snake eating aspen shavings

[drec91]

my cali king snake may be swallowing aspen shavings because he is being fed in his cage. Could this be dangerous?

[The Snake Guru]

Could get impacted if he swallows to many....1 here and there isn't going to do anything though.

~B~

[Dr_Gonz0]

Could get impacted if he swallows to many....1 here and there isn't going to do anything though.

~B~

Exactly, a piece here and there won't be healthy, but it won't kill him either. If they can digest bone, a few thin aspen shavings shouldn't pose much of a problem.

At the same time though, i never feed my snakes in their enclosures, no sense taking a risk if you don't have to.

[untsmurf]

There's a lot of people that feed their snakes in their enclosures because they believe it stresses the snake out to be moving it right after it ate. Also, it's a pain to move the bigger snakes. What they suggest is putting the prey on a plate or maybe some newspaper to prevent any accidental aspen ingestion.

[gonesnakee]

If they can digest bone, a few thin aspen shavings shouldn't pose much of a problem.
This is a big misconception despite being able to digest whole rodents a snakes digestive system cannot break down wood/paper products. I have had snakes eat blue shop towels before on more than one occassion & they pass them whole, not broken down at all in the slightest. A few shavings are usually easily passed though, but not broken down ;) Another risk is they can get splinters while doing so, either in their mouth or neck area or even internally. As menitoned if the risk can be eliminated why not? On the other hand I have seen snakes swallow shavings with meals on many occassions with zero ill effects. They are likely to swallow a few things besides prey in the wild afterall while eating. A feeding area within the cage is a good idea, big piece of newspaper or a plastic lid or something in the cage as suggested works well. Mark

[Aaron_S]

Just watch yourself if you're placing the feeding area and the snake is the hunting "mode".

[untsmurf]

You can always take the snake out for a minute or two, after you've prepped the prey (with clean hands of course) and before you put the snake back in, place the prey item in the cage. Then you put the snake in on the opposite side of the cage. That way they never even associate you with prey.

[jejton]

Why not just use some kind of tongs to hold the prey for the snake in the cage? Thats what I do and therefore the snake wont bite me or eat aspen. As for the question about digesting wood, well snakes cant. Very few animals can break down cellulose - termites and ungulates ( animals that chew their cuds ) are chief among them and they have specializations that allow them to do it. Termites gut, and I believe ungulates as well, contain bacteria that actually do the chemical digestion of the cellulose, and the host animal then absorbs the released nutrients (forms of glucose mainly ). A lot of gas is produced as well which is why cows burp up methane. Ungulates additionally have four stomachs - each does a specific job. Some other herbivores have different specializations such as relatively long intestines ( our appendix is a vestigal remnant of that ) to allow the cellulose to spend enough time to be broken down by the microorganisms inhabiting the gut. Most carnivores, such as snakes, lack these specializations and therefore cannot digest cellulose. Though we might absorb some of the nutrients in our salad, the cellulose fibers are passed on as roughage and play a different role in digestions, mainly allowing the bolus enough form to be passed along the intestines.

[gonesnakee]

Why not just use some kind of tongs to hold the prey for the snake in the cage? Thats what I do and therefore the snake wont bite me or eat aspen. As do I & likley 99/100 other snake keepers. Great for offering their prey to them, but doesn't prevent them from dragging it around the cage with them etc. ;) The average snake doesn't just gently grab hold of it & eat it without it touching the "ground". I have snakes that will literally take off with it & smash it off the sides of the enclosure etc. or constrict & roll around with it etc. The ones that are more agressive feeders I try to just place it there for them to find & grab. Safer than them coming flying at me & possibly injuring themselves or me in the process LOL I have a few crazy eaters here, tongs are definitely a must though for feeding. Mark

[drec91]

yea i do feed with tongs and as gonessnake said the snake still drags it accross the ground. I think i will put newspaper or something for the snake to eat on. All of my snakes are violent eaters so i would never consider not using tongs.
Thanks for all the posts

[reptilenut4sure]

i just take all my snakes out of their enclouser and put them into their "feeding tub" with no subtrate or anything else inside. Gets rid of all the problems all together. But I do realize when you get 15 plus snakes that taking them all out one by one could be a bit annoying. LoL.

[jejton]

For those that feed out of the tank, how long do you wait before putting the snake back in? My two concerns are a:) disturbing the snake after it ate and b.) the snake accidentally biting me while trying to take him out. Normally my ball doesnt strike but if he smells the food and is hungry, perhaps he would mistake my hand for a rat.

[reptilenut4sure]

Well I put them in there offer the mouse. And just wait a few min keep checking it from time to time. When its done eating just give it 5 min or so and stick him back into his cage.. You can use a "snake hook" to put him back into his tank is the safer method..

[chu'si]

For those that feed out of the tank, how long do you wait before putting the snake back in? My two concerns are a:) disturbing the snake after it ate and b.) the snake accidentally biting me while trying to take him out. Normally my ball doesnt strike but if he smells the food and is hungry, perhaps he would mistake my hand for a rat.
hi there i only have a lil corn o 60cm long since i gott him/her in july ive sortof trained him/her 2 go into the feedin tank from the housein tank n then after feedin form the feedin to the housein i know ur snakes are alot larger than mine but even if u trained them 2 go into a large bucket or bin new of corse could be a nother way of a feedin idea if u cant lift a large tank the size u need 4 ur snake ...