BeWild Reptile Rescue

Diversifying Snake Diets

Nicole D'Avignon — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 05:09:48 +0000

In our experience, snake diets are some of the easiest to feed due to the balanced whole-prey nature of their prey items. Snake diets generally do not have to be supplemented with vitamins or minerals, though of course there are exceptions for certain health issues and special diets. Most keepers exclusively feed their snakes rodents, including rats and mice. While rodents provide an excellent basis for most of the commonly-kept snake species, keepers can provide additional sources of prey to diversify the diet. This can help provide other nutrients as well as enrichment for the snake.

We try to provide a diverse diet for our own ambassador snakes based on the species’ natural history and diet. However, safety is our number one priority; many live foods can carry potentially dangerous parasites, so we stick to frozen/thawed food sources. We also always make sure to source snake food from ethical sources–this means captive-bred, humanely euthanized prey. Check the list below for some safe, alternative food source ideas that are applicable to your snake species.

Corn, Rat, King, and Milk Snakes: These snakes often have extremely diverse diets in the wild. For example, kingsnakes often eat other snakes and are immune to pitviper venom. While snakes and lizards may be a large part of their wild diet (3), we do not feed captive king and milk snakes a reptile-based diet as no humane prey source is available for large-scale commercial use. We choose to incorporate bird eggs and chicks into the diets of these colubrids, as these species will predate upon birds’ nests in the wild and consume eggs, nestlings, and small songbirds (1). In captivity, we mostly feed quail eggs, small quail or quail chicks, and cockerel chicks. Our snakes are definitely most tempted by fresh quail eggs, but many grocery stores also sell small quail eggs that are a good size for most corn and rat snakes. Frozen/thawed chicks and quail can be purchased from RodentPro or other commercial reptile food companies. We definitely feed these species mostly rodents, then chicks, and finally the least amount of eggs. These colubrid species will also usually readily accept African soft fur rats, which are usually more expensive than mice but can be a good rodent alternative to offer occasionally.

Garter and Water Snakes: The obvious answer to diversifying an aquatic snake’s diet is fish, but keepers should be aware that fish have several potential health issues. First, we do not recommend feeding any live fish, as they can carry parasites such as trematode flukes, cestode tapeworms, and nematodes that can be transferred to your snakes (de la Navarre, 2011). Garter snakes especially are prone to Rhabdias lungworm infections, which can encyst in the lungs and tunnel underneath the skin, causing subcutaneous lesions (Langford and Janovy). Aquatic snakes often have much shorter lifespans than other wild snakes, and diet is a likely reason why. If you can breed a clean colony of fish and do regular parasite testing to ensure that your fish are parasite-free, then live fish may be an option. Guppies and platies are both a safe option nutritionally if a clean colony can be found. Secondly, fish often contain thiaminase, an enzyme that destroys thiamine, or vitamin B1. Snakes fed fish with high thiaminase levels can develop severe neurological issues due to vitamin B1 deficiencies.

Fish can provide great enrichment and dietary alternatives, but be sure to choose parasite-free F/T sources and thiaminase-free fish species. Silversides are a type of frozen smelt sold in many pet stores, and aquatic snakes will often readily take F/T silversides. Please note, not all species of smelt are safe–the “Sally’s Silversides” brand are. Our favorite grocery-store fish to offer include cuts of trout and tilapia, but other thiaminase-free fish species include bass, bluegill, crappie, perch, walleye, salmon, flounder, halibut, cod, haddock, and mackerel (2). Of course, feeding solely fish filets will be devoid of many vitamins and minerals generally found in organ meats and bone, so we mostly feed whole-prey rodents and feed smaller amounts of fish as dietary enrichment. Silversides are great because they are whole-prey, but most of the other commercially-available fish are too large for snakes to eat whole.

