While some serpents do consume computer mice, the truth is that not all serpents do, as well as it's vital to figure out specifically what kind of food your pet dog snake would eat prior to acquiring one. "Snakes are predators, so they do consume various other animals," claimed Mike Wines, herpetologist and also lead reptile caretaker at the Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey.

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DIFFERENT TYPES OF SNAKES EAT DIFFERENT THINGS

There is no one-size-fits-all interpretation to explain what snakes eat, lots of kinds eat many different points. "Some serpents have special bodies that just eat one kind of target thing," claimed Wines. "The egg-eating snake, for instance, only consumes eggs.

Naturally this is just one instance of what serpents could eat. Some eat fish, worms, termites, birds as well as bats while various other serpents, like the king cobra, even eat various other types of serpents. "Other [snakes] have actually evolved to a generalist diet regimen," Wines claimed. "An instance is the Eastern indigo serpent, [which consumes] anything they can catch and match their mouths, consisting of rattle serpents, small tortoises, frogs, rats, birds as well as nearly whatever else. Every types of serpent has a different diet regimen."

Keep in mind, though, that it's never an excellent suggestion to try feeding your snake plant materials. "Snakes constantly feed upon animal issue, never plant material," states Leo Spinner, herpetologist and also founder and also proprietor of The Spotted Turtle Herpetological Institute. "Their teeth are not developed for plant usage."

The good news is, most pet serpents consume rats that are usually easy to locate at pet supply stores and also on the internet resources. It is not uncommon for serpents to miss a dish here and there, however, if a snake goes more than a month without a dish, it may be time to call your vet.

WHAT TO FEED A SNAKE DEPENDS ON DIFFERENT FACTORS

Considering that a snake's diet regimen can vary so extensively, it's important to do some research study before buying one yourself. "In captivity, it's constantly best to feed your serpent humanely killed victim that has been iced up for a number of days," states Wines. "The formerly iced up victim product must after that be defrosted as well as heated for the snake."

However, Wines claimed, some snakes won't consume pre-killed food, so ensure your possible pet serpent has currently gotten on a diet plan of pre-killed, frozen-then-thawed food before bringing it house. There are some exceptions to this guideline, though. Young serpents that eat the baby phases of computer mice hardly ever will consume them unless they are moving; so for them, live target is acceptable.

There are several factors to make sure your pet serpent will certainly eat this sort of food-- one of which is the viciousness factor. "If you feed your snake live victim, that prey frequently goes through more discomfort than is required to offer the snake nutrients," Wines claimed. "If it can be killed humanely, it is better total."

That's not the only reason to go with pre-frozen food, however, as live target can sometimes deal with back. "If it's a rodent, it can attack the snake while the snake is attempting to kill it," Wines said. "Any of these can be unsafe to the snake."

One included perk of purchasing icy food is that it also tends to be cheaper. "You can buy it wholesale and maintain it in your freezer," claims Wines.

WHAT WILL MY SNAKE EAT?

While you'll require to do your research for the specific types of serpent you're purchasing to discover what it will consume, if it's a generalist species, it's best to give it a number of types of food, like online crickets, fish as well as tiny animals like mice and rats, all of which need to be easily available at your regional animal shop, Wines stated. If the varieties you're aiming to buy is a professional and also just eats one sort of food in the wild, be prepared to always have that certain food product handy. Many serpents consume every 5-14 days, so identifying in advance of time the types of food you'll need to buy for your brand-new family pet will certainly ensure that it stays satisfied, healthy as well as well fed for years to come.

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