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Snakes have varied appetites.
To cleanse their palettes, these slow, methodical travelers eat whatever’s
around.
Their diets change as they grow, small prey when they’re young, larger kills
when their older. And since they’re cold-blooded, they don’t have to eat every
second.
Snakes are picky. They might ignore prey that is too large or difficult to
swallow in one fell gulp.
Most snakes prefer to eat mammals because constriction and venom – the two ways
snakes kill – work best on them.
Some, like the King Cobra and the King snake, eat other snakes. Brown snakes
prefer snails, while the White-bellied Mangrove Snake prefers crabs, and Blind
snakes chomp down on ants and termites.
All snakes are carnivorous, according to snakesandreptiles.com. Most avoid
eating lettuce, carrots, bread and similar items.
Use pre-killed prey instead of live prey. Few snakes do still insist on live
food.
You may want to wear gloves when you do this, in case the snake lunges toward
the food item.
Each species has a reference book on its diet, and the snake’s natural food
should be offered before the owner deviates. Adult snakes should be fed every
week or 10 days. Younger snakes should eat more often. “A snake can go for weeks
without food if necessary, but it does better on a medium sized meal once a week
than a huge meal every three weeks,” the site advises.
Snakes are ectotherms, meaning their body temperature and metabolism change
based upon the temperature of their surroundings. These changes affect their
appetites.
If your snake will not eat, it might be too cold, or it may want its food inside
a hiding box for seclusion. Do not force feed.
Snakes tell you when they want to feed, because they will start prowling their
cage and the number of tongue flicks will increase.
If you have more than one snake, feed them in separate cages or they might fight
over the meal.
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