Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last night, I fed my copperhead a very small hopper. I tried to give him another. He killed the 2nd hopper but did not eat it. I brained it and left it overnight. This AM still not eaten.

I decided not to let the mouse go to wasted. So I took the dead mouse and put it in the pigmy cage. Pleasantly surprised was I when the pigmy hit it from still under his hide. I simulated a struggling dying mouse and then dropped it by him. Within seconds, the pigmy started to examine and start finding the head. I think she thought she killed this hopper. It was very cute.

My question is: has anyone had any experience giving prey envenomated by one species to another species? My thinking is: As long as there is no cuts/open wound in the pigmy's mouth/guts, then the venom from the copperhead shouldn't enter the pigmy's blood stream. So, I think it will be okay. Dont' you think?

I guess the ultimate answer will be how the pigmy does today. BTW, Even though it was a small hopper, it was still pretty big for the little baby pigmy, but he had no trouble swallowing it. Also, it was quite cute the way he thought his venom actually killed the mouse (it was within seconds, that the piggy started to try to find the head--almost like he thinks his venom is potent as a black mamba's . He is the little Piggy that could

I know I may have been taking a risk by doing what I did, since I am not 100% certain that it would be okay. However, it was a very small risk, since I am almost certain that there will be no complications.

sincerley, Happy HotingS!

Photo Below is NOT the acutal Hopper. (no pic available of the actual hopper). But the piggy is the actual rattle snake.

If your copperhead had any sort of disease... your pygmy has it now too. Reusing prey items just isn't a good quarantine procedure.

Agreed; your issue is not venom, but contaminants and parasites that can be transmitted in saliva.

Thanks Meret and TT. It did cross my mind about the disease aspect. What I am doing is a sort of a modified quarentine. Both animals are from the same vendor and bought from the same day. They are in a quarentine group by themselves and in a separate herp room that is escape proof'd.

But between the two animals, I am not really quarentining them individually. They share the same tools/same room (and now they have shared the same food). They (as a duo) are separate from my other herps.

Thnx for the thoughtful comments. I know it would have been best to quarentine each one individually, but I just don't have the room and the resources to dedicate three months of individual quarentining.

sincerely, Tang.

Happy Hotings!.

.. .. .. crap, it never occurred to me to clean off my hooks. I use them for non-hots too. (ok, I'm a sissy).

You're not the only one! I have a ball python that I only free-handle with gloves. Otherwise, he gets the hook. Frankly, I'd rather handle a sunbaked wild rattler than this guy - he was kept as a breeder and NEVER handled. He's very unpredictable.

I never thought about cleaning the tools between snakes, either. Hmmmmmmmmm..........