i had a nelsons milk snake escape 2 weeks ago during a feeding. he is a really shy feeder. when i feed him, i slowly back away from his tank after he grabs the mouse and i wait while he swallows. when he's done, i go over and put his lid back on. if i put his lid back while he still has the mouse, he'll drop it and won't eat.
like a complete idiot, i got distracted with other things while i waited for him to swallow and he got out while i wasn't looking (no need to scold me, i feel horrible already). luckily, i found him 2 days ago crossing my driveway. i picked him up and noticed immediately that something was wrong. he looked in perfect condition but was acting very strange and unresponsive. he had a lump in his stomach and i thought he had eaten a poisonous toad or salamander (i live in s.e. pa). i worked out the food from his stomach and it was a shrew.
i put the snake back in his tank and left him alone, but in the morning he was dead. i can't figure out what could have killed him other than his meal, because his body was in perfect shape and we have had perfect snake weather. i know that shrews are mildly venomous and i was wondering if the shrew poisoned him?
has anybody ever heard of snakes being fed shrews, and if so, with what results?
