How ould one feed a snake eating snake?

For instance a King Cobra (god I would love one) or a mussurana?

Do zoos/owners just feed them rats or do they actually feed them snakes?

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Originally Posted by Oxylepy

For instance a King Cobra (god I would love one) or a mussurana?

Do zoos/owners just feed them rats or do they actually feed them snakes?

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they actually feed them snakes, i was watching this one show and they actually went out and caught rat snakes i think to feed to their kings

Thats pretty awesome. I suppose if you breed BPs you can use them as a means of getting rid of older snakes or normals :rolleyes:

As a BP owner I think that would be really sad, but if you wanted to keep your King Cobra alive and wanted to work with BPs I suppose it's a viable option :(

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Originally Posted by Oxylepy

For instance a King Cobra (god I would love one) or a mussurana?

Do zoos/owners just feed them rats or do they actually feed them snakes?

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California Kingsnakes are also snake eating snakes and they do just fine on rodents.

Those that I know who own cobras feed their cobras rodents as well.

They don't need to eat snakes. If they got an extremely stubborn feeder, they might do it--but most can be trained to take rodents.

Oh, really? Does anyone know of snake eating specialist snakes in zoos being fed non-snakes through their lifetime? I ask about zoos since they would likely have them for long enough that any health issues would show long term (decrease in life span, fat gain, etc)

I was speaking to someone at the detroit zoo. He said that when they first get a king cobra they will scent rats with a snake smell, and then convert it to feed on rodents.

I keep mussuranas.

The trick to get reluctant babies to eat is to wrap a pinky in a shed snake skin. Works every time.

As for the long term effects of feeding rodents to animals whose metabolisms have adapted to reptile prey:

This last week I had to put down my 11 year old female dispholidus. These are primarily chameleon, lizard and bird eaters in the wild. For 11 years she has been on a rodent diet.

While we knew that she had a gastric tumor, the initial necropsy results indicated several other tumors - the liver among them. While she was in no way overweight, our vet is fairly certain that feeding her an all-rodent diet compromised her health.

Because of it I am re-evaluating how I feed my drys, my thrasops and my mussuranas. Feeder anoles are readily available, I think that making that the mainstay of their diet may prove to be beneficial to their health in the long run.

I know of some who buy frozen snakes from breeders that have had die or born dead usually from natural causes.

I remember a few years ago there was a big stink in Daytona about a shirt someone made with a picture of a cobra eating an albino ball python (that had died in the egg) and it said on the shirt "Everybody loves an albino ball python!"

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Originally Posted by SK_Exotics

I was speaking to someone at the detroit zoo. He said that when they first get a king cobra they will scent rats with a snake smell, and then convert it to feed on rodents.

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They only have and have had one for a long while...

That's actually a sound idea. I may start freezing any hatchlings that don't make it (dead just before pipping, etc), and those that I had to euthanize (deformed). It strikes me that folks who keep reptile-eating snakes may not have an easy time finding a source for clean food for their animals.

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

Because of it I am re-evaluating how I feed my drys, my thrasops and my mussuranas. Feeder anoles are readily available, I think that making that the mainstay of their diet may prove to be beneficial to their health in the long run.

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It's a trade-off...the feeder anoles are going to be loaded with parasites, unfortunately. Worming drugs don't improve longevity, either.
If the snakes will take FT, freezing the anoles for several months supposedly kills many parasites.

You might consider buying up lots of normal leopard geckos. They would certainly cost more ($15 ea wholesale), but they'd be a lot cleaner. I'm not sure how many animals you have to feed, though. You might be able to get a better deal than that if you find the right supplier.

There's always the option of raising your own. You could set up some groups in sweater boxes, and produce quite a few hatchlings every year. Probably not the most attractive option if you aren't already keeping lizards, though.

Terrible idea but if you breed BPs you could feed undesired traits off ~_~ Yeah, it's a terrible idea but if you're producing normals and you dont need them or want to deal with the hassle of getting rid of them they could be fed off. Again, it's a horrible idea, but it could feed your snakes. Better yet you could breed rat snakes for food... horrible idea, would involve a lot of investment, but...

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

It's a trade-off...the feeder anoles are going to be loaded with parasites, unfortunately. Worming drugs don't improve longevity, either.
If the snakes will take FT, freezing the anoles for several months supposedly kills many parasites.

You might consider buying up lots of normal leopard geckos. They would certainly cost more ($15 ea wholesale), but they'd be a lot cleaner. I'm not sure how many animals you have to feed, though. You might be able to get a better deal than that if you find the right supplier.

There's always the option of raising your own. You could set up some groups in sweater boxes, and produce quite a few hatchlings every year. Probably not the most attractive option if you aren't already keeping lizards, though.

