Animal Care Associates, Inc
840 Oakwood Road
Charleston, WV 25314
304-344-2244

Snake Feeding Guide &  Health   

Feeding

It is very important to make several points and cautions regarding the feeding of captive snakes. Most herpetologists and experienced hobbyists agree that captive snakes should be fed dead or incapacitated prey whenever possible.  This is because such prey cannot injure the feeding snake.  Providing killed prey that has been frozen is convenient and economical. Snakes may be induced to eat thawed, frozen prey animals by clipping hair from the coat of a live rat and rolling the proposed food in it just before feeding.

Live rodents (rats and mice in particular) left unattended and unobserved within an enclosure can sometimes turn on the snake and inflict serious bite wounds.  These incidents are most likely to occur when a snake is ill or otherwise uninterested in feeding.

If it is not possible to offer anything other than live and fully conscious prey for a snake to successfully feed, the encounter must be carefully supervised.  If a snake shows no interest in feeding within 10-15 minutes after the prey has been introduced, the prey should be removed. If other similar attempts to feed the snake within the next 1-2 weeks are equally unsuccessful, veterinary help should be sought.

Extreme caution should be exercised when feeding snakes.  This is especially important when a snake is hungry.  An overzealous and hungry snake may strike at a person as the prey is introduced.  This is especially true with large snakes.  Caution also should be used when feeding more than one snake in the same enclosure.

Feeding schedules for captive snakes vary with the age, species, size, condition and specific requirements.  Generally pet snakes are usually fed once every 1-2 weeks. Juvenile and adults for which a relatively rapid growth rate is desired can be fed more frequently, providing that the environmental temperatures are warm enough to allow complete and thorough digestion.  Older snakes are usually fed less frequently, often once every 3-6 weeks.  Overfeeding should be avoided due to the risk of obesity.
 

Specific Dietary Recommendations

Snake Health

Shedding

Shedding is the process by which snakes periodically discard the outer portion of their skin.  This activity is under hormonal control and is associated with growth.  Most snakes shed their skin 4-8 times per year.  The frequency of shedding depends upon many factors, including environmental temperature, frequency of feeding, amount fed at each feeding, and activity level.  Young snakes shed more frequently than older ones because growth is relatively rapid in the first few years of life.

Healthy snakes usually have little or no difficulty with shedding and tend to shed their skins in one entire piece.  Exceptions to this include snakes with injuries to the skin and/or scales resulting in scarring, and snakes housed in enclosures with suboptimal temperatures and/or humidity levels.

The stress associated with shedding can be substantial.  Sick snakes, those suffering from malnutrition, or those whose health has been compromised by poor husbandry experience delayed or incomplete sheds.  These snakes tend to shed their skins in pieces.

The shedding process is preceded by a period of relative inactivity.  This period usually lasts 1-2 weeks, during which time the eyes begin to exhibit a dull, bluish/white appearance.  During this period the snake's vision is impaired, which causes them to be rather unpredictable and sometimes aggressive.  The skin during this period tends to have an overall dull appearance.  The underlying new skin is soft and vulnerable to damage while the outer layers prepare to slough away.

The eyes become transparent again after 7-15 days when shedding begins.  A snake will make use of any rough objects or surfaces within its enclosure to help shed the skin.  Shedding begins with the skin of the head.  Once the snake has loosened and dislodged the skin surrounding the mouth and rostrum (nose), it then passes between rough objects that can trap the loose skin and hold it as the snake moves out of the "old" skin.  Discarded skin appears dry and tube-like or moist and crumpled in a solitary heap.  Many snakes defecate after a successful shed, or consume large amounts of water.
 

Problems Requiring Veterinary Attention

* IF YOU FEEL THAT YOUR PET IS ILL PLEASE TAKE YOUR SNAKE TO A VETERINARIAN *

The list below are just a few of the problems that you may encounter with a pet snake!

Trauma -Veterinary attention should be sought for:

• Burns
  
• Rat/Mouse Bites; these bites commonly form abscesses.
  
• Prolapses (When an organ of the snake inverts itself and protrudes outside of the body).

Failure to Voluntarily Feed - Anorexia (lack of appetite) and failure to voluntarily feed are common problems among captive snakes.  Despite the fact that snakes are uniquely suited to survive prolonged periods without feeding, a snake owner should make every attempt to discover the reason(s) for the snake's failure to feed.

Regurgitation - Regurgitation of food may result from handling a snake too soon after it is fed.  Regurgitated food is undigested and relatively odorless.  Another common cause of regurgitation is inadequate and incomplete digestion caused by relatively cool environmental temperatures.  In these cases, the regurgitated food appears digested and is malodorous.  Other causes of regurgitation include stress in easily excitable species, parasitism, intestinal obstruction and serious internal disease.  An experienced veterinarian should be consulted if the cause is not readily determined.

Constipation - Constipation is a common problem among captive snakes.  Causes include suboptimal environmental temperatures, illness, dehydration, injuries, parasites and cloacoliths (stones).  Constipated snakes should be allowed to soak in very warm (not hot) water for 20-30 minutes daily for 1-2 days.  This often results on defecation and/or urination.  If soaking is not successful, veterinary help should be sought at once.

Mouth Rot- Mouth rot is a bacterial infection of the mouth.  It may begin with increased salivation.  Often saliva bubbles coming from the mouth are seen.  The mouth lining becomes increasingly inflamed and pus begins to accumulate within the mouth.  As the disease progresses, the underlying bone becomes infected.

Home / AAHA / About Us / Contact Us / Diagnostics / Doctors