Most ball python owners put their pythons in glass cages. Unlike cats and dogs, reptiles don’t cuddle or show any sort of affection. They are owned to be admired. So, keeping them in a glass terrarium makes sense.
But many ball python owners ask themselves, can ball pythons see through glass? – That is exactly what we will be discussing here in this article.
Can Ball Pythons See through Glass?
Yes, your ball python can definitely see-through glass. They have moderately developed eyes and other senses that allow them to see through glass.
Ball pythons have eyesight, but it is not well developed to see things clearly. But this doesn’t mean that they can’t see. They have an excellent sense of smell; they can perceive movement and can detect infrared radiation. All these three combined make their predatory sense sharp enough to live in the wild.
Despite having an eye, they are short sighted. Which means they can’t see distant objects clearly enough. Being inside any glass enclosure isn’t supposed to influence the eyesight that much. If the glass is crystal clear and there is enough light, the ball python will likely see like they do outside of their tank.
They can detect infrared rays. This ability is named infrared heat sensing vision. Their pit organs detect anything emitting infrared rays. Pit organs are specialized organs of their face that can detect infrared radiation from any living beings bodily warmth. So, despite having poor eyesight, they can see through the glass by detecting infrared rays emitting from your body unless the glass of the cage blocks IR which is not very likely.
Also, they can detect movements. If you are moving outside the enclosure, they can still sense you. The heat that’s being emitted from your body shall also aid the sense. They can’t perceive inert objects. So, if you are just there standing still, you won’t get much attention from your beloved pet.
As Ball Pythons heavily rely on heat detection and motion sensing, the presence of light doesn’t play that much of a role in their vision. Whether it’s dark or bright, they can see living objects through the glass. The pit organ gives them a vision just as clear as we see in broad daylight. So, we can say that ball pythons can see through glass.
Conclusion
Despite being short-sighted, the ball python’s unique ‘pit organ’ and other sensory abilities provide them vivid awareness of their surroundings, regardless of day or night.
As for pet ball pythons, their vision doesn’t matter much as they are fed periodically. You have every right as an owner to wonder if they can see you on the opposite side of the glass. Yes, they do see you, they feel you, they sense you. And all the credit goes to the thousands of years of sensory evolution.
