the snake that wants to pwn its owner....

[chunder]

my mothers friend had a snake that wouldn't eat anything for a very long time. Eventually, after the snake had gotten so skinny, she took it to the vet. He said that sometimes snakes will starve themselves in order to prepare for a big meal; and that the big meal in question was most likely her. The owner of the snake then had the snake put down. Has anyone else heard of this happening? Is it possible that there is any truth to this??

[yao416]

I would never want a snake as a pet..... and it's possible...

[nsx]

... He said that sometimes snakes will starve themselves in order to prepare for a big meal; and that the big meal in question was most likely her. The owner of the snake then had the snake put down. ...

Was that a python? :-0

[UrbanPoet]

wow thats scary... What kind of snake was it?

[chunder]

wow thats scary... What kind of snake was it?

im not sure, i will try to find out

[flexwong]

my mothers friend had a snake that wouldn't eat anything for a very long time. Eventually, after the snake had gotten so skinny, she took it to the vet. He said that sometimes snakes will starve themselves in order to prepare for a big meal; and that the big meal in question was most likely her. The owner of the snake then had the snake put down. Has anyone else heard of this happening? Is it possible that there is any truth to this??

ha, u know what's funny, my friend told me the exact same story. her friend's cousin in the US or something had a snake that did the exact same thing apparently. i call bs and that this is just some internet rumor people are spreading (not the whole snake starving themselves thing, that seems pretty natural). snakes are smart predators, they don't just kill to eat, they stalk their prey at times.

[Lava]

I'd have to say this is false, i don't doubt that they starve themselves for a big meal, but there is no way it could possibly eat a human. Snakes can't chew, they can only swallow things whole. Although if it is a poisonous snake, it could possibly bite the owner, killing him/her but not eating the owner.

[UrbanPoet]

I'd have to say this is false, i don't doubt that they starve themselves for a big meal, but there is no way it could possibly eat a human. Snakes can't chew, they can only swallow things whole. Although if it is a poisonous snake, it could possibly bite the owner, killing him/her but not eating the owner.

LArge snakes have the strategy of putting large prey into a choke hold... so i imagine they could do some pretty big damage if they wanted too

[xchodax]

http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/measured.asp

snopes says the story is falsee!

[danns]

If the owner was really really short then maybe its possible. Or it could have been saving up for other pets such as the dog or cat.

[strangeepiphany]

http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/measured.asp

snopes says the story is falsee!

Well, that's good. I always wanted a snake as a pet, and still might get one some time! Wouldn't want to go to bed at night worrying the snake would eat me while I slept. :lol:

[TapemanPL]

I'd have to say this is false, i don't doubt that they starve themselves for a big meal, but there is no way it could possibly eat a human. Snakes can't chew, they can only swallow things whole. Although if it is a poisonous snake, it could possibly bite the owner, killing him/her but not eating the owner.

what do you mean? snakes eat people all the time
a pet snake would rarely ever be big enough, but snakes eat really big things like hippos

[peterk]

Why would a snake, or any animal not eat in hopes of a larger meal coming along? how could this possibly be the snake's instinct. It's hungry...but it won't eat food in front of it, cause it thinks maybe something bigger will come along. Doesn't make any sense.
Obviously if it is not hungry and has the choice of food, it will go for the larger creature because it gets more engery/effort out of it, but why it would starve itself is beyond me.

[Uncle Cool]

Why would a snake, or any animal not eat in hopes of a larger meal coming along? how could this possibly be the snake's instinct. It's hungry...but it won't eat food in front of it, cause it thinks maybe something bigger will come along. Doesn't make any sense.
Obviously if it is not hungry and has the choice of food, it will go for the larger creature because it gets more engery/effort out of it, but why it would starve itself is beyond me.

Animals don't hold off on meals unless they're full. No animal would starve itself waiting for the 'big score'.

[jp06]

it probably depends on what snake it is. From what i seen, Pythons will eat some big animal like a Hippo or Deer and that one meal will last them for a year.

[chunder]

The python will select it's prey, and if it is large enough if will last for a year. plus, this deer is way wider than the average human, and has horns. Thus, it seems to me that it is entirely possible that a snake would plot to kill its owner, it seems like it is worth the wait if you wouldnt have to feed for another year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDW5HpdFals

Also,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w_2leqaneg&NR=1