Do pet snakes kept in captivity require UV lighting in order to be healthy?
It’s been debated in recent times whether or not snakes should be given full-spectrum UV lighting. It’s been widely accepted for a long time that most species do not require lighting, however research suggests there might be other benefits to using UV lights. At least at the moment, there’s no right or wrong answer and owners should make their own choice.
At Backwater Reptiles, for most species we typically don’t provide UV lights. The video below details our snake rack system (which is also used by many snake breeders), and as you can see, we don’t include lights, but we do have an efficient heat source.
Why do some feel snakes don’t require UV lighting?
The commonly accepted method to raising and keeping snakes in captivity typically does not require providing UV lighting. Most breeders do not usually use UV lights and if you visit a pet store, their snakes are usually also not provided with UV lights.
The reason many reptile species require UV lights in captivity is because they need it to help their bodies process and synthesize vitamin D3. This is important because it allows them to maintain healthy calcium levels throughout their bodies and avoid issues such as metabolic bone disease.
It has long been accepted that snakes don’t require lighting, or supplements for that matter, because they get all the nutrients they need from their food. Unlike most pet reptiles and amphibians that eat insects, snakes consume other mammals who possess adequate calcium and mineral supplies of their own which are then passed along to the snake.
Certain breeders assert that there are more benefits to UV lighting than just avoiding metabolic bone disease. It has been suggested by some that UV rays also support a healthy immune system, color vision and healthy skin and scales.
Because there is a lot of information out there and not all of it is accurate, our recommendation is to ask your veterinarian or herpetologist. Some species will thrive without UV lighting, while others might do better with a bit of assistance. Where you live and your home’s ambient temperatures could also play into the decision.
Some snake species such as this Anaconda Hognose Snake are burrowers and do not require a UV light set up.
What is the difference between heat lamps and UV lights?
Depending on what species of snake you own, you might need to provide UV lighting, heat lamps or both. It’s important therefore to understand the difference between these items as they are not one and the same.
Heat lamps might look very similar to a UV light depending upon the model you purchase, but they are made for one very specific purpose – raising the temperature in your pet’s enclosure. Because heat rocks are unsafe sources of heat and heat mats are often not enough heat for a single enclosure, most herp owners, including snake owners, opt for a heat lamp that sits atop the cage. These are especially useful if your home’s normal room temperature is lower than the comfort level of your reptile.
Often times, your herp’s set up will include a full spectrum UV light as well. These lights can generate a little warmth, just like any lightbulb, but that is not their main function. Instead, UV lights are meant to mimic the rays of the sun that a snake or any other reptile would normally absorb while outdoors. UV lights are available in specific types such as UVB or you can opt for full-spectrum lights which replicate the sun’s rays as closely as possible indoors.
Ball Pythons are another snake species commonly kept as pets that do not require UV lighting.
Again, please keep in mind that what lights and lamps you choose for your pet’s setup will vary. A lot of factors come into play when choosing the appropriate lighting including the species the light is for, the temperature in your home, the humidity levels you need to maintain, and whether or not you have other sources of heat.
What lighting does my pet snake need?
Many of the most commonly kept species of pet snake actually don’t require UV lighting including: ball pythons, corn snakes, king snakes, and hognose snakes. However, it will not harm your snake if you choose to provide a UV light. In fact, it might just make their scales shinier and give them an immune system boost.
Our advice is to do what feels best to you as a reptile owner. Consult with your veterinarian or resident herpetologist if you have serious concerns about your pet’s health due to lighting. Research and apply what you learn to your specific situation.
We’d also advise paying close attention to how your snake responds to a UV light or the lack thereof. For instance, if you happen acquire an older snake that is accustomed to having UV lighting in its previous home, it might be best to continue that trend. What’s most important in the long run is of course your snake’s health, so you’d want to make sure you’re not unintentionally doing something that will affect it adversely.
Friendly Red Tail Boas such as the ones pictured are another species that are typically kept in captivity without UV lighting.
Conclusion
Typically, in most situations and with most species of snake, UV lighting is not a necessity. This is not true of all snakes however, so we advise doing your research and being knowledgable about the species you decide to purchase.
If you have specific lighting or set up questions about any given species of snake, we always welcome questions. Simply email our customer service team at sales@backwaterreptiles.com and they’ll reply in a speedy manner.
What are the largest snake species you can legally keep as a pet?
