How ould one feed a snake eating snake?

[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?

[771subliminal]

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?

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

[Oxylepy]

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

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

[rabernet]

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?

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.

[WingedWolfPsion]

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.

[Oxylepy]

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)

[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.

[Skiploder]

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.

[Luke Martin]

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!"

[Zach Nasty]

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.

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