Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so i got to thinkin today, anyone ever try feeding zebra finches to there corns? only reason i thought of this is cause a while back i had a couple of them and the couple turned into many pretty fast, they breed pretty dang easily, shoot, easier then mice in my opinion, heh. and they are more interesting to own as "pets" then mice, so long as you dont get to attached to them i guess. only thing i would wonder is there nutrtional value, cant imagine it would be to bad, just a thought.

I never have nor will, but I have a friend that has. Atrox to his king snakes, birds, spiny mice etc etc.

1 breeding finchs is not going to yield enough food than mice. mice produce more volume of food.

2 what if your snakes get stuck on finchs? corns are not the touchiest snake with this issue like ball pythons, but still an issue.

3 breed some rats. a newborn rat can be the size of a fuzzy mouse. especially from a young mom. when I was breeding rats I tried to get everything I had on them. so you freeze what sizes you need.

For me I'd never do it.

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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

Wouldn't the birds be more prone to carrying parasites (i.e. mites, etc.) than mice? I've seen a lot of wild birds that are covered with mites, and I would be afraid of introducing that to my snake.
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0.1 Banded California kingsnake - Zorro
1.0 Betta fish - Billy
0.0.3 White Cloud Fish
1.0 RES - Chopstick
0.1 Australian Shepherd - Jet
0.1 Domestic Shorthair Mix Cat - Pirate

I'm not sure. I dont think mites or ticks are an issue as they are on all or most wild critters. Some times we forget teh crappy type of animals our snakes would eat in teh wild. But passing internal parasites maybe? Not my area at all.
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

Since no corn snake in the wild has ever encountered a wild zebra finch, and to my knowledge, birds are not in any way part of a corn's diet, I say No to feeding finches to your snake. Besides, birds fed to snakes produces smelly wastes, many times worse than normal.

Second, not sure corn snakes will even try to eat a finch if you offered it. Best to stick to mice or rats as food for corn snakes which is predominately their natural prey.

Buy a second bird cage and keep your male and female finches separate or toss out the eggs before they hatch. Or buy an egg eating snake who likes half inch eggs sized eggs.
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PHLdyPayne

Corns would absolutely eat the finches; they can and do predate on small birds in the wild. So, I can't see how that would be a problem.

The issue of increased smell is a definite problem to overcome, and there may very well be those individual snakes that would refuse to eat anything else once "hooked" on the finches.

More down side than up, in my opinion...but corns, as a group, will eat a huge variety of prey animals outside of rodents.
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Darin Chappell
Hillbilly Herps
PO Box 254
Rogersville, MO 65742

i have a customer who all summer long would feed babie sparrows and sparrow eggs to her corns. i absolutely loved them. i believe she would break the eggs open for the snake but either way t ate them. i told her it wasnt the best idea but only because of parasites....not sure if their a prolem with cb finches or not
adam jeffery
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

yes they can

yes they will

yes I have

yes I have had a greenish rat (small) get out...get into cage...eat 2 or 3 small finches and then was too fat to get out of the bird's cage...cool...but it also killed like 1 or 2 adult finches just because they were there...not cool...

....yes they can carry all kinds of worms and germs and bacteria and stuff....

yes I have fed wild snakes wild birds.....not captive snakes...

...mice are easier, as said more productive....and the finches will get you a little cash towards buying more bird food?...

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and the drinks are on Pearl.............

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Pn that note, we had a small gopher get out (yea i know not a corn) but he got into a parakeet cage we had in teh back room. he ate 3-4 keets and all the eggs. BURP!

And yes stuck in the cage, but he seems ratehr comfortable in the nesting box waiting for more food.

