Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Had something interesting happen this weekend. While I was away a pair of house sparrows evicted the eastern blue birds from the nest box I had set up and laid 5 of their own eggs. Its common practice to remove sparrow nesting material to discourage them from using the boxes but I generally don't like trashing a nest with eggs. I made the exception because these were of an invasive species and an aggressive pair at that.

I took the 5 eggs to my snake room and offered them to my thayeri. Man they hammered them! One female took an egg right out of my hand as I was putting it in the cage. My thayeri are all great feeders but I've never seen that kind of feeding response from them.

This makes me wonder if thayeri do not actively seek the eggs of ground dwelling birds like quail in the wild. I've been contemplating raising some quail (for myself)anyway but this might be an interesting way to feed a small colony of theyeri.
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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson

WWW.TDSNAKES.BLOGSPOT.COM

Interesting Tony....
I am contemplating getting some quail chicks for feeding too......

I tried 1 to 2 day old chicks and their pelvic area is too big for most of my thayeri to swallow.....My getula and pituophis love them......

I think quail are a perfect size....not to mention they are probably (as you stated) part of their natural diet in the wild......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

Tony I would lay (pun intended) good $$ on the bet that most all predators,let alone snakes, would love to raid bird nests for the eggs/chicks. L.m.thayeri should be quite happy with at least the occasional egg.
Let us know how you do if you decide to undertake the raising of quail. I had given it some thought as well, but just don't need more mouths to feed....
Turtle eggs are a favorite of getula as you know.
Stubborn wc snakes have taken eggs of various types for me when all else failed. Funny thing is, I seem to forget to try them until after a few rejections of other food items.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

crimsonking.piczo.com/

I know what you're saying about the other mouths to feed! Still each female quail will lay approx 300 eggs a year. That's pretty good production. A small flock of
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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson

WWW.TDSNAKES.BLOGSPOT.COM

None of my kingsnakes have ever been able to figure out eggs. My mom had chinese button quail that would lay and then never sit. The snakes definitely wanted the eggs and would smell around like crazy and even push the eggs around but never actually get a hold of one.

My stepdad had some black rats back in the day that would take fresh chicken eggs though. Worst part of feeding eggs is a egg craps a couple days later. So stinky gross!
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Josh Loehr

I feed quail to my thayeri, mex mex and mexican black kings.
What I have noticed is that some of the kings are either mouse or rat feeders but none of them turn down the quail. they all take them readily.
I have also been using the lower part of the drumstick along with the foot for non feeders and they take it quicker than anything else I have tried.
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Michelle
www.AssortedSerpents.com
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.