Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A while ago there were some posts on mice vs rats. Well, Viperkeeper from youtube has put out a new video on feeding. In the video he uses a beef heart to feed his picky eaters. Could you give a sliver of beef heart to corn snakes? The heart is full of proteins that it might be good for power-feeding. How does this compare to mice or rats? Any thoughts or opinions?

*I do not intend to feed my snakes beef heart.*
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The day I give up my dreams is the day I have strategic grill locations. A dreamer has a philosophy: the entire grill is hot.

"Back in the day" beef heart was used to feed snakes before rodents were conveniently available as a source of food. It is widely accepted that whole rodents contain all the nutrition needed to sustain corn snakes throughout their lives. Since heart is a muscle, it's nutrional value would be limited, rather than being complete.

Most snakes would need to be "tricked" into eating beef heart. This used to be done by clipping mouse hair and rolling beef in it.

Tim

Third Eye

Tim,.....I used to roll ALOT of "clippings" years ago before I quit!.............................................just funnin'.LOL!

Seriously though, all of what you said was quite true!

BTW, What did you think of my pathetic loss of that "Sun glow" many moons ago?.....pretty poor, wasn't it!..LOL

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Oh, I've heard plenty of stories about people letting their snakes get "some fresh air" and momentarily going to do something else only to find their snake gone.

I bet there's some great escape stories out there. Where I used to live I had three snakes escape on different years. Each one ended up INSIDE the neighbor's house. I bet they're glad that I moved.

Tim

I've fed chicken and beef heart to baby corns that would not eat mice. This is only a temporary diet for most carnivores. Very temporary. Picture your dog eating nothing but vegetables. Wild dogs will consume vetetarian animals whose stomachs are full of vegetitation. While it follows that vegetables are part of a canine's died, this does not mean they can subsist soley on vegitation. Likewise, your snake obviously consumes animal organs (by virtue of mice having organs in them), but such a strict diet lacks essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutritients that they were designed to consume via being whole-prey carnivores. As humans, we can maintain our metabolism by eating nothing but pizza and ice cream, but a diet of nothing else would be harmful to our long term welfare.

Trying new foods for your snake is usually safe, but I recommend you stick to traditional meals. When they come up with a vegetarian corn snake, we'll all be rich. But until then, let's feed them what snakes have been eating for eons. RODENTS.
South Mountain Reptiles

...that the liver is a place in animals where potential toxins can build up? While the FDA allegedly regulates what medications and feeds are given to cattle, their guidelines are based on what humans can tolerate. I LOVE liver, but I'm told I should be eating liver from range animals only. These animals supposedly have been not received the likes of steroids and other hormones and drugs.
South Mountain Reptiles

As stated in the earlier post, as a last resort or maybe as a protien supplement, it would be ok, but with a typical wild diet (rodents, avian prey, eggs, other reptiles), the animals receive much needed protien for growth and their own eggs benifit, with a stricktly beef heart diet, they would be missing out on this unless you then dust every meal with calcium, then mask that scent, seems it would be a little more work than what the reward would be.

Just my thoughts

dc

Hey!, That's a nice corn! What locale?? Jeff

Came from Yancey Co., NC

Thanks for the compliment, really want a similar mate but can't locate one for him

You're very welcome!The reason I asked is,he looks alot like the Charlotte Cty. Va. corns I've seen. Jeff

Can somebody explain to me why people feel the need to try all sorts of things for food when rodents are darn near perfect? This anthropormorphism that leads one to believe that snakes will get bored, loose sleep, whatever, unless we offer the kind of variety that we humans like, is just amazing. Many moons ago I sold Eastern Indigos. When people found out that they would eat just about anything they decided to do it to give the poor snake variety. Man, you have not really experienced life until you walk into a snakeroom after an Indigo has dumped after being fed a load of fish or frogs!!!! Um, doggies!!!!! That will take care of your nose hairs!!!! For almost 50 years now rodents have worked. Guess I'll stick with them.
Shalom,

Pat

I help an old friend at the shop he owns and I worked at as a kid in the early 70's.

Yup siree bub, people want to feed mice to iguanas and greens to a leo gecko. People won't give in either. I usually ask them at some point would you raise a baby lion on trios? "Well of course not" Then I might reply (depending on how mischievious I am) Now your catching on there Homer. Nature worked it out long ago, so don't fool with mother nature. They either leave, or laugh and I have a good customer.
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

Agreed. I was hanging out with a friend at his place and asked him what that *funny* smell was.
We tracked it down to his bearded dragon cage and he fessed up that he fed a couple of goldfish to his bearded dragon. Big fat goldfish.
I looked at the beardy, he seemed ok, but man I have smelled better.

What posesses people to feed a desert dweller a couple of goldfish?