snakes(i.e. corns) and vitamins??

[jim mcallister]

Hey do many people ever give their snakes vitamins. I just give mine healthy feeders but was wondering about it. Any info and discussion would be appreciated. Jim M

[Vanan]

We did, at one time, give our snakes the occasional, bee pollen and some oils (wheatgerm and flax). Then it got too time consuming. :D

[BoidKeeper]

I give my females calcium powder before and after egg laying. I dip the rodents butt into the powder.
Cheers,
Trevor

[jim mcallister]

Trev, i figuered some people would give extra calcium during breeding season... I wonder if there is much evidence that it helps much or just a preference thing?? JIm

[Invictus]

I've personally seen nothing to convince me that snakes NEED supplemental vitamins. I've never given them to my snakes, and they all seem to be doing just fine with their food as a vitmain source. Of course, the occasional supplement probably doesn't hurt either.

[BoidKeeper]

I think that after a clutch of 30 eggs her system is probably pretty drained of calcium. I've never double clutched with out giving the calcium after the first clutch so I can't really say for sure. This year my female anery that laid 30 eggs had a couple that had clear spots on them from a lack of calcium. It will be interesting to see what her next clutch will look like. I'm sure it won't be any worse since I gave her supplements but I guess I'll have to wait and see. Last year both clutchs were about the same.
Now my amel that laid 15 should be interesting. Her clutch was small but the eggs were big and all were perfectly calicified. I gave her calcium with about 95% of her meals after laying so I can't wait to see what her second clucth will look like.
Cheers,
Trevor

[jim mcallister]

thats interesting Trevor....let me know how the second clutches make out...

[BoidKeeper]

Will do.
Cheers,
Trevor

[BoidKeeper]

Both of their second clutchs came out perfectly calicified. Both of their first clutchs had windows. So I think the calcium must have played a role in it.
Cheers,
Trevor

[marisa]

My girls first clutch this year is like ALL windows.very clear ugly eggs.. she will lay a second clutch soon. All rodents fed in between these two clutches are injected with water/calcium-vitamins.

I will post to show how the second clutch goes. I think snakes definitly DO need them in certain situations. Most definitly. And I am sure her second clutch will come out perfect without windows.

Marisa

[DragnDrop]

So how do wild snakes go about getting extra vitamins and minerals?

Could it be that they vary their diets? Our captives get the same mice or rats every meal. Chances are the prey was well fed, but still, a mouse from the same supplier using the same food year after year is going to have the same ratio of nutrients (give or take a small change here or there).
If wild snakes are known to eat a variety of prey, they're guaranteeing a variety of nutrients. If mice are high in one thing and low in another, it can be balanced out by the odd mole or even snake and lizard. Chances are they'd have a different balance of minerals and vitamins.

What are the chances that our captives could benefit from a variety of prey? I'm not suggesting we go out and buy feeder leopard geckos or feeder cornsnakes, but there's got to be a way to vary their diet in a more natural way without resorting to supplements.

Or is it more a matter of us raising our snakes in such a way that they become egg machines, depleting the mother's stores of calcium etc. resulting in inferior eggs?

Just asking, not implying anything here. I'm still a snake newbie so I've still got that stupid curiosity that drives the experienced keepers up the wall. But I just had to ask.

[marisa]

I would assume they do not get their extra vitamins if they need them. That's why wild animals do not live very long in comparison to captive ones.

We have the option to give them what they need, while in the wild if they do not get food, have medical problems, etc, they just die.

Marisa

[Simon]

I too do it the way that Trevor does
I give them extra calciums before they lay. Personally I think that its something that they would need.....especially when they're laying a huge clutch. It does take out a lot from the females...so I just want them to store a little extra into the body.

Well if they do have extra calcium in their body, you'll see that their poop is a lot whiter than usual....but when they're laying I don't really see that extra calcuim being pooped out...so at least I think that its better to give them just a bit more calcium during breeding season~~