On a personal note when i was a kid, i had a 30" caiman. the only reason i bought him is he was tame. I made a poolsurrounded by a small fence in my yard. He spent 2-3 months out there in the summer. Well 1 day i saw feathers. I said OH CRAP he ate a bird. Then OHHHHH He ate a bird!!!! So i put out bread for teh birds. MAN he grew. not somethign I'd do now. At 14 or so it seemed cool lol
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

tom i actually find that an intriguing story!!!!! what other animal can you own that could sit outside and feed itself!!!!
love it
now i want a caiman
adam
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

hey tom thought id let ya know i got a nicelittle lavander bloodred coming on wednesday! im planning on breeding him with my lavander motley and my female bloodred het hypo.
should be ineresting...
adam

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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

Nice stuff.

Yea the caiman was cool, back then gators were illegal. When he got bigger he got mean, or at least snappy. On another note on feeding birds, I had a double yellow headed amazon parrot I use to let fly around my street. he would sit on the front phone line going down the road. Nieghbors complained to me he was killing birds. I thought NO way. Then I was a sparrow land by him, why I have no idea, but he greated him with a bite to teh head. Papooga was no longer allow to fly the hood. Papooga is parrot in Polish.

My childhood was very differnt from most! lol

Old pic when these 2 just met.

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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

huh, thats interesting, reminds me of a video i saw where a pelican ate a pigeon...different...animal kingdom really never ceases to amaze me.
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2.1.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn

Watched a pair of ravens attack and kill a pigeon...guess birds find pigeons a nuisance too.

As for corns eating birds, I didn't realize they did but still, zebra finches originate from Australia...definitely not a natural food source...but I doubt they will be more than a pinky or fuzzy rat in food content for a corn, stripped of their feathers there isn't much left in a finch.
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PHLdyPayne

gators and caiman can climb fences...so anyone trying them outside....do not use wire mesh or fencing...they will go right up and over and GONE....friend been there done that....caiman gone......>>>>>

....so....use plywood slanted slightly inward if needed.....

make it big enough so they don't fry in a board cage....the sun gets really hot...

and birds are ok for anything...

I personally like the pelican and pigeon story...Atlantic city (any sity by water.) should all have pigeon eating pelicans in them...at them...whatever....

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and the drinks are on Pearl.............

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Interesting. Your bringing bad childhood memories. My nieghbor once used our yard for a large garden and it had a wooden fence to keep my dog out. Small dog, small fence. basically 3' picket. caiman was not able to go between, and it started where I just took him out during the day. But i agree, 1 dont do it unless your 100% sure no issues with ppl. it was far different back then. And if you do, follow someonss design that works. We've been called more than once to catch a stray caiman or gator.

Glad you added that.
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

you know i always hear people say that waste from a bird meal smells worse, i really dont think it does at all, i have been supplementing my Kings and Corns diets with quails for years,along with my mixtures of mice and rats (i like variety), and i dont really notice a particular stench when it comes to the quail come cleaning time.

And on the topic of zebra finches, i was thinking in the future of breeding them for my Pyxie Frogs (African Bullfrogs)

Adam



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"Turn Left At Next Election"

I think king snakes are in a league of their own lol. They might eat a rock and digect it.

My experience was years ago with burmese and a few retics and African rocks. I barely remember the feedings. But I was teh store grunt and I DO remember the smell. but that was a big turd too.

The only thing worse and MUCH worse was spring when we would get in 36 skunks. We could not open teh store til I cleane4d them then winterfected the entire area. By the way skucks are cool pets. Although as I recall males get nippy when they get older.
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

my mom had a pet skunk when she was young... she said it acted just like a cat and even though it was descented, it still smelled like a skunk. They seem pretty cute... but i am not cool on the smell.... NO thank you!

as for the boas... yes... i am getting into boas now.... and my big girl eats f/t jumbo rats which are like toy chihuahua sized i actually knew a guy once who fed his boas Kittens, but thats another topic i'd prefer not talk about as i have MANY kitties... boy will i be SOL if my boas get out...
here's Dora-colombian RTB:

My new male- her future boyfriend(sorry, he's in blue and will get better pics after he sheds):

and my other new little guy an Argentine... also in blue...

