feeding time

[chef54]

Any one herd of this. I was chatting with a guy who said he feeds is boa hambuger meat with a raw egg in it, Any one herd of this :confused:

[LadyParvati]

No, but it doesn't sound healthy. Hamburger is very high in fat. Snakes require the WHOLE animal, not just some meat and fat. They literally digest nearly everything--there's even protein even in the hair of the rats or mice. If they don't get fed the whole animal, including the organs (digestive tract, etc.), they won't get all the nutrients they need. Some snakes do eat eggs, but I know of no snakes that eat hamburger, even on the hoof. Sounds like a poor snake keeper to me.

[chef54]

Thank you Lady Parvgati I though that was nuts just wanted to make sure.hank again

[Aaron_S]

I know of snakes who've eaten pigs and goats. Certainly I'm talking about a burmese or retic though and they weren't processed.

I have seen a burm as well as some carpets eat chicken thighs/legs/drumsticks that you'd buy for yourself at the grocery store. I didn't believe that the guy got his snakes to eat this but I saw it for myself. I wouldn't think it was very healthy though, we tend to put things into our chickens.

[LadyParvati]

Yes, definitely there are snakes that eat pigs (wild ones, not our (U.S.) monstrous domesticated ones), goats, even humans. But something the size of a cow? We're talking 800-1200 lbs for an adult animal, potentially. I don't think even a full-size retic could handle a cow, though I certainly don't know everything, as I'm not a retic person.

At any rate, _whole_ pigs & goats, like whole mice or whole any other animal that a snake generally eats, contains bones, guts, other organs--everything the snake needs for various nutrients. Just chicken legs/thighs/drumsticks don't include the guts & other organs, which contain vital nutrients the snake needs.

So it's not only that we put harmful chemicals into our chickens, but also the inadequate diet that's missing those critical nutrients. Snakes actually NEED the whole animal.

So, IMHO, even though feeding chicken legs etc would be slightly better than feeding high-fat hamburger, it still doesn't constitute a healthy diet for a snake. At least, not in the long term.

I _suppose_ it would be (sort of) OK for a meal if I ran out of the appropriate food & didn't feel the snake could wait, but I sure wouldn't want to do it more than once. Personally, I plan to order more of an appropriate food animal before running out so I don't have to treat my snake that way.

BTW--let me clarify that "high-fat hamburger"--even if that guy were spending the $$ to buy extra lean hamburger, it's still much higher in fat than chicken or rats or mice.

[Aaron_S]

I wasn't agreeing with his practices. I know that it's a bad idea all around. Although the snakes seemed to be healthy. At least from the outside they were. Doesn't mean on the inside something was going on.

Also, it is our domesticated pigs that are consumed by retics and the like. They won't be the large adults but appropriately sized. A lot of the time it's easier and cheaper to buy prey items for human consumption than to find it bred solely as reptile food. I know a number of people who goto markets to get chickens or rabbits for their larger snakes. They tend to be easier to find than someone who's breeding rabbits or chickens for animal food. They are whole animals though, not processed in any way.

[LadyParvati]

OK, I was specifically thinking of a full-grown hog when I wrote that about not being our "monstrous domesticated ones." I agree that keepers can buy appropriately sized animals for large retics, etc.

That's not really the point I was trying to make, anyway--what's important is what you said near the beginning and at the end of your post: "Doesn't mean on the inside something was going on . . . They are whole animals though, not processed in any way."

Inadequate nutrition (not inadequate amount of food, but nutritionally inadequate even though amount/weight is correct) will be revealed over the long term. You won't see an emaciated animal, necessarily--instead, you will see indications of ill health in other ways.

[Aaron_S]

I'm hard pressed to see your viewpoint with that. With whole animals, unprocessed, and raised by a farmer without additives, it will be fine. I've seen snakes grown up for years on roadkill. A burm and retic, and the gentleman got another retic and was feeding it smaller roadkill or whatever he found on his farm in Texas. These animals, for the most part, have incredible metabolisms. It was over the long term that I saw no ill effects or heard of any about these snakes. It's pretty crazy.

I do make a disclaimer that just because one person has "successfully" fed his snakes roadkill or any mammal of the like, does not mean it's ok to go about the same fedding techniques.

[LadyParvati]

OK, I'm not sure what you mean about my "viewpoint on that"? :confused:

I was actually agreeing with you, and I still do: _whole_ animals are the appropriate food.

The only concern I had/have is with feeding _not_ whole animals, i.e., parts of animals such as hamburger or chicken legs, which do not include guts & other organs, because the organs/digestive tract contain essential nutrients not contained in the other body parts.

:hmm: I think we're talking sideways here, essentially in agreement, just coming at it from different directions.

[Aaron_S]

I might have misread it. I apologize to you Ma'dam.

[LadyParvati]

Actually, I should apologize to you . . . I wasn't very clear. I cut & pasted your comments weirdly, so it didn't come off meaning what I wanted it to mean. Sorry.