Although the laws vary from state to state, in general the largest species of snake that you can legally own as a pet are: Anacondas, Reticulated Pythons, and Burmese Pythons. Each of these large snakes can make great pets, provided you have the resources to take care of them.
Anacondas
There are two species of anaconda that are kept as pets in the U.S. – the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) and the Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus). Both hail from South America, however the Green Anaconda does grow to be larger than the Yellow Anaconda.
Both species of anaconda are constrictors and therefore nonvenomous. Due to their enormous size, they are ambush predators. Green anacondas are sluggish and slow-moving on land and therefore prefer to lie in wait in the water with their nose exposed above water. When prey passes nearby or stops to get a drink, the anaconda will strike and begin constricting.
Baby Green Anacondas are cute, but they grow very fast. They also require a semi-aquatic habitat.
Because they spend so much time in the water, anacondas usually eat aquatic food. When they are smaller, they’ll eat fish, birds, small mammals and amphibians. As they grow larger, they’ve been known to eat tapirs, deer, capybara, and caiman.
Anacondas have seen a surge in popularity as pets in recent years due largely in part to their appearance in pop culture movies. While the computer generated anacondas of the big screen might seem like scary or monstrous man eaters, in reality, they’re just reptiles who happen to grow to be massive.
As previously mentioned, Yellow Anacondas are smaller than Green Anacondas. Greens can be up to seventeen feet long and weigh over 200 pounds! That’s a whole lot of snake! On the other hand, Yellows max out at around eleven to twelve feet long.
While Backwater Reptiles does sell both Yellow Anacondas and Green Anacondas, we advise that only highly experienced reptile keepers own them for several reasons. Not only do they grow to massive sizes, but they require specialized aquatic habitats.
When they are adults, they also need large food items. And finally, we want to stress that neither species of anaconda is known for being particularly docile or even-tempered. Babies can be quite snippy and adults are unpredictable at best.
Reticulated Pythons
For a while, it was illegal to ship or transport Reticulated Pythons across state lines. The ban has since been lifted and Retics (as they are known among reptile enthusiasts) are as popular as ever. It should be noted however, that it is still illegal to ship them to specific states.
While anacondas might be the heaviest and thickest of the snake species commonly kept as pets, Retics are the longest. Maxing out at twenty-three feet long, these pythons are monsters!
Reticulated Pythons are known to be the longest snake species.
Reticulated Pythons are popular with reptile and snake hobbyists because of their gorgeous markings. These snakes got their common name from the unique diamond and lace-like pattern that adorns their scales. Even the snake’s scientific name, Python reticulatus, means “net-like.”
Reticulated Pythons, like their anaconda cousins, are known to be excellent swimmers. However, in captivity they are not as aquatic, although they should still be provided with an area to soak and submerge themselves in water.
Retics are one of the few species of large snake that are known to be “man eaters.” We do want to make it clear that if a captive Retic is well-fed and cared for properly, there should be absolutely no need for a snake to view its owner as food or prey.
Backwater Reptiles does sell Reticulated Pythons, however they are a bit tough to come by, even after the ban has lifted. They come with quite a hefty price tag and again, just like with anacondas, we recommend them for experienced herp owners. They are not beginner snakes.
Burmese Pythons
Burmese Pythons (Pythonbivittatus) were made very famous when a certain well-known pop star by the name of Britney Spears wore one around her neck during a performance. We’re not claiming that she made them famous first, but she most certainly did bring awareness to the species and perhaps even helped cure some people’s fear of snakes.
Britney Spears popularized Burmese Pythons and gave this species a place in pop culture.
Of all the large snake species discussed in this article, we’d say that Burmese Pythons are probably the most docile. Most of the other snakes are not known to have particularly docile dispositions, but Burmese Pythons actually are known to be good companion snakes, even at a very large size.
The average length of a wild Burmese Python is about sixteen and half feet, but in captivity, specimens have been recorded to be twenty-three feet long. In general, females are heavier than males and they can weight upwards of 200 pounds! They can also live longer than twenty years.
Sadly, Burmese Pythons are considered an invasive species in Florida in the Everglades. They are known to eat local mammals and compete with alligators, a species that is native to Florida, for food and resources.
Backwater Reptiles does have Burmese Pythons for sale, but it is illegal to ship them to specific states, so be sure and check with your local Fish and Wildlife Department prior to ordering.
