Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I like to feed my speckled kingsnake live mice so that she will always have that natural instinct in her, in case she should ever have to survive on her own. However, the mice will occasionally bite her, especially when she does not get a good grip (e.g., grabs the mouse tail instead of the body). The wounds do not look serious at all, but I always feel bad when it happens. The bites do not seem to phase her, she just grips tighter when it happens. I would guess that this happens a lot in the wild, maybe even with a dead snake at the end of the fight. Is this just something that happens or should I be more concerned?

Second question: Will a kingsnake eat any kind of snake, or do they prefer poisonous snakes? Also, what size of snake (compared to her) can she digest properly? I'd guess about 1/2 of her body length and the same relative thickness, but that is it, just a guess. Any suggestions? Thanks! -n8

I'm still new at this. Hopefully I will get the picture in it this time.

Here's my opinion,

I prefer feeding frozen thawed rodents to my animals for several reasons:

1) less chance of my snake contracting parasites

2) no injury to the snake by rodents

3) convenience of buying bulk, saving money, and not running to the pet store every week

Why I don't feed snakes to snakes

1) wild caught snakes have parasites

2) impact of collection on wild populations

3) support of the rodent breeding industry

As for your snake losing its ability to capture prey, don't worry. I had a 16 year old Florida king that slammed dead prey until she was euthanized. She was a very aggressive feeder.

That's a beautiful animal you have. It would be a shame to have it scarred and infected from rodent bites, and full of parasites from eating snakes.

Hope this helps.

Later,

Neil
Kentuckiana Herpetological Society

I have fed my snake live mice, well i kill it 10 minutes before, but how likely is it that my snake has or will contract parasites?Thanks
Rayne

I feed mostly life or fresh killed also but I raise my own rodents. If I was buying pet store rodents I would definitely be freezing them. My rodents are kept exceptionally clean and whenever I bring in fresh bloodlines they are quarantined and given a cycle of antibiotics. I guess there is still no reason why my rodents wouldn't be carrying parasites but hopefully I've lowered the chances.
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International Snakes Meetup
International Herpetology Meetup

>>I have fed my snake live mice, well i kill it 10 minutes before, but how likely is it that my snake has or will contract parasites?Thanks
>>Rayne

I'm not an expert on this subject -- heck, i don't even play one on tv -- but i've been told most if not all parasites found in mice would be mammal specific and would not affect a reptile. So I think the odds are relatively slim.

However, conventional belief is that salmonella can be transmitted to humans from reptiles, for example, so mammal-reptile transmission must be possible for at least some contagious agents.

The wounds do not look serious at all, but I always feel bad when it happens. The bites do not seem to phase her

You might feel differently about this if the mouse managed to bite the snake's eye and blind it or sever one of the jaw bones. You should prekill the mice, or buy frozen mice.

Will a kingsnake eat any kind of snake, or do they prefer poisonous snakes? Also, what size of snake (compared to her) can she digest properly? I'd guess about 1/2 of her body length and the same relative thickness, but that is it, just a guess. Any suggestions?

Dont feed snakes to your kingsnake. There is no valid reason to do it, and it doesn't do your snake any good.

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Chris Harrison

I can vouch for the dangers of feeding live rodents. When I was in college I had a gorgeous female Brazilian Rainbow Boa that lost an eye to a rat. This was about twelve years ago and I didn't even know that you could feed thawed rats to reptiles. Live and learn, but I always felt terrible about her eye. Definitely go with thawed prey.

I like to feed my speckled kingsnake live mice so that she will always have that natural instinct in her, in case she should ever have to survive on her own.

N8
Once you capture a snake and keep it for an extended period of time, you should not release it back into the wild. Especially if you have any other captive reptiles. This animal could become a vector introducing virus/disease into native wild populations. This could have tremendous results on the native fauna. If one is going to rehab an animal and release it back into the wild it should be quarentined from other reptiles the entire time it is in rehab and the human interaction should be kept to a minimum. If your Holbrooki is going to be kept as a pet, and never released, then you should feed F/T for the reasons already stated. If you are going to keep her, then there is absolutely no reason what so ever to feed this beautiful animal a live food item.

However, the mice will occasionally bite her, especially when she does not get a good grip (e.g., grabs the mouse tail instead of the body). The wounds do not look serious at all, but I always feel bad when it happens. The bites do not seem to phase her, she just grips tighter when it happens. I would guess that this happens a lot in the wild, maybe even with a dead snake at the end of the fight. Is this just something that happens or should I be more concerned?

Any bite from a mouse, however superficial it may look, can have devastating results to your snake. Every time you feed a live mouse, the snake runs a risk of receiving a potentially lethal bite. Mice may look harmless, but they have huge incisors that can bite deeply into your snake, including into the brain, lung or heart. These bites can become infected and result in necrosis, which could kill your snake.
There are way too many reasons to feed F/T that outweigh the reasons to feed live. I know there are some people out there who still maintain that a snake in the wild have to kill for their food and it is only natural. This is true, but how many snakes in the wild have you seen that are pretty scarred up from rodent bites? Just about all the snakes I see in the wild have scars. So why risk it?

Please take a look at the link below and see what kind of damage a rodent can do to a snake. It may change your mind. I would hate to see that awesome looking king of yours end up looking like one of the snakes at this link.

Good luck and happy herping.
Brian Baker

http://www.homestead.com/koalaskritters/livefeeding.html