Not All Snakes Eat Mice
When most people think of snakes, they often assume that all snakes eat mice or at the very least wonder, 'What do snakes eat?'
Snakes actually eat a variety of creatures and while the specific diet may vary depending on the type of snake, the one thing that all snakes have in common is that they are carnivores.
Our vets strongly recommend against feeding snake plants or plant matter since their natural diet is comprised of meat and these creatures cannot survive on plant matter.
Fortunately, snakes purchased from a pet store typically eat rats and mice, which are widely available. Be sure to monitor your snake's feeding schedule as they can occasionally go a couple of weeks without wanting to eat. While this is normal, we recommend contacting your vet if your snake last ate more than a month ago.
Factors That Determine What Type of Prey Snakes Eat
Have you decided to purchase an exotic pet snake? Make sure to take some time to research these creatures in-depth and their specific diet for the breed that you are interested in owning. Regardless of what type of prey your snake will eat you should always focus on humanely killing and feeding the prey to your snake whenever possible.
Snakes that have eaten live food their entire lives may not be willing to eat food that's no longer moving, so it's best to make sure the snake you choose has already adapted to a frozen food diet. This frozen food diet can include mice, rats or whatever your breed of snake prefers that has been humanely killed through freezing, then thawed to room temperature prior to feeding.
There are many reasons why choosing to have your pet snake eat previously frozen food is ideal; aside from the fact that freezing the prey is the most humane method of killing the feeder animal.
Another great reason to choose previously frozen food for your pet snake is that these feeder animals will typically attempt to survive throughout the feeding process. This means fighting back against the snake.
While the snake will almost always win this fight, there is still the chance that the snake could be injured, sometimes seriously. This is a risk that is not necessary. Along with injuries, live food also poses the risk of transmitting various parasites and diseases. All of these possible dangers are avoidable through the choice to feed frozen food.
What do snakes eat?
While the food that your snake will eat depends on the type of snake you have, our veterinarians recommend these common types of foods for these exotic pets:
- Mice and rats
- Rodents such as rabbits and chipmunks
- Birds
- Frogs and toads
- Fish
- Invertebrates like earthworms and slugs
- Other snakes, especially babies, and juveniles
- Bats
- Lizards
- Eggs of mammals, birds, and reptiles
It is important to research the breed of snake that you have decided to bring home. Not only for proper care information but for information on what those types of snakes eat. Your local pet store should carry various feeder insects and animals, such as live crickets, fish, and small mammals like mice and rats.
You should know what your snake eats and how often so you can ensure that you always have the appropriate food available when it comes time for feeding.