Conclusion
We adore large snake species and we think they can most certainly make excellent pets for people who are experienced, have plenty of space to house them, and are prepared to handle such a massive animal.
Anacondas, Burmese Pythons, and Reticulated Pythons are all amazing snakes and each has its own set of care requirements and personality type. If you are interested in a large pet snake, we cannot stress enough that we recommend doing research and making sure that you can provide a large enough enclosure.
These snakes are forever pets, no matter how big they get and they can have long life expectancies. Be prepared to care for your large snake for at least twenty years if not much longer.
Did you know that most pet snakes eat rodents in captivity? Depending on the size and species of snake, it could be eating mice, rats, or even rabbits!
Because there are several options when it comes to feeding your own pet snake, you might be wondering which option works best nutritionally for your own snake. Well, look no further! This blog article is dedicated to discussing the benefits and drawbacks to each type of feeder rodent and will help you make an educated and informed decision when it comes to making sure your own precious slithering snake friend receives the best diet.
In this blog article, we’ll answer questions such as:
What is the difference between feeding your snake mice or rats? What size feeder rodent should I be giving my pet snake? Should I feed my snake frozen or live feeder rodents? Can I feed my pet snake food other than rodents? Where can I buy feeder rodents for my pet snake?
This Pearl Island boa is eating a live mouse rather than a frozen/thawed one because it is a picky eater. Not all snakes will accept frozen mice or rats as food.
Rats Versus Mice as Feeders
What is the difference between feeding your snake mice or rats?
There is much debate as to whether or not your pet snake should eat mice or rats. And honestly, there are nutritional differences, but the bottom line is that is comes down to personal preference of the snake’s owner as well as what species of snake you are feeding.
First of all, the most significant difference in nutritional value between rats and mice is that mice contain more fat than rats. Rats are leaner and higher in protein value. Both rodents are overall pretty comparable in terms of vitamins and minerals.
Keep in mind that different species of snake will also fare better on different types of feeders. The general consensus amongst reptile enthusiasts is that heftier bodied snakes such as pythons and boas benefit greatly from consuming rats on a regular basis. More slender species of snakes that are commonly kept as pets such as king snakes, corn snakes, and milk snakes are usually better off eating mice.
Because rats are higher in protein, this tends to mean that larger snakes with slower metabolisms (i.e. pythons and boas) can digest them more efficiently. They will overall receive more nutrients from any given meal and will ultimately require fewer feeding sessions.
Mice are great options for snakes that are more active such as the “slim” species we listed above. Due to their fat content, mice provide more immediate fuel that snakes with quick acting metabolisms can utilize and put to good use.
That isn’t to say that various species of snakes are unable to eat both types of rodent. Whether you opt for mice or rats, your snake should be getting everything it needs nutritionally, provided you feed it on a proper schedule.
What size feeder rodent should I be giving my pet snake?
Obviously, the size mouse or rat you feed your snake should change depending on the size of the snake being fed. You wouldn’t want to feed a hatchling corn snake a full-grown rat, nor would it make sense to give a full-grown ball python pinkie mice!
So then, what is the appropriate size rodent to give a snake?
The general rule of thumb that most snake owners follow is that you should feed your snake a rodent that is approximately the size of the thickest or most girthy part of your snake. Anything larger and you risk impaction or choking. Anything smaller and you risk underfeeding.
We’d like to point out that although you can certainly feed your snake rodents that are smaller than the thickest portion of the snake’s body, if you are doing so, you should probably be feeding the snake more than one rodent at a time. So, you can choose to feed several smaller rodents or one larger rodent in a single feeding session. Most snake owners would opt for a single larger rodent just for the sake of convenience, although both methods will ensure your snake doesn’t go hungry.
The only species of snakes that might need to eat feeder animals larger than adult rats would be Burmese pythons, anacondas, and/or reticulated pythons. These species of snakes can actually get large enough to eat rabbits!
Ball pythons are a hefty bodied snake. This means that they do very well digesting rats which contain more protein and less fat than mice.
Should I feed my snake frozen or live feeder rodents?
For the sake of safety and convenience, if you can feed your snake frozen/thawed rodents, we highly recommend doing so. Picky eaters excluded, all the snakes at the Backwater Reptiles facility that eat rodents are fed a diet of frozen/thawed mice.