While many aquatic snakes do eat amphibians in the wild, we choose to avoid feeding amphibian sources due to potential toxins and parasites. Cestode parasites are common in amphibians and can survive being frozen, so unless the amphibian meat is being cooked, it still may be unsafe for consumption (Tapeworm). Additionally, wild amphibians such as salamanders, newts, toads, and tree frogs have poisons that can harm your snake. Finally, we have not found birds or bird eggs to be a preferred diet item for our aquatic snakes. While the garter snakes are usually too small to take any chicks, the larger water snakes tend to refuse F/T chick offerings.

Ball Pythons: Like most pythons, ball pythons have “heat pits,” or infrared sensing pits on their lips that allow them to sense objects with high heat levels. Therefore, this species likely evolved to hunt and eat endotherms such as birds and mammals, who have very high body temperatures. One older study shows that male ball pythons may eat a significant percentage of birds as part of their wild diet, while female ball pythons eat primarily small mammals. We offer rodents as the majority dietary source, including mice, rats, and African soft fur rats. Smaller and younger ball pythons can eat mice and ASF rats, but larger ball pythons should eat larger meals more appropriate for their size, including larger rats. We do offer chicks, small chickens, and quail to ball pythons, but our ambassador female ball python usually refuses birds and vastly prefers rodent meals.

Boa Constrictors: Boa constrictors have been observed eating a high percentage of birds in the wild, in some cases more often than mammals (Boback; Quick et al). We still feed mostly rats, as they are large enough to be an appropriately-sized food source, though young boas can also get mice and ASF rats. We offer chicks, chickens, and quail to diversify boa diets, and birds are usually taken quite readily. While some keepers also offer rabbits, a food item this large should only be offered to exceptionally large individuals such as female true red tails (B. constrictor vs. B. imperator) and care should be taken to prevent obesity with larger food items.

Nicole D'Avignon

Nicole D'Avignon is one of the co-directors of BeWild Reptile Rescue. She graduated from UNC with majors in Biology and Anthropology. In addition to her work with BeWild, she has spent thousands of hours volunteering for a number of different animal-themed organization and was employed as an Exotic Species Specialist at UNC for 2 years. She hopes to attend vet school in 2022!

Transporting Your Pet Reptile

Nicole D'Avignon — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 04:26:14 +0000

Are you adopting an animal or bringing one to visit the veterinarian? Transport is often necessary when owning any animal, so develop a good transport plan to ensure that your animal is safe and secure for the journey.

We always recommend having an appropriate container ready for transport, your reptile should not be transported free-roaming or on a leash. This is for their own safety in the car and potentially at the veterinarian’s office. Animals can and will get loose in the car and disappear behind dashboards and under the seats. This is not a safe situation and can result in injury or dangerous driving. We recommend that your reptile is contained when waiting at the veterinarian, as other animals in the lobby can endanger your pet.

Temperature Control

Heat Packs: Reptiles are usually not comfortable below a 60-70°F ambient, so consider using a hot pack to provide extra heat during the transport. For a short trip, Hot Hands are effective and usually last up to 8 hours. For a longer trip, the Uniheat packs last up to 72 hours and provide consistent warmth. The reptile should never be allowed to come into contact with the heat pack. We recommend wrapping the heat pack in a washcloth and taping this to the outside of the container on the side or bottom. Always make sure there is a space in your container where the reptile can get away from the extra heat if necessary.

Cool Packs: These shouldn’t be necessary in most situations, as many reptiles have basking spots of 90-100°F so a short exposure to hot temperatures while being transported to a vehicle is not harmful. However, if your car’s AC is out or if you are transporting an amphibian or cold-tolerant reptile species, you can use a Cryopak Phase 22 to keep your animal cooler. This should also be wrapped in a towel outside of the transport container.

Insulation: If you are transporting in extremely cold temperatures, insulating your transport container with Styrofoam sheets will help to maintain temperature. You can also place your transport container inside of a large cooler or Styrofoam box, also with holes drilled in it, to keep the temperature more stable.

Covers: If you are using a container with large ventilation ports such as a cat carrier or Kritter Keeper, this can also be wrapped in a towel or kept inside a cardboard box to prevent cold wind from hitting the animal directly.

