Snake what do they eat

Since your snake eats the mice whole, including the fur and bones, you will not need to dust the food with a calcium powder. Big snakes like the green anaconda, Burmese python, and boa constrictor primarily eat fish, birds, reptiles, smaller snakes, squirrels, rabbits, and even larger game like deer. Luckily for humans, most of these large snakes are slow-moving and non-venomous, so they make fantastic pets.

Large captive snakes will primarily eat rats. Rats are a good-sized food that your snake can easily digest and they contain all of the nutrients your snake requires to stay healthy. There is no need to dust this food, and like mice, you can purchase rats frozen so they are easy to find and store. Plus, there is much less risk of accidentally transmitting bacteria or parasites to your snake if you choose captive-bred rats. In the wild, snakes are opportunistic feeders that will eat just about anything they can fit their heads around.

In fact, snakes have the amazing ability to open their mouths degrees to fit in food larger than their bodies. Smaller snakes will stick to primarily insects and worms, but as the species gets larger, the food it eats does, too. Some of the bigger snakes can consume large animals like deer, but they primarily stick to smaller prey like rabbits , squirrels, and rats. We recommend using only commercially purchased captive-bred insects, mice, and rats for your snake to promote optimal health.

We hope you have enjoyed reading over this guide, and it has helped answer your questions. Ed Malaker is a veteran writer who has contributed to a wide range of blogs that cover tools, pets, guitars, fitness, and computer programming. The previously frozen prey item should then be thawed and warmed for the snake.

There are many feeding guides available. There are several reasons to make sure your pet snake will eat frozen food. Some feel it is cruel to feed your snake live prey. Sometimes the prey often goes through more pain than is needed to give the snake nourishment and people of sensitive temperament who insist on having a snake as a pet will prefer the more humanely killed prey and not see the struggle of the hunt and struggle of a live animal being eaten. Some snakes won't eat pre-killed food, so make sure your potential pet snake has already been on a diet of pre-killed, frozen-then-thawed food before bringing it home.

There are some exceptions to this rule. Young snakes that eat the baby stages of mice rarely will eat them unless they are moving; so for them, live prey is acceptable. Sometimes a snake will not eat a warmed thawed mouse after brumation and live prey must be switched to get a snake back into activity and eating when it wakes and is looking for prey. Live prey can sometimes fight back against the predatory snake and can harm it. A rodent can bite the snake while the snake is attempting to kill it.

The snake usually wins this contest of wills however it can be injured and require medical care. The risk of contaminated live prey from a specialty pet store is low but it is still possible to get a sick rodent that can in turn make your snake unwell.

Frozen food also tends to be cheaper. You can always buy a rat 12 pack and keep it beside the ice bag and the frozen peas. Knowing the diet of the specific species of snake you're buying is required. It's best to give it several types of food, like live crickets, fish and small mammals like mice and rats if it's a generalist and opportunistic feeder, and all of these should be readily available at your local pet store.

If the species you're looking to buy is a specialist and only eats one type of food you must ensure you always have your snakes chosen special food on hand or in freezer. When hungry, it will eat, if it's a healthy snake. Contact Us at The views expressed in this post are the author's own.

Want to post on Patch? Register for a user account. Pets What Do Snakes Eat? Every species of snake has a different diet. Luckily, most pet snakes eat rats that are generally easy to find at pet supply stores and online sources.

It is not unusual for snakes to skip a meal here and there, however, if a snake goes more than a month without a meal, it may be time to call your veterinarian.

There are some exceptions to this rule, though. Young snakes that eat the baby stages of mice rarely will eat them unless they are moving; so for them, live prey is acceptable. There are several reasons to make sure your pet snake will eat this type of food — one of which is the cruelty factor.

One added perk of buying frozen food is that it also tends to be cheaper. Home Reptile Nutrition Center. What Do Snakes Eat? Written by: PetMD Editorial.