Frozen rodents are easier to store. Rather than make a trip to the pet store to pick up a live mouse or rat every week or every other week, depending on the age of your snake, you can keep a supply of frozen rodents in your freezer at all times. Snake hungry? Thaw your rodent and you’re ready to go.
Because frozen rodents aren’t alive, it also means that you don’t have to worry about your snake being injured or bitten by the rodent during the feeding process. Not all snakes have the greatest aim and often times live rodents that can move out of striking range can be missed or awkwardly grabbed, resulting in the rodent being able to bite and claw your snake.
But again, we’d like to stress that some snakes are picky eaters and won’t even eat rodents that have been previously frozen. So, if your snake denies frozen rodents, it does become necessary to feed it using living rodents and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We just recommend sticking around for the entire feeding process and making sure that your snake isn’t in any danger.
Can I feed my pet snake food other than rodents?
Not all snakes eat rodents. In fact, many species eat other small vertebrates. There are even some very, very small species of snake that eat invertebrates!
Feeder fish such as minnows and goldfish are an option for certain snake species. Amphibians such as frogs and toads are also often consumed by species such as garter snakes, ribbon snakes, and water snakes.
Some species of snake, like this red bellied water snake, don’t generally eat rodents in the wild. This means that they will have a different diet in captivity.
Very small snake species such as ringnecks and Bimini blind snakes are too tiny to eat even normal sized invertebrates. In captivity, they often eat earthworms and other appropriately sized prey.
However, most species of snake that are kept as pets do eat rodents, so in general, it’s safe to assume that you won’t have to feed your own pet snake anything other than mice or rats.
Where can I buy feeder rodents for my pet snake?
Luckily, most commercial pet stores do sell both frozen feeder rodents and living feeder rodents.
Ultimately, the best place to buy your feeder rodents if you own just a single snake is probably your local pet store. Purchasing one live rodent at a time or several frozen ones to keep in your freezer is usually sufficient for most normal herp hobbyists.
If you own many snakes or if you breed them or plan on starting a breeding project, it could definitely be beneficial to buy frozen rodents online in bulk. Backwater Reptiles does sell frozen feeder rats and mice in various sizes, however they are sold in large quantities rather than being available to purchase individually like they are in most pet stores.
Conclusion
As we’ve already mentioned before, it is very much a personal preference as to what type of rodent you feed your own pet snake. Many snakes thrive on feeder mice their entire lives and there are no negative consequences to feeding one over the other.
There is no “right” diet for any given snake. In fact, some snakes are such picky eaters that as an owner, you might have no choice but to feed your snake a single prey item its entire life. The information provided in this article is simply meant to serve as a guideline, answer some commonly asked questions, and hopefully inform potential snake owners what to expect in terms of feeding their new herp friend.
Every snake owner knows that as their pet grows it will shed its skin. Normally, this process is accomplished quickly, easily, and without any issues. However, some snake species are prone to “bad” sheds or problem sheds where the entire skin does not come off in one neat, tubular piece.
Because incomplete sheds can become a health issue for a pet snake of any species, we’re dedicating this article to explaining what we do to remedy this problem at the Backwater Reptiles facility.
The Ideal Shedding Process
A normal shed occurs when a snake’s skin comes off in one single, tubular, opaque piece. It’s a very cool process and when your pet snake has completed a shed successfully, you actually have a really cool souvenir.
When a snake sheds its skin normally, the process is referred to as ecdysis. When the process doesn’t go smoothly and the skin sheds in flakes, pieces, or fails to come off properly in any way, the proper term becomes dysecdysis.
Healthy snakes with proper husbandry and humidity in their enclosure should shed their skin in one solid piece.
You can tell your pet snake is preparing to shed its skin because not only will its behavior change, its physical appearance will also change.
Many snakes will go into hiding prior to shedding. They will retreat into their hide box and tend to stay pretty immobile most of the time. They might also become aggressive or refuse food if you offer it. But don’t worry. If you notice your snake has become lethargic, you can also detect changes in its physical appearance that will tell you that your pet is not ill, but just preparing to shed.
Prior to shedding, snakes will develop grey, cloudy looking eyes. You will also notice that their skin appears duller in nature. For instance, many snakes have shiny, iridescent scales. You will be able to see them become less brilliant in color and the iridescence may disappear altogether.
Side note: When you notice the signs that your snake is preparing to shed, you should handle it as little as possible. You also should avoid feeding as odds are the snake won’t eat the food being offered anyway.