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Captive bred feeder anoles?

Frozen captive bred feeder anoles?

If anyone's selling such things...seems unlikely, though. Anoles are a great deal more intensive to care for than leopard geckos are. They require UVB and arboreal cages, and are dew-drop drinkers. They're no easier to keep than day geckos.

Leopard geckos can be housed in sweater box racks.

Oxy--I'm getting $25 apiece for my normal male ball python hatchlings. All emotion aside, that's an expensive prey item.
Even local pet stores pay me more for them than a leopard gecko would cost.

If you needed really tiny prey, corn snakes wouldn't be too bad of a choice. You could buy wholesale lots of CBB normal corns, too.

The king cobra at the bronx zoo is feed rats.

A snake that eats other snakes does not have to eat other snakes as a diet, as they have ample ways to convert it if the snake proves to be a stubborn eater.

Like Skiploader said though, this may not always be the best case for the animal, and in different animals it affects them different from taking them off of a diet that they've been dieting for so long. I know like in spiders, though I can't remember which ones, if you take them off their natural diet then their venom is no longer toxic, at least I think it was for a spider, but now that I'm thinking of it I think it may of actually been the poison dart frog.

Sometimes we do what we think is best for the snake, when it's actually the total opposite because it's more convenient for the owner. This is another thing that should be thoroughly thought through when purchasing a snake that isn't on an all rodent diet in it's native habitat.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

If anyone's selling such things...seems unlikely, though. Anoles are a great deal more intensive to care for than leopard geckos are. They require UVB and arboreal cages, and are dew-drop drinkers. They're no easier to keep than day geckos.

Leopard geckos can be housed in sweater box racks.

Oxy--I'm getting $25 apiece for my normal male ball python hatchlings. All emotion aside, that's an expensive prey item.
Even local pet stores pay me more for them than a leopard gecko would cost.

If you needed really tiny prey, corn snakes wouldn't be too bad of a choice. You could buy wholesale lots of CBB normal corns, too.

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They are being sold. I've been buying them off and on for years.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

Oxy--I'm getting $25 apiece for my normal male ball python hatchlings. All emotion aside, that's an expensive prey item.
Even local pet stores pay me more for them than a leopard gecko would cost.

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That is if you are purchasing them, though. I was more suggesting breeding them than anything. As if you breed then you will have plenty of normals that can be then fed to your ophiophagic snake. Mind that this practice would likely be frowned upon.

However considering, with king cobras at least, their diet is primarily composed of rat snakes in the wild, I suppose it would be better to breed those for it. However each snake eater likely has it's own primary prey.

I THINK I LUV SNAKES WAY TOO MUCH TO FEED THEM TO ANYTHING. I LUV LOOKING AT COBRAS, & KING COBRA IS MY NICKNAME, BUT I CANNOT WATCH A SNAKE BE EATEN OR KILLED!!!!! I HATE THE THOUGHT OF IT, SORRY BUT I LUV SNAKES, ALOT :snake:

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Originally Posted by king216

I THINK I LUV SNAKES WAY TOO MUCH TO FEED THEM TO ANYTHING. I LUV LOOKING AT COBRAS, & KING COBRA IS MY NICKNAME, BUT I CANNOT WATCH A SNAKE BE EATEN OR KILLED!!!!! I HATE THE THOUGHT OF IT, SORRY BUT I LUV SNAKES, ALOT :snake:

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No need to shout ;) And on my end of things this is hypothetical, I doubt I would ever get a king cobra as that is the only snake eater I would want. For some people, though, this is a serious question, as they may need a means to feed a snake eater, and they have to debate the pros and cons of each option. Look at Skiploder, for instance, who owns numerous ophiophagic snakes. It's quite sad that he had to put one down, instead of it dying from old age.

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

As for the long term effects of feeding rodents to animals whose metabolisms have adapted to reptile prey:

This last week I had to put down my 11 year old female dispholidus. These are primarily chameleon, lizard and bird eaters in the wild. For 11 years she has been on a rodent diet.

While we knew that she had a gastric tumor, the initial necropsy results indicated several other tumors - the liver among them. While she was in no way overweight, our vet is fairly certain that feeding her an all-rodent diet compromised her health.

Because of it I am re-evaluating how I feed my drys, my thrasops and my mussuranas. Feeder anoles are readily available, I think that making that the mainstay of their diet may prove to be beneficial to their health in the long run.

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Skip, I'm sorry you had to euthanize one of of your snakes, but I find the topic of this thread to be interesting and I think the conclusions of your snakes necropsy to be even more interesting. Please keep this thread updated if you notice any changes in your snakes after switching their diets. Good luck...