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View Full Version : Could a Snake Eat a Gecko?


Serpento
04-01-18, 06:59 PM
Hello,
I was doing some research on different species living in the same enclosure (I thought it was interesting) but I couldn't find much about it, so I want some other opinions.
This situation is purely hypothetical, as I know that these two animals don't live in the same regions in real life. Would a snake (perhaps a BP, GTP, or something else that only eats rodents) feel inclined to eat a lizard (perhaps a leo, or another gecko without webbed feet) in any situation? Or would the snake not notice, because a leopard gecko is cold-blooded and would not be sensed as food due to the snake's heat pits? Would the situation be different depending on the snake: a ball python (typically a surface-dwelling animal), or a green tree python (typically an animal that lives up high on tree branches)? Would it matter whether or not the snake is full (and an opportunistic hunter), hungry, or starving and desperate?
What I'm basically asking is if there are any situations in which a rodent-eating snake would eat another reptile.
Thank you in advance!

TeamSlitherin
04-01-18, 10:00 PM
Lots of snakes eat lizards. We feed many of our pet snakes rodents because they are readily available. But, for example, GTP’s are not really “rodent eaters” in the wild. Of course, they are opportunistic and will eat rodents, but their primary diet would most likely consist of birds.

Snakes can still see cold blooded animals and, aside from the stress of being in a confined space with another animal, cohabbing a snake and gecko could definitely end with a loss of your lizard. Depending on the snake, of course.

trailblazer295
04-02-18, 05:20 AM
It would depend on a lot on the type of snake and type of the lizard. I'm not aware of any lizard and snake species that would have similar care environment conditions workout a real risk of a missing lizard. A hognose and a crested gecko could likely live in the same cage in theory but they have different needs. In general cohabiting is giving you good odds for problems. Garters are the exception when setup in proper cages.

craigafrechette
04-02-18, 01:33 PM
The short answer is = yes.

Bandit
04-04-18, 07:19 AM
Many snakes eat other reptiles. As was stated, those snakes you mentioned don't solely eat rodents - they are just the easiest food source which has all the nutrition that our snakes need. Would it happen right away? Maybe not. However, I would bet that if the lizard/gecko is small enough for the snake to eat, that the snake will try at some point or another.