Egg-Eating Snakes

Samba · 08-18-04, 09:46 AM

Hello Everyone,

I wasn't sure what forum this thread would be most appropriate, so please move if needed =)

I wanted to know about the different species of egg-eating snakes, both (exclusive and non-exclusive) that may be available in captivity. The recent discussions in other forums have gotten the better of my curiousity!

Has anyone kept egg-eating snakes before?

I look forward to your replies!

thunder · 08-18-04, 01:04 PM

i believe that there are two species that are exclusively egg eaters, the african egg eater (daisypeltis) and the indian egg eater. african egg eaters are difficult to keep in captivity (so i hear) because they usually dont get big enough to eat chicken eggs, you have to feed them quail eggs. as for non exclusive, my kings and milks are all willing to take eggs, both bird and reptile.

CamHanna · 08-18-04, 01:14 PM

I did a little reading a couple years ago and from what I remember both species are relatively easy to keep as far as temperature and humidity. I believe that both species are maintained on smaller eggs for the most part, but I wouldn't be surprised if they could be convinced to take small chicken eggs when larger. I did a quick google search but didn't find anything useful. reptilecity.com "egg-eating snakes" for sale but the site seems pretty useless, it doesn't even say which species they are selling. A look around the Internet or maybe the Library should be able to tell you more.

PS - What I said is only my recollection of reading from some time ago and should be checked... Dasypletis are colubrids.

thunder · 08-19-04, 07:20 PM

ok, i looked it up. the genus dasyletis contains 9 species, all of which are strictly egg eaters and colubrids. the indian egg eater is also a colubrid, but is placed in its own genus, and not much is known about it.

justinO · 08-19-04, 09:23 PM

ask jordan, he had african egg eaters at one time.

Samba · 08-20-04, 09:59 AM

Thanks, guys... I was actually wondering if keeping an egg-eating snake is as easy as it sounds... as for small eggs, (and/or quail eggs) they are pretty easy to find here... Not to mention my own mother's cockietiels (excuse the spelling... I can't ever remember how that darn word goes!) are constantly laying eggs, and they always end up getting tossed out..

I wouldn't mind a non-exclusive eater... Just in case eggs got scarce... =)

Since I only own one snake, I'd like for the 'next' one to be pretty small... no longer than 6 feet... Again... any more info would be appreciated! Thanks! =)

thunder · 08-20-04, 11:54 AM

african egg eaters stay small, like 3-4 feet, according to one of my books. they are viper mimics!

Samba · 08-20-04, 12:36 PM

They sound interesting, however when I did a search for them I turned up nothing... do you by chance have photos and care sheets on them? Viper mimics... now that's awesome!! =)

thunder · 08-20-04, 12:44 PM

i didnt find anything on their captive care.

Samba · 08-20-04, 12:55 PM

Neither did I... they must not be very popular, or rare as pets... Maybe I'll keep poking around and hopfully find something on them. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it! =)

eggbert · 11-14-04, 05:38 AM

I just saw this post - haven't been here in awhile.

I've had a Southern Brown Egg Eating Snake (Dasypeltis inornata) for a year now. I had the snake shipped to me by a breeder in Minnesota (I'm in California), and I've been very happy with this snake.

I didn't have a whole lot of experience with snakes before getting Eggbert (not a very original name, I know), but I have had absolutely no problems with him. I did a lot of research before getting him, and despite some initial timidness, he's been easier to keep than I had expected.

As far as the egg issue goes, I got Eggbert when he was about 1.5 years old, and he was ready at that point to eat Coturnix quail eggs. Happily, these are the speckled tan-brown eggs that are readily available at Asian markets, and I've had zero problems getting them whenever needed. I've also ordered eggs from eBay, received them from other Dasypeltis owners, and had pet stores "donate" their throwaway cage bird eggs to me. All of these have been consumed by Eggbert with gusto.

For the record, some of these snakes do grow large enough to consume a regular chicken egg (not real common, though). Eggbert has been able to handle something as large as a pigeon egg.

I know that other people I've spoken to have had various problems with these snakes, but I have yet to experience any.

For anyone who's interested, there's a great Yahoo group comprised of many Dasypeltis owners from around the globe. There always seems to be someone in the group with Egg Eaters for sale, as well. The breeders from which I got Eggbert are also part of the group, and they've had a great track record with their snakes.

The Yahoo group is "Egg-Eater", and there's a wealth of information there, as well as care sheets, photos, etc.. The people there are very helpful as well, and a couple of them have EE related websites.

Hope this helps!