How snakes eat. What to feed a domestic snake. How to feed a snake at home

Wild snakes are predators. They never eat plant foods. Snakes exist on every continent. There are none in Antarctica. Most snakes live in the subtropics as well as the tropics. There are both harmless and dangerous snakes. Large snakes are the water boa, the anaconda and the reticulated python. They swallow their prey whole, thanks to the caustic digestive juices that accumulate in the body. Snakes lack powerful teeth. That is, they cannot chew food. They have only thin teeth, which are very similar to thin needles. These thin teeth help snakes get food. For example, a python, due to the structure of its teeth, can eat animals such as a leopard and a deer.

What do snakes eat

Snakes eat almost everything they find in wildlife. They prey on shrews, frogs, rats, grasshoppers, mice, antelopes and birds. Snakes may also eat bird eggs. Large snake species feed on mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians. Small snakes can eat other invertebrates as well as insects. They capture prey while still alive. When the snake swallows its prey, it widely spreads the branches of its lower jaw. This is possible thanks to elastic ligaments. The snake can swallow large prey within the whole hour. When a snake swallows its food, it can breathe. Thus, snakes can eat quite large prey. Some snakes only feed a few times a year due to the fact that they eat very large animals.

For example, non-venomous snakes can swallow prey alive. They can also suffocate prey with their body rings. Poisonous snakes, thanks to poisonous teeth, kill their prey with poison. Small snakes prey on termites. But there are also snakes that eat other snakes. For example, the copperhead snake preys on lizards. But it can also eat a small snake or viper. There are some types of snakes that eat only one type of food. This is, for example, an arrow-snake. She only eats lizards. And the egg snake feeds exclusively on bird eggs. Snakes prey on small fish and frogs.

What do domestic snakes eat

A pet snake is already a pet. He cannot be allowed to hunt small rodents, rats. A snake is the type of animal that requires special conditions of detention, as well as attention. It is better to buy a snake in specialized places, as these animals are already accustomed to captivity, to artificial food and light. Not all snakes eat the same food. For example, someone eats ordinary mice, and someone eats lizards or frogs. It all depends on the kind of snake you want to purchase.

What do snakes eat?

All snakes are predators, among them there is not a single type of eating plant food. The menu of snakes is very diverse, they eat almost everything that can be found in wildlife, and in this they are significantly superior to amphibians. Snakes prey on a wide variety of mammals (ranging in size from a tiny shrew to an antelope), birds, other reptiles, amphibians, and insects. They willingly eat eggs from the clutches of birds and their own fellow reptiles. Aquatic and semi-aquatic species are engaged in fishing and catching other aquatic animals.

shellfish
There are also snakes that specialize in feeding on molluscs. These are fat-headed snakes living in America and Asia. They feed almost exclusively on slugs and snails. They masterfully remove the latter from the shells: they insert the lower jaw into the shell and hook the “leg” of the snail with long curved teeth, and then, alternately working with the movably connected halves of the lower jaw, they move the body of the mollusk right into their mouth.

Ants
Ants feed on many blind snakes - small snakes living in the soil. They catch earth ants that come across in the passages and cracks in the soil. One common blind snake can eat 200 ants per day, while she prefers certain types of ants or their larvae. She emits a specific smell, thanks to which the ants do not touch her even in the anthill.

termites
Few species of reptiles specialize in feeding on termites. For example, one of the blind snakes is able to squeeze out the contents of the soft abdomen of a termite, leaving its chitinous shell.

snakes
Many reptiles prey on other members of their class. But the most dramatic and striking example is the predation of snakes in relation to other snakes. Many snakes that are not too picky in food can, on occasion, swallow one of the smaller representatives of the snake kingdom. Even the well-known ordinary one, on occasion, can dine on a viper. However, there are more specialized species that feed only on lizards and snakes. This is a relatively rare copperhead in the center of Russia. This small snake preys mainly on lizards, but if it encounters a snake or viper of a suitable size, it will try to swallow them too. Finally, there is a very special group of snakes that feed mainly on other snakes. Among them is the world's largest poisonous snake - king cobra, or hamadryad. This Asian snake reaches five meters in length and specifically hunts for other snakes, including extremely poisonous ones. Interestingly, cobras and other asp snakes kill the snakes that have become their prey with their poison. At the same time, their poison effectively acts, for example, on vipers, while the poison of vipers is powerless against them. Among the serpent-eaters, there are those that are considered non-poisonous or have a weak poison (these include, for example, copperfish). The most prominent representative of this group is Mussurana, common in Central America. This rather large snake (sometimes exceeding 2 m) preys mainly on large and strong pit snakes that are deadly to humans. In a sharp throw, the Mussurana tightly grabs its prey by the neck behind the head and wraps its body around it with lightning speed. After that, without opening the jaws, but gradually sorting through them, it captures the head of the victim in the mouth and gradually begins to swallow it. Mussurana itself is also poisonous, and its poison, although it does not kill the prey, noticeably weakens it. At the same time, the poison of the victims has practically no effect on the predator. A snake that hunts other snakes has one indisputable advantage: it is certainly much easier to swallow a long, narrow and smooth creature than some kind of spherical egg or angular toad.

Enemies of snakes significantly reduce their population. What animals eat snakes You will find out in this article.

