Snakey rules!
April 23, 2005 | 12:00am
As much as we try to balance herp and non-herp articles, we are overwhelmed with Snakey-related queries! Some people just love Snakey despite others that love to hate him. Here are still few reptile care questions we got recently in the mail:
How often should I feed my snake? — Garett Yu, San Juan It really depends on the age and the species. Some snakes like the Ball Python go off-feed as long as a whole year! All pythons refuse food and water when gravid (pregnant). Unlike mammals, you do not need to feed reptilians daily. As a rule, feed juveniles at least once a week, this can be reduced to twice a month, then once a month, when they reach adulthood. This holds true for Boids (Boas and Pythons). Colubrids like Corn Snakes and King Snakes are to be fed at least once every 10 days as adults because of their faster metabolisms. It is better to err on feeding less than to overstuff your pets. Less is better, and over-feeding will drastically shorten Snakey’s life. The number one cause of Herp death is obesity (people too!). Feed sparingly and Snakey will be happy!
The size of the snake’s head is no basis for the size of food. Snakes can dislocate their jaws to accommodate prey five times bigger than their heads! As a rule, the biggest item you feed Snakey should not exceed the girth of the widest part of his body. Watching Snakey swallow Bugsy is one of the fascinating parts of this weird and wonderful hobby!
Pinoy herpers have the habit of feeding dressed chicken or plain chicken heads to their pet Burmese Pythons which the snake seems to relish. Be aware though that fowl, although favored by most snakes, are too rich and will cause obesity. Snakes need a healthy balance between rodents and fowl. They also need to eat fur and feathers and bones for their calcium needs. Snakes fed exclusively on chicken tend to have smelly and loose poop. (Sorry to those eating breakfast) Diet should be at least 60 percent mammal and 40 percent fowl. Refrain from feeding dressed chicken, better to throw Big Bird whole and alive! Snakey needs the calcium-rich feathers and the exercise!
If you are to care for Snakey, you gotta learn to snuff Mickey! Herping, as we always say, is definitely not for the faint-hearted. CB snakes have lost their natural ability to defend themselves from prey striking back. If you are to feed live rodents, especially rats and rabbits, make sure to watch over the process, there have been countless cases of prey turning the tables and striking back, even killing Snakey! If you are to feed live, stun the rodent by holding it by the tail and banging its head against a flat, hard surface. It is not advisable to leave rodents overnight in the cage with your pet. If the snake is a nocturnal feeder such as a Ball Python or a Green Tree Python, always leave a piece of bread or rodent food pellets for Mousey to gnaw on. There have been cases of rodents (rats are notorious) gnawing at the reptile’s body causing irreparable damage even Vicky Bello cannot fix!
The most you can teach Snakey is get used to you and your funny human smell! Herpers of old used to put old underwear in their enclosures so the snake gets familiar with their scent and therefore will allow handling. This is an old snake keeper’s trick and seems to work when taming freshly caught specimen. Regular and gentle petting is the key if you are to tame reptiles. Snake charmers in India seem to make their cobras sway to their music. The serpents dance not to the tune but defensively follow the motions of the charmer’s flute. It is a sad fact that these cobras are as good as dead. Indian snake charmers sew the cobra’s mouth shut with very thin thread to avoid being bitten, the poor snakes eventually die of starvation, and enterprising snake charmer just picks another unfortunate victim from the wild. Naja naja are quite abundant still in India but are quickly diminishing.
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