Species-Specific Guidelines

Snakes: Snakes are escape artists, and should have secondary containment if possible and especially for smaller individuals. This means using a pillowcase or cloth bag and keeping the bag inside of a latching plastic bin. If the snake manages to escape the pillowcase, it is still enclosed within the bin. The pillowcase is a recommended transport method as it blocks out visual stimuli and can help them feel safe and secure in transport. In both captivity and the wild, snakes exhibit “positive thigmotaxis” by seeking out tight-fitting hiding areas. A pillowcase can help replicate this in transport. Of course, a pillowcase alone won’t protect the snake from external dangers such as crushing or being stepped on, so place the pillowcase inside of a plastic bin with locking handles for extra security. You can line the bin with a small towel for extra traction. Make sure to drill or melt holes in the bin for proper ventilation.

For giant snakes, a cloth bag is often unnecessary and inefficient due to the size of the animal. We recommend transporting giant snakes inside of larger, solid-colored plastic latching containers. A solid-colored container will provide the same secure feeling as it blocks out light and external stimuli. The Hefty brand makes large plastic storage bins that are effective for stronger snakes.

Geckos: Geckos are usually smaller and can be more nervous with transport than other lizards. For this reason, we recommend transporting in a smaller and very secure enclosure, as well as providing some decor or a lightweight hide within the enclosure. A hide made out of plastic or cardboard is preferred, as a heavy hide can tumble around during transport and crush your reptile. Other lightweight decor ideas include fake plants, which are especially effective with arboreal geckos such as crested, mourning, and tokay geckos. Our favorite container type with geckos is the Kritter Keeper or other similar brands. They offer a variety of sizes, have secure lids, and good ventilation. Additionally, these lids can come off completely and have a smaller latching window. This is useful for geckos as geckos will climb to immediately try to escape the container, so putting them in through the “window” latch will prevent them from climbing up and out or getting their toes pinched by the lid. Line the container with paper towels, a small hand towel/washcloth, or Repticarpet. This is one of our only preferred uses of Repticarpet, as it provides good traction during transport and is not meant to be used for long-term housing.

Medium to Large Lizards: Larger lizards include bearded dragons, blue tongue skinks, tegus, monitors, iguanas, and water dragons. These lizards are usually too large for Kritter Keepers. For tamer individuals, a regular cat carrier or small dog carrier made of plastic and wire is effective and safe. You can line the carrier with a towel for comfort and traction. However, for more feisty or nervous individuals, we recommend a solid-colored locking plastic storage container. This way, the owner will not be clawed or bit through the bars, and the animal will not be overly stressed by external stimuli. This can also be lined with a towel. Drill or melt holes through the plastic for ventilation.

Amphibians: Amphibians will benefit from a moist transport enclosure of different levels depending on the species. Transporting through different temperatures and air spaces can dry out the air for amphibians so we recommend using several layers of damp paper towels. Make sure to always use dechlorinated water with your amphibians, including for transport. They will also benefit from some fake plants added to the enclosure to help them feel safer. Aquatic amphibians such as fire-bellied toads can be transported in a container of shallow water, not deeper than the individual is tall to account for water movement during transport. We like Kritter Keepers to transport most amphibians.

Turtles and Tortoises: Aquatic turtles can be transported in a Kritter Keeper or plastic storage container. We recommend misting down the turtle and enclosure prior to transport to provide some moisture, but do not fill the container with water. Use paper towels for small turtles or a towel for larger turtles. Terrestrial turtles and tortoises are best transported in a solid-sided plastic storage container with appropriate ventilation holes drilled. This decreases stress. A towel can be used to line the container, but if your tortoise is particularly active, filling it with a few inches of hay can be more effective to prevent them from pushing the towel completely to the side. Your tortoise should be able to stand up and turn around completely in the container. A cat carrier with a towel can work for smaller, calmer tortoises and for shorter trips. Some may try to climb out through the wire mesh, so use a solid-sided container if yours does this.