Target Training with Digger

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I noticed that Digger the hognose snake was spending more time visible in her habitat and was moving around more often. Compared to several days of being completely hidden under her bedding, this new level of activity made me wonder if she was getting hungry. Our new behavior-based feeding strategy needs to factor in more than just behavior. According to our notes, it had been just over one week since her last meal, a reasonable time gap between feedings. And she had pooped, too, meaning that she was done processing her last mouse. It looked like a good time to feed her!

I was excited because that meant another chance to practice target training. Last time, Digger seemed eager to approach the blue target. Would she move farther across her habitat to reach the target this time?

Yes! Digger seemed to spring to life when she saw the blue target. She oriented to the target, then moved about 2 feet away to touch it! She paused in front of it, and started searching for the mouse as soon as I flipped it horizontally. All of these are clues that Digger understands what the target is: if she touches the blue thing, she gets food. Next time, we'll add another challenge and see if we can use the target to move Digger outside of her habitat.

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