are grocery store eggs safe for snakes?

[Grizla]

i have young rat snake (57 grams) and i was thinking that since rat snakes do sometimes rob nests, it'd be neat to see if he'd eat a quail egg. but i mentioned it to my cousin and she made the very good point that the shells might have been cleaned with mystery chemicals so i thought i'd better ask y'all- have you ever had that sort of problem with eggs? is it something to worry about?

[RAD House]

If they are safe for human consumption then they should be safe for your snake. I would probably give them a good rinse off before attempting to feed them.

[dannybgoode]

We generally don't eat the shell though...

[Doug 351]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

We generally don't eat the shell though...

True, but , although I can't speak with authority on this, I would imagine all they do is rinse and bleach bath the shells to combat any bacteria possibly present.

I don't know about anybody else, but I fill my snakes water bowl with city tapwater ( which is LOADED with chlorine!).... plus, I drink the stuff!

We would probably be better off if we ate the shell too!

[Psyrocke]

And I'm not sure about quail, but we also generally cook them (though I know some people do do the raw egg in the morning for muscle building or something) which helps to eliminate some of the potential risks.

[Doug 351]

BTW: I have never gotten my wild Texas ratsnake to touch an egg of any size.

I caught a full grown, wild Texas ratsnake, that slurped up whole chicken eggs like candy.

I hope you can get your baby eating eggs, because they are a very economical supplement to a rodent diet.

[Doug 351]

Originally Posted by Psyrocke

And I'm not sure about quail, but we also generally cook them (though I know some people do do the raw egg in the morning for muscle building or something) which helps to eliminate some of the potential risks.

I've eaten THOUSANDS of raw eggs. I'm still alive.

[Psyrocke]

Originally Posted by Doug 351

I've eaten THOUSANDS of raw eggs. I'm still alive.

I don't doubt that people who eat raw eggs are still alive, a friend of mine in college is in the Marines and he ate a raw egg shake every morning. I was just saying in general, more people eat eggs cooked than raw.

[RAD House]

Cooking wit the shell on would more than like cause any toxin to seep into the egg not get rid of it. We don't eat egg shell because it is not pleasant, not because we can't.

[REM955]

Extra Question: What species would eat these eggs? I was under the impression that eggs were more for specialty predators.

[Doug 351]

No...ratsnakes are generally dispositioned to eat eggs, rob bird nests for both eggs AND baby birds. Of course, they also eat their namesake rats ( or mice).

[Doug 351]

Google up eggs and ratsnakes....they are egg robbing fiends!

But.... Back to the original question, I wouldn't worry for one second to give anything " fit for human consumption " to a snake....

An adult can go for MONTHS without water and at LEAST a year without food.

A human is dead in DAYS!.....Just saying....

[Grizla]

wow! thanks for all the quick replies! i'm definitely going to pick up some quail eggs the next i'm at the Asian grocery and let you know how it goes! for a CB snake he's super feisty, so maybe some of those natural feeding instincts are still strong.

[Doug 351]

I hope so...because, I don't care where you are ( unless it's EXTREMELY crazy)... the grocery store is closer than the rat supplier).

Having said that, I am fortunate enough to live within driving distance of "The Big Cheese Rodent Factory".

I'm not here to try to promote anyone's business. The Big Cheese IS. ....HOWEVER, an awesome supplier.

The only problem is their crazy shipping charges. ( Which I don't have to deai with!!!! Nanny Nanny boo boo.....

Just kidding...but it is SWEET to have one of the best suppliers in the Country in my backyard!

[Doug 351]

You know what? I just had an epiphany!!! I could buy feeders at cheap prices, markup reasonably, And still come out ahead!