milk

[marijuana]

on one of our forums we had a fight over this question... do snakes drink milk or not? what do you think? thanks for the answers... :)

[gonesnakee]

Milksnakes got their name from it kinda. They are named as such not because they drink it, but because they are found in & around dairy barns & it has been an old wives tale that they are there to steal the cows milk (ie: drink it). The reason why they hang around the dairy barns isn't the cows & their milk, but the rodents that live there are used as prey. Mark

[marijuana]

Milksnakes got their name from it kinda. They are named as such not because they drink it, but because they are found in & around dairy barns & it has been an old wives tale that they are there to steal the cows milk (ie: drink it). The reason why they hang around the dairy barns isn't the cows & their milk, but the rodents that live there are used as prey. Mark

yes... we figured that out :) but do snakes REALY DRINK milk or not? :) thanks for the answer anyway :)

[gonesnakee]

Like I said its an Old Wives Tale, so NO they don't. I'd imagine if they were thirsty enough & it was offered they might, but I wouldn't think so. 99.99% sure it is not going to happen. Mark

[Meltos]

So its not worth attempting to give your milksnake milk? I have a nelsons and I have thoght about it before. Im going too, But would it be a bad idea to give a milksnake Milk. Would it come down ill or not?

[Asian Jon]

Sure, go right ahead and offer your milksnakes milk... offer them a snickers bar as well and maybe a nice pot roast on the side! Sorry but, offering ANY snake milk is nonsense, makes no sense at all to me :). Like Mark said errrr twice now, they don't drink milk so why even attempt to offer it? Silly rabbit :D! :medgeek:

[DragnDrop]

I only know of one reptile species that will actually drink milk, not milk products, but liquid milk.


Quoted from ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AUSTRALIAN REPTILES Allen E. Greer alleng@austmus.gov.au Herpetology Section Australian Museum

Lepidodactylus lugubris, Mourning Gecko
Diet. In the wild, the species eats mosquitoes and moths (Turner and Green, 1996). It also feeds on nectar (Perry and Ritter, 1999). In domestic kitchens it eats jam, sugar crystals; licks dinner plates, and drinks milk.(Perry and Ritter, 1999)

I'm not surprised by this gecko drinking milk, they do eat all kinds of food they find inside the houses they invade, milk would seem like a good nutrtitious meal for them.

Snakes ..... nah, not likely they'll drink it unless they're so dehydrated that almost anything liquid would look good.

[Meltos]

Ok Easy. I was just askin,And im not thinking of doing it.

[Jeff_Favelle]

They can drink anything that's liquid. Why not? I don't understand the question. Do they drink milk in nature? No.

They can drink gasoline, draino, hash oil, antifreeze, whatever. Its liquid, of course they can drink it. Is it necessary or healthy? No.

[peterm15]

They can drink gasoline, draino, hash oil, antifreeze, whatever.

lol.. hash oil.. ok jeff.. lol..

the way i see it if you dont know dont try.. if its a maybe dont try.. unless proven to be healthy or benifical for the snake dont try.. dont even think twice about it,...

[monty bl python]

I would bet that snake are Lactose intolerant anyway, seeing that drinking milk is a mammal thing.

[Phoenix]

I recently gave a reptile presentation to a group of people who had come to Canada from places all over the world. One of the women had been taught a few things about snakes when she was a child and was really terrified of them. This was mostly due to the things she was taught. Now, some of these people are from countries where there are really venomous snakes, so I could be able to understand if they were taught to stay away. However, being taught that snakes are bad because they will drink the milk of new mothers and by doing so starve the baby... well...

[Andy_G]

I would bet that snake are Lactose intolerant anyway, seeing that drinking milk is a mammal thing.


Baby rats usually have a bit of milk in their gut, and i'll bet that the snakes digest it too...

[DragnDrop]

I would bet that snake are Lactose intolerant anyway, seeing that drinking milk is a mammal thing.


Milk is 'baby mammal' food. Baby mammals are snake food. What do you think the snake does with the gut contents of it's food? I don't recall ever seeing nor reading about snakes squeezing the milk out of pinkies before eating them, nor do they seem to get sick from the milk inside the pinkies.

Lactose intolerance in snakes (or any reptile) is a common belief, but has it ever been proven?

[monty bl python]

lacose intolerant means that they can not digest latic acid a small amount would just pass with fur and other undigested substance

[J.J.]

i think this is just silly.

[marijuana]

i think this is just silly.

yea... i know... but we had a huge fight over this question on one of our forums >( i will never give my snakes milk. i don't know why anyone should. i just wanted to know if they drink it or not... :) i think they don't but it's hard to prove that whitout any evidence :)

[Removed_2815]

lacose intolerant means that they can not digest latic acid
It means that they do not possess, or are deficient in, lactase, an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of lactose - not lactic acid.

[marijuana]

It means that they do not possess, or are deficient in, lactase, an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of lactose - not lactic acid.

ok... so... are snakes lacose intolerant or not?

[Removed_2815]

ok... so... are snakes lacose intolerant or not?
I'm not aware of any research on this query. It stands to reason that there would be no need for lactase in a snake's gut, since any nutritional gain from the digestion of the small amount of lactose in a newborn rodent's gut wouldn't warrant the evolutionary adaptation of increased lactase production. Lactose likely passes undigested.

[J.J.]

yea... i know... but we had a huge fight over this question on one of our forums >( i will never give my snakes milk. i don't know why anyone should. i just wanted to know if they drink it or not... :) i think they don't but it's hard to prove that whitout any evidence :)

it really is an interesting topic
i have never really thought about it
i just love seeing people debate it ;)