Often times, your pet snake will shed without you even being aware of the process. You might notice a change in behavior and appearance one day, go to sleep, and wake up the next morning with a clean tube of snake skin waiting for you in the cage.
Solution Number One – Giving Your Pet Snake a Bath
If you do notice that your snake has shed some skin but not cleanly, the first solution we’d recommend would be to provide a large soaking dish within your snake’s cage if there is not already one provided. Often times problem sheds are caused by lack of humidity, so providing a bowl or water dish where your snake can go to naturally remedy the problem is a good place to start.
But what if you have an arboreal snake that doesn’t necessarily enjoy a good soak? Well, then you may just have to help the snake by giving it a bath or confining it to a sealed container with water for a time.
We recommend manually giving the snake a bath only if you know your snake has a pleasant temperament. You don’t want to try bathing and removing stuck skin on a grumpy snake.
If your snake is small enough, calm enough, and receptive enough to a manual bath, then fill a bowl or basin with lukewarm water. You want to be careful the water is not too cold or too hot as you don’t want to shock the snake’s system. Carefully immerse the snake in the water while making sure its head doesn’t get submerged. Many small snakes will let you hold them and dip them in the water. You can also dribble water over the snake while holding it if your snake doesn’t enjoy being in the water fully.
While manually bathing, it’s also useful to massage the snake’s body where the problem skin resides. Generally, once the skin has moistened, it will loosen naturally and you can gently rub it off.
If your snake is too large for the manual bath method or gets grumpy easily, then obtain a container with a lid that is large enough to hold your snake. Fill the container with enough lukewarm water so that your snake is submerged as much as possible but does not have to swim. You don’t want your snake to drown!
Once your container holds the appropriate amount of water, it can be helpful to place a rough object in the pool with the snake. This is because the snake will rub against it, either intentionally or unintentionally, and this will help remove the remaining skin. We’d recommend a textured rock or brick – just be sure there are no sharp edges for the snake to injure itself on.
The final step is obviously to place your snake in the container and shut the lid so that it has no choice but to hydrate. We always recommend standing by or placing the container somewhere it is always visible. It is never wise to leave a soaking reptile of any kind unattended, despite taking all the proper precautions.
If all goes well with the confined soak, you should be able to gently slough off any remaining skin pieces very easily after about fifteen to thirty minutes without harming the snake.
Solution Number Two – Putting a Rough or Coarse Object in the Snake’s Enclosure
Sometimes all a snake needs in order to complete a tough shed is something rough to rub itself against.
If you’ve noticed your snake soaking itself, placing a rough object in the cage is probably the easiest and most low maintenance solution.
Just like with the manual bath/soak method, a textured stone or a piece of brick can work wonders. As previously mentioned, please be sure that even though the object is rough that there are no sharp edges for the snake to cut itself on.
Once the object is in the cage, keep a close eye on the progress of the snake. If the problem skin still isn’t fully coming off, you can always try a confined soak or manual bath to finish off the process.
Solution Number Three – Use a Commercial Shed Aid
If all else fails, there are actually commercially produced reptile shed aid solutions that can assist your snake through a tough shed.
These products are essentially “snake conditioners” and can be used in conjunction with the soak/bath method.
You can use the products by adding them to the snake’s bath itself, or you can lightly coat your snake after it has had a bath to help remove any remaining skin pieces.
We’d like to make note that we prefer the natural method of lukewarm water because nine times out of ten, this method will eliminate any stuck pieces of skin.
Troublesome Eye Caps
One aspect of problematic sheds that we’d like to touch upon specifically is what to do when your snake doesn’t properly shed its eye caps. Just for reference, the eye caps, or spectacles as some like to call them, are the scales that cover the snake’s eyes. Because snakes lack eyelids, they have a special scale to protect and keep their eyes moist. This scale can often stay put during problem sheds and can require special tactics to remove safely.
Retained eye caps can occur with both normal and problematic sheds. If you notice after any kind of shedding that your snake’s eyes are still cloudy, you might have to intervene and remove the eye caps yourself.
Because your snake’s vision will be impaired, sometimes it will make the necessary efforts to remove the retained spectacle itself. You may have to do nothing at all. We recommend making sure there are rough surfaces for the snake to rub on within its enclosure and waiting a day or two after noticing the problem. If the eye cap is still present, then you should make efforts to remove it manually.
