.



Dr. Maas recommended that we house our African dwarf frogs separate from the axolotls. Their skin is toxic to axolotls. The frogs are currently partitioned from the axolotls with a simple tank divider. Should a frog escape and end up in an axolotl mouth, it could be fatal to both animals. Stay tuned! Plans for a separate dwarf frog exhibit are in the works!


The naked mole-rats were looked at for overall colony health. Most of them have gained weight over the last year. Pups from our two recent litters are nearly the size of the smallest adults. Unfortunately, a few individuals are not thriving. We discussed how best to monitor them, and set up a plan for a thorough colony clean. In future articles, we’ll discuss our naked mole-rat husbandry routines and report on the results.


All in all, the vets’ visit was careful, thorough, and exhaustive. Animal Care staff always learns a lot from these house calls which help us better care for our animals.

Thanks to Alice Enevoldsen, Pacific Science Center’s planetarium specialist, for photographing the veterinarians’ visit.
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Maizey the Corn Snake

Rest in peace Maizey
1995 – 2010

Maizey entered the world in 1995 and came to Pacific Science Center in 1996 or 97, when he was about the diameter of a pencil and could weave in and out between a handler’s fingers.



He was soon known for his good appetite and his friendly demeanor, and this side of Maizey never changed throughout his entire life. Even in his most recent demonstrations he was described as “fantastic” and “great”.

In addition to helping many visitors and staff overcome their anxiety about snakes, Maizey and his fellow corn snake Zea helped illustrate the genetic variability that controls pigment. Maizey had dark, naturally occurring colors. Zea is a partial albino (amelanistic mutation). The two snakes, viewed side by side, showed how a few genes control skin color, and how variable pigment can be within a species.

Maizey the corn snake died peacefully on Wednesday January 20, shortly after being diagnosed with a fast growing form of cancer. The suspected killer, hemangiosarcoma, is a cancer that is fed by blood vessels. It is highly invasive and fast growing. Perhaps it is best that our memories of Maizey are of a healthy, active, personable snake who seemed to live well right to the end.

Maizey will be missed by all who had the privilege of working with him.

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