Ball pythons are fascinating and have risen in ranking as one of the most preferred Farm Reptiles. They are quite defenceless and therefore are suitable for beginners as well as knowledgeable snake lovers. This kind of snake is common in Africa and that is why their name is popular as ‘ball snakes’ whenever they are threatened or under pressure, they proceed to coil themselves into a rounded ball. By their beautiful patterns and colors most of the ball pythons have been making women and lovers of the reptiles all over the world go g Gaga.
It’s only fitting that learning about the vision of ball pythons is a must if one wants to properly care for the said creature. These reptiles possess special sight that can in some way affect their behavior and health. Therefore, if we understand how they see, it will be easier for us to ensure that their living environment caters for their needs. For instance, the ball pythons mainly depend on the motion sensing ability, therefore the environment must include places and objects that the snake can hide from as well as view.
Most pythons possess interesting eyes which have optimal features. There are also noticeable features such as their eyes which are not so big in relation to the size of their body. Responsive to this need they contain elliptical shape that enable wide view of the surrounding environment which is very relevant to the wild world. The most outstanding aspect of ball python eyes is the existence of a scale that is Transparent known as spectacle. This spectacle serves as a shield over their eyes, ensuring that in case of an eventuality or in the presence of debris they are safe.
It also helps them shed their skin as it turns transparent when time comes to shed it. This paves a way for the different structure of their eyes to play a pivotal figure in the terms of their vision and probably their health too. The raised and translucent scale on the eyes of the ball pythons is termed as spectacle. This is such an amazing feature which assists in protecting those eyes and ensuring good health of the eyes.
It is the mask which is like a glass through which they put their eyes in order to protect themselves from something evil. This special scale is rightfully effective as a protection against elements that are potentially hazardous such as branches, roughage or prey during feeding period. Besides, during shedding the skin turns a little opaque which assists the python to shed the skin without much being an issue to it. Thus, this unique part of the spectacle is a crucial part of a ball python’s vision and survival.
Visual Capabilities
The Ball pythons mainly show low-vision during the night. They are more at night and the animals possess some physiological features that enable them to hunt at night. Although, they possess photoreceptor cells that are designed for the day and night vision, it is worth understanding that their retinas are more delicate in detecting on low light. Such sensitivity helps them to capture their prey and also search for it during the night, thus proving that they do not have to hunt more during the day.
Indeed, ball pythons have extraordinary ability to sense movement and recognize objects’ shapes. This helps them see whatever is in their environment that can either be a prey or a potential predator. These animals depend on their sense of touch and on their thermal receptors with which they sense body heat. They have very small cells located in the retinas called the motion sensitive cells which assists them to detect even the slightest movement in their environment. By protruding their tongues they are able to feel the environment around them and their heat pits to sense the warmth of the objects close to them.
Color Vision
Pythons, in general, and ball pythons, in particular, are known to have a very poor color vision. There is a hypothesis that they see some colors, though the ability can be rather limited compared to human’s one. Well, you know, ball pythons have a varying number and distribution of photoreceptor cells in their eye than we do. This means that they can either have a lower capacity to distinguish color or distinguish the same in a different manner than human beings. They have better senses of variations in shades of gray which come in handy when moving the in night.
There are so many published studies today that indicate that they can be almost completely color blind while others counter that research. Hart et al (2006) tried to establish whether ball pythons had ability to see colors and the results showed that the pythons had ability to differentiate color. The researchers were monitoring the snakes movements and reactions to colors of stimuli which suggested that the snakes had some form of color vision. But future studies should be conducted in order to determine the degree and the variety of their colour vision.
Heat Sensing Abilities
These pits referred to as labial pits or heat pits are situated on two sides of the snake’s face just beneath the nostrils. These pits contain specialized heat-sensitive cells known as the thermoreceptors more efficient in perceiving any difference in the temperatures of their environment. For, being nocturnal hunters, they are equipped with sensitive heat-sensitive receptors that enable them to detect warmth from warm-blooded prey such as rodents and attack in the darkness.
Ball pythons have these special organs called heat sensing pits where they use in the same way as a superpowzed thermal instrument in detecting their prey. A little mouse is a warm-blooded animal and hence when it starts moving around the body, it tends to produce heat. The heat pits sense the infrared radiation emitted by the prey while the snake’s brain interprets this and assists the snake to locate the precise area of the warm-blooded meal. After the ball python has detected the heat emission from its prey it is able to pounce on it and catch it for a good meal.
Eye Health and Care
In order to promote good eye health within ball pythons the following measures should be employed. Below are some measures that they can apply if they want to maintain healthy eyes. Firstly, if you have one, ensure its cleanliness, and absence of elements that can be dangerous to the eyes of the pets. It is also necessary to provide them with the correct humidity level since in cold conditions the eye can get dry and the caps, for instance, might remain in place. They should take time to inspect their eyes for any sign of infection including redness, secretion, and clouding. Also, ensure that you take balanced meals that will help you have a good nutrition that includes the one required for the eyes.
It’s useful to know some eye troubles which may appear in ball pythons and ways of their prevention or treatment. Some of them include Retained eye caps in which the old skin fails to peel on the eyes completely. To avoid this, ensure you keep the right humidity levels in their enclosure and also provide them with a moist hide to help in shedding. The rest include eye infections that are leave behind by pathogens due to poor hygiene or poor habitat conditions. This means that you should avoid giving them a chance of getting infected by maintaining their cage clean and supplying enough fresh air.
Conclusion
To ensure the health of eyes they need to be clean and well fed, the humidity has to be controlled and they should be monitored for any signs of infection. Treating and prevention of matters such as retained eye caps and infection are very essential. As always, it will be helpful to remind you again that a diet healthily balanced and your home free of stress also promotes overall eye health. If you follow these tips you’re going to be keeping your ball python’s eyes bright and clear for quite some time.