Although this bull snake is only in pre-shed mode, a retained eye cap will look cloudy and grey like this snake’s eyes. It may also appear somewhat wrinkled.
Make sure that you are confident and comfortable handling your pet snake before you attempt to remove retained eye caps by yourself. It requires patience, confidence, and a knowledge of your snake’s mannerisms and temperament.
The first thing you should do is to moisten the eye cap. Because snakes don’t like to have their heads submerged under water, we recommend dribbling lukewarm water onto the affected eye cap and allowing it to sink in as much as possible. Next, gently rub the eye cap with a q-tip or fingertip. Make sure you have a light touch. This is simply to attempt to begin the process as you will usually need tweezers to completely remove the eye cap.
After you’ve softly rubbed the retained cap enough that you can see an edge, very carefully grip the loosened edge with your blunt tweezers. Please don’t use sharp or pointy tweezers because if your snake jerks or moves, it could spell disaster. Very slowly remove the retained spectacle using the tweezers. Don’t pry – if it is not coming off with gentle manipulation, it needs to be moistened more or your snake might need to make a trip to the vet.
Make sure to monitor your snake’s behavior closely during this entire process. Many snakes will sit calmly through the process, but others will not like you being that close to their head and may start to show signs of aggression, even if they are normally well-behaved.
It will take some time and lots of patience, but with proper moistening and effort, you should be able to remove the eye cap safely.
Side note: If your snake has several layers of unshed eye caps (usually only happens with poor husbandry habits), or if it is known for being aggressive, it’s probably best to take the snake to your local veterinarian. They will be able to properly anesthetize the animal and remove the eye caps during that time.
Preventing Future Problematic Sheds
The number one reason why snakes have issues with shedding is that their enclosure is not humid enough. Although different species from different habitats will obviously require different humidity levels, most species tend to need anywhere from fifty to seventy percent humidity.
Once you have determined the proper humidity level that is required for your species of snake, there are several things you can do to maintain this humidity.
The number one thing is to make sure your snake has a water dish! This should be common sense as snakes do actually drink water, but having water present in the snake’s immediate environment is key. You can also place an under the tank heating mat directly underneath the water source to help speed evaporation and therefore increase humidity within the cage.
Another option is to include a moisture box in your snake’s home. What this usually entails is creating a separate hide box and filling it with a substrate that retains moisture well such as sphagnum moss or moist paper towels. Be sure to check your moisture box frequently for mold though as you don’t want to unintentionally create a toxic environment for your snake.
And lastly, instead of altering the humidity levels within the snake’s cage, you can actually change the humidity within the room itself. Just go to any drug store or big box retailer and buy a humidifier. A hygrometer can help you measure the humidity in the room to make sure it is at the proper level for your snake.
Helping Large or Temperamental Snakes Through Problem Sheds
If your snake is very large, or if it has a bad temper, it might simply be wisest to take the snake to the vet to assist with an incomplete shed. This is particularly true if you are having trouble with retained eye caps.
However, this is pretty much going to be up to the discretion of the owner. Most snakes will put up with a certain level of handling, even if they do have a testy disposition.
We would however recommend that you wear leather gloves or some other form of protection if you know that your snake is prone to biting.
Conclusion
Snakes make wonderful pets, but like all reptiles, it’s very possible that you will have to deal with an incomplete or problem shed at some point during your snake’s life.
This article is intended to help out should your own pet snake encounter this issue as well as help prevent this issue from occurring in the first place.
If you have any other tips or suggestions for how you’ve helped your own snake through a difficult shed, feel free to leave them in the comments section.
Even if you’ve never owned a pet snake or seen one up close in real life, we bet you’re aware that snakes can swallow food that is much larger than their head in a single bite. How cool is that? But, how do snakes eat other animals?
As humans, we not only cut up our food into manageable portions, we also chew it until it is the proper consistency to be swallowed. It’s hard to imagine trying to swallow an entire cow or even an entire carrot whole, but that’s what snakes do.
How do snakes eat?
So, how are snakes able to eat this way without choking? What unique adaptations do they possess that allow them to eat so efficiently? Well, if you’re curious about this topic at all, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll cover topics from how a snake’s jaw is built to other special traits they have in order to be such powerhouse eating machines.
