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Do snakes yawn?

T

ticky1105

New member
Today me and my little guy were watching tv and he opened his mouth like he was yawning. About ten minutes later he did it again and then when I put him back in his cage he did it as soon as he curled up and got comfy. Is this just a normal yawn? Or should I be concerned? He is acting normal, eating, drinking, hiding out. I do think he will be shedding soon his eyes were bluish and now they cleared back up.
 
I've seen a few of them, including mine, do that. Either they are in fact yawning, or it's just a flippant answer I got from the woman who runs the rescue! Either way, it's terribly cute, and seems to be normal behaviour.
 
Cool! I was really hoping that was the answer. I thought it was so cute, my little baby snake yawning. I would hate to hear that it meant there was a problem.
 
I think I've seen three of them do it, and maybe a baby king as well. I think as long as it's not a regular thing, it's probably fine. Of course, audible breathing or gaping can, I believe, be signs of an upper respiratory infection, which snakes are prone to, and which can be dangerous. So do keep an eye on him to make sure none of that happens, but you should do that anyway, regardless of yawning.
 
I see snakes do this a lot when they are close to a shed. I would guess it must feel pretty tight and uncomfortable by that point, and "yawning" might help them to loosen/break the skin around their faces to facilitate shedding.
 
Yay! I think his yawning was him starting to shed because I just went in to check on him and turn his night light on and there was his first shed. I'm such a proud momma. It came off in one piece, eyes and all.
 
I notice our snakes do it every now and again. Half of the time, they are really yawning. The other half of the time, they're actually resetting or realigning their jaws.
 
It is really cute to see them do it! I know it's similiar right after they eat, but sometimes you see them doing it when out cruising the vivs. I know other mammals really do yawn, not sure tho that reptiles do it for the same reason. I like to think they are relaxed and just yawning!! But yeah they are prolly just aligning their jaws.
 
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i see the pythons at work yawn occasionally.... but i need to stop reading this thread because i've yawned at least 4 times already.. and here comes another one!
 
YAY! I'm not the only one!!

sarae said:
i see the pythons at work yawn occasionally.... but i need to stop reading this thread because i've yawned at least 4 times already.. and here comes another one!
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Sorry I just had to add that!!! I've never met anybody else like this!!, forget it if I see people yawn, or animals, but just have a conversation about yawning, and it's crazy!! I'm am glad I'm not the only person with this annoying habit/problem!
 
Not to get too off topic, but they did a segment on Myth Busters about yawning being contagious or not. I believe it learned in favor of it being a bit contagious. I can't remember though, it was awhile ago.
 
So basically snakes do not "yawn" per se but do it to reset their jaws. This is usually seen after feeding, but sometimes occurs before and or after shedding.
If the animal is having trouble breathing it will “yawn” often indicating a potential respiratory infection but I’m sure this is not the case.
I’ve also seen snakes take up a defensive position and open there mouth as a warning but this would be unlikely to occur with a Red Rat Snake.
 
o7sugar said:
Sorry I just had to add that!!! I've never met anybody else like this!!, forget it if I see people yawn, or animals, but just have a conversation about yawning, and it's crazy!! I'm am glad I'm not the only person with this annoying habit/problem!
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Oh no, I do it too! I'm fighting one off bravely as we speak. :D
 
My partner and I live for the after dinner yawn. We have always found it fascinating and totally hilarious. As our older one's got bigger he does it a lot less but our new baby does it after every meal. We've camped by their cages with the camera for days to get a good shot of them mid-yawn! Absolutely nothing to worry about as long as it's not constant and accompanied by wheezing or panting.
 
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