~kin
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~Sober Serpents~
www.freewebs.com/soberserpents
Tons of Corns, A Trio of Creamsicles, A Black Rat, A pair of Leucistic Black Rat X Leucistic Texas Rat Intergrades, Thayeri, Cal Kings, A Jungle Corn, Ball Pythons, A Pair of Albino Nelsons Milksnakes, A Rescue RTB, Leopard Geckos, Green Anoles, 2 Snapping Turtles, an Eastern Box Turtle, a Bearded Dragon, an Adult Rescue Iguana

Skunks have a musky smell. NOT teh full skucnk spray. Ferrets smell to. Some think it can be controlled a bit by the feed?

My first one got to 15 pounds. My mom liked to feed him lol. He was 18" wide when he plopped down. I know that as he took to 9" floor tiles. Cool critter. he loved to catch loose crickets late and night.
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

hmm, lots of interesting thoughts here, like i said, this was just a thought that came across my mind, i dont even own finches at the current time, and i do breed mice for my corn, didnt really think about the whole hooked on finches idea, and i know all about that kind of issue, i have a 12 foot retic that at one point i couldnt find a rabbit to feed him, so i gave him a few rats, well, he got "re-hooked" on rats, and a rat for a 12 foot retic is just a waste of time, heh, hes back on rabbits now, but that was a pain. thanks for the replys on my little spur of the momment thought.
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2.1.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn

Most of us at least think of those things. You have a great benefit of many others before you and their experience. And yes the smell is horrid. Back in the 70's burms were all WC, and many only liked chickens. that leads to tricks on snakes to switch feed items, and the bigger the snake the easier in a way, but you have to be careful.

We got to the point of tying a chick to the head of a rabbit. Both head of course. We also use to do a thing call choo choo train. After a snake eats item #1 have dead item #2 at the ready and as the snake is getting to the tail of item #1 slowly place item #2 in line. They usually just keep going.

But my trick was to hold on to item #2 and let the snake get a good hold of it being very still. Then wiggle the second item. the snake almost always constricts and eats it. IF he has a nice portion in his mouth. I may have some WC western hognose coming in from a friend, and since I don't have toads to care for them, I will be doing the same. But I think Boidaes and corns are a lot easier than hogs.

I'm no expert by a long shot. but I've had an odd life related to herps, and did a lot of trial and error back in the day, as I was trying to learn from the guys older than me in the Cleveland area. Ain't nothing better than guys and gals (herper) over 40 swapping stories. I thought I had a lot of good ones. But last year I met a guy in Texas that got bit by an Atrox I think? Refusing to go to the hospital, someone had heard they used shock treatment to treat snake bites. So his buddies hooked him to a car distributor. Now if that is not a funny video that was missed, I don't know what is.

Funny video for ya

Good luck
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

iv fed my beauty snake finches she loves them but will still eat anything else i give her. i think the variety's good for her and she loves to hunt after them, seems a bit more of a chase than mice. iv also successfully fed fish (live and frozen freshwater iv caught) and strips of chicken.
biyearly fecals have shown no parasite infection from the birds or the fish.
i would say give it a try only if its a larger snake with a strong feeding response. iv also known people with kingsnakes feeding birds with no problem.

little side note and kinda funny, i think, as you know, the corn snakes scientific name is Elaphe guttata, the zebra finches sci. name is Taeniopygia guttata, coincidence...maybe...
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2.1.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn

No, never fed zebra finches. But I do feed chicks to my corns. They are cheaper and larger than mice. My corns do awesome on a 50/50 diet of mice and chicks. Never had any that refused one or the other. Never noticed smellier poop either. All I have noticed is amazing growth and reproductive rates.

From a nutritional standpoint whole birds are very similar to whole mammals. And I can garantee you that a wild corn would eat any animal it can overpower... bird or otherwise.

do it if it amuses you