Snakes are able to eat food that is literally larger than their own head. They have special jaws that give them an enhanced range of movement. This photo shows a Hog Island Boa (Boa c. imperator) consuming a mouse. This particular snake is a picky eater and therefore had to be fed a live mouse rather than one that had been frozen.
What do wild snakes eat?
As is the case with many wild animals, snakes are opportunistic eaters and usually will eat a variety of food based on what types of prey can be found in their vicinity. Keep in mind that all snakes are carnivores though, so there are no species that eat plants or vegetable matter.
Most mid-size snakes will eat small vertebrates, usually mammals. Ground-dwelling rodents such as mice, shrews, voles, rats, and even moles are all excellent meals for snakes in the wild. However, mid-size snakes are also not afraid to indulge in appropriately-sized vertebrates such as frogs, toads, small birds, and even other snakes!
Larger snakes can obviously eat larger food. North American species that don’t grow to extremely large sizes will eat chickens, lizards, rabbits, and other large rodents.
Some of the larger snake species (i.e. boas, pythons, and anacondas) can eat large game animals such as deer, boar, and even goats. However, this is usually reserved for jungle-dwelling species that eat wild game animals.
Snake species such as this green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) will grow so large that in time they will eat small game animals!
We’ve covered what large snakes eat in the wild. But, what do tiny snakes such as ringneck snakes and blind snakes eat in the wild? What prey items are small enough for these nearly earthworm-sized reptiles to consume?
Well, many will eat small invertebrates in place of vertebrates. Small insects like cockroaches, crickets, and even worms are all on the menu for these itty bitty snake species.
Notice anything in particular about this list of prey items? All of them are listed as “prey” and not “food.” This is because snakes actually won’t eat dead matter. They will only eat living food, or in the case of snakes we keep as pets, food that they perceive to be living prey.
How does a snake’s jaw work?
The jaw of a snake is very different from the jaw on mammals and other reptiles such as lizards and tortoises. Most mammals and reptiles that are not snakes have a skull and a lower jaw bone called a mandible.
These two main bones are generally fused together and unable to perform too broad of a range of movement other than opening and closing and perhaps a little shifting from side to side.
Snakes have jaws that are much more flexible and capable of a broad range of movement. This is because instead of two pieces that are fused together, the jaws of a snake are comprised of three pieces that are held together by much more flexible tendons, muscles, and ligaments.
Snakes have a top skull bone and two bottom jaw pieces that are actually not fused together at the chin. Instead, these two bottom jaw pieces are held together by muscle allowing each side of the jaw to move independently of each other.
Getting into the nitty gritty anatomy of a snake’s jaw, the upper bone and lower bones are connected via the quadrate bone. This special bone behaves like a hinge and allows for the snake’s jaw to open 150 degrees!
This means that any snake can open its mouth to swallow food that for all intents and purposes appears too large for it to eat.
This diagram shows the inner workings of a snake’s jaw. Notice the quadrate bone and how it behaves like a hinge allowing the snake to open its jaws to such a wide angle.
One myth that we’d like to clear up regarding a snake’s jaw bones is that a snake’s jaw can actually come unhinged or detached. This is not true. Snakes don’t detach their jaw bones on command.
As we’ve already discussed, they simply have special adaptations that make their jaws extremely flexible and this makes it appear that the jaw detaches.
If you’ve ever witnessed a snake eating, you’ll know that although you’d think it would be a very slow and tedious process, most snakes eat very quickly and will consume their prey in under five minutes.
This is because once the jaws have opened over the prey, the snake’s curved teeth grab the prey and make sure it doesn’t slip forward and out of the snake’s wide open mouth.
The snake then secretes a lot of saliva and lubricates the food while “walking” its jaws forward over the prey one side at a time. The digestive muscles then take over the remainder of the process and push the food further down the digestive tract and proper digestion begins.
How do snakes catch their prey?
If snakes have no arms, legs, or even claws of any sort to catch prey, how then do they capture food to eat? What special abilities do they have to make up for their lack of arms and legs?
As we’re sure you’re aware, some species of snakes are venomous. They have long, hollow, front fangs that grab prey and inject them with venom that allows the snake to eat the prey item at its leisure.
Examples of venomous snakes that most Americans are familiar with are vipers, coral snakes, and rattle snakes.
Did you know that each species of snake actually possesses its own special venom type? The effects of the venom can vary by species, but there are three main types – neurotoxins, cardiotoxins, and hemotoxins.
Neurotoxins affect the nervous system and generally cause respiratory function to cease. Cardiotoxins affect the prey’s heart, causing the muscles to deteriorate and eventually make the heart stop beating.
Hemotoxins cause blood vessels to rupture which results in widespread internal bleeding.
This Dumerils Boa (Boa dumerili) is a typical constrictor. It will suffocate its prey before eating it and does not possess fangs like venomous snakes.
When a venomous snake is not biting something, its hollow fangs fold back into the snake’s mouth. This is because if the fangs didn’t lie flat, the snake would either be incapable of closing its mouth or its teeth would puncture through the bottom of its own face.
Most other non-venomous snakes are constrictors, meaning that once they lunge and grab their prey, they begin to squeeze the animal until it has suffocated to death allowing the snake to eat freely. Each time the prey inhales, the snake’s coils tighten and the prey is unable to take another breath.
So, whether the snake injects venom or squeezes its food to death, it’s clear that lacking limbs poses no problems for these reptiles when it comes to grabbing a meal.
How should I feed my snake in captivity?
Snakes are usually not hard to feed in captivity. Most smaller species will happily eat mice their entire life, while the larger constrictor species will eventually move onto rats.
If you’re squeamish about feeding a living rodent to your pet snake, luckily most snakes will eat pre-killed frozen rodents. All you need to do is keep the frozen rodent in your freezer until it’s meal time for your snake and then you de-thaw it.
We usually allow our frozen mice to thaw in warm water, but you can also just allow them to sit out until they’ve completely thawed. Just be sure to NEVER put a frozen rodent in the microwave!
You will have disastrous and rather messy results and end up with a snake that goes hungry.
Sometimes, snakes can be picky eaters. This is usually only true of the ones that are wild-caught. Captive bred snakes will generally accept frozen/thawed rodents with no issue.
If you do end up with a picky eater, you can certainly feed it living rodents. Pet stores sell feeder mice specifically for this very reason. There will be a few extra steps to the feeding process though.
First of all, we don’t recommend throwing a live mouse in with your snake in its normal enclosure. No matter if you’re feeding a live rodent or a frozen one to your snake, we highly recommend transferring your snake to a new enclosure for the feeding process.
This helps your snake to associate being moved to a specific area with feeding time and helps develop a schedule. It also trains your snake to recognize that not every time the cage opens means feeding time and will help minimize accidental striking and biting.
So, the first step when feeding a live rodent is to transfer your snake to a separate feeding container. Once you’ve done this, we recommend stunning your live rodent. This process is certainly not for the faint hearted.
There are many ways to stun a rodent, but many snake owners will strike the mouse against a hard surface to knock it unconscious. The rodent should be stunned because like any animal, it will fight for its life and this means that if your snake doesn’t consume the rodent immediately, the rodent could actually gnaw on your snake and inflict wounds that will get infected.
If you are simply unable to stun your snake’s dinner, then always stick around for the entire feeding process and make sure that the mouse or rat is not injuring the snake in any way.
If your snake turns out to not have an appetite, which can happen often if the snake is preparing to shed, then always remove the rodent from the enclosure and return your snake to its normal enclosure. Never leave the rodent around assuming the snake will eventually eat it.
There are also specific species of snakes such as egg eating snakes, water snakes, and tiny snakes like ringneck snakes that don’t eat mice. Obviously, egg eating snakes eat eggs.
They’re specialized eaters and won’t eat rodents no matter how hungry they are. Water snakes might eat rodents, but usually they eat small reptiles and amphibians in the wild, so we recommend offering feeder frogs and even feeder fish.
Specialized snake species such as this green water snake probably won’t eat rodents like a “traditional” pet snake. We recommend doing your research before you purchase any species of snake to be sure that you can properly address its food requirements.
If you ever happen to end up with a snake that proves to be a troublesome eater, we actually wrote an entire blog article dedicated to offering tips and tricks to get them to eat. You can find that particular article here.
Conclusion – How do snakes eat?
Snakes are fascinating reptiles and watching your pet snake eat is usually quite a spectacle. Most snake owners genuinely enjoy observing the feeding process and it’s a huge reason many reptile hobbyists choose to care for snakes.
We hope that this “How do snakes eat?” article has taught you some things about how snakes have evolved to be able to eat food that is much larger than their own head. We think it’s a really cool adaptation and we never grow tired of feeding the snakes we keep at Backwater Reptiles.