Who eats animal snakes?

Snakes appear to be powerful poisonous animals that instill fear in others. But there are daredevils who eat them. It:

• predator birds
• mongoose,
• crocodiles,
• wild pigs and boars,
• representatives of the cat family,
• monitor lizards
• other animals (depending on the habitat of a particular individual).

It is a well-known fact that hedgehogs are resistant to snake venom. Having met with a viper, the hedgehog sniffs it from head to tail, despite the fact that the snake bites him. He simply licks the wounds with his tongue. Then he clings to the viper and begins to eat it. The body of the hedgehog is not exposed to the snake's venom, so its bites do not cause him any harm. Other animals that eat snakes are martens, weasels, foxes, and ferrets. In countries with a warm climate, the enemies of hissing creatures are mongooses. They even cope with a spectacled snake.

Who eats bird snakes?

Serpents are eaten by birds of prey falcon, hawk, stork, peacock, etc.

Many birds prey on snakes, including poisonous ones. These include the snake eagle, hawk, vulture, buzzard, stork and even a crow. The most dangerous enemy among birds for snakes is the secretary bird living in Africa. It eats the creeping creature completely, along with its venom glands and teeth.

Snakes, the characteristics of which are given within the framework of this article, without exception, are predators in nature. You will not find a single herbivorous species among them. The menu of these reptiles is quite diverse: they eat almost everything that moves. But even among snakes there are gourmets who prefer ... other snakes! You heard right: snakes that feed on snakes are not an exception, but a pattern.

Who are snakes?

It is customary to call snakes a peculiar group of animals representing the class of reptiles, or reptiles. They are represented by a single detachment - Scaly. All of them are predators. However, among the huge variety of these animals, there are both harmless and cute creatures, as well as creatures that pose a serious danger to other animals and, of course, people.

Where do snakes live?

Snakes that feed on snakes, as well as all their other species, have been found by man on almost all continents. The exceptions are Antarctica, some large (New Zealand, Ireland) and small islands of the Atlantic Ocean and the central Pacific Ocean. Currently, more than 3,000 species of all kinds of snakes live on our planet. Of these, about a quarter are poisonous. By the way, all of them are combined into 14 families.

Why do they need poison?

As we noted above, they are represented by a large number of species than poisonous ones. Nevertheless, it is not at all worth writing off snakes dangerous to humans. As the name implies, poisonous reptiles use a certain toxic substance - poison. They need it primarily for hunting this or that victim, and not for self-defense, as is commonly believed. The poison of some of them is so toxic that it can easily kill a person. That's why snakes in nature are real creepy deadly weapons!

Snake skin

As a rule, the entire body of the snake is covered with skin, or scales. Here it is worth making a very important remark. Contrary to popular belief, the skin of these creatures is absolutely dry, and not mucous and moist, as is commonly believed by the people. Perhaps such confusion arose due to the conditional similarity of snakes with slippery and wet earthworms.

The vast majority of snakes have a specific structure of the skin on the abdomen. This is necessary for them to better grip the surface on which they crawl. Some people believe that these reptiles do not have eyelids. This is not true. They are, but not the same as in many animals. The eyelids of snakes are represented by transparent scales and are always closed.

Are there white snakes?

They exist. But not as an independent species, but as genetically unique individuals. In other words, the white snake is the most common albino. The most famous are Californian albinos. Scientists say that soon they can occupy about 70% of the entire inhabited territory in the Canary Islands.

The white snake is a rather rare specimen in nature. It can be found in any of the families of these reptiles - from a harmless snake to or a king cobra! These albinos should not be confused with, since the latter have a completely different body color.

What do snakes eat?

As we noted above, snakes in nature feed on almost everything that only moves. They professionally hunt frogs, rats, shrews, mouse-like rodents, grasshoppers, birds, antelopes, wild boars, crocodiles, etc. When the snake begins to swallow the prey, it spreads the so-called branches of the lower jaw quite widely. If the prey is large, the reptile can swallow it for a whole hour.

For example, large snakes anaconda, water boa) first strangle their prey with the help of the rings of their body, and only then - completely and gradually swallow it. One of the most favorite treats of these reptiles are bird eggs. Small snakes, on the contrary, do not use strangulation techniques, and even more so do not wait until their prey dies. They eat small vertebrates and invertebrates while still alive.

No wonder they say that any Here and among snakes there are exceptions. Although they eat everything, some of them are very picky in their choice of food. For example, the green North American snake eats only spiders, caterpillars, fish and birds. This creature would not touch mice or lizards for anything in the world. And small water snakes devour only frogs and fish, and they prefer not to touch land mammals at all.

snakes eating snakes

The most famous cannibal is the most dangerous among all snakes - the king cobra. The diet of its diet, in addition to small mammals and amphibians, also consists of its own relatives. The king cobra enjoys eating smaller snakes. She first kills the victim with poison or by strangulation, after which she swallows it.

Not so long ago, scientists discovered another fact of cannibalism among snakes, in particular, rattlesnakes. The fact is that these creatures eat their own offspring. Scientists believe that this phenomenon cannot be attributed to pathology and should not be considered as infanticide, because they feed exclusively on dead cubs. That is, some rattlesnakes are not only cannibals, but also scavengers.

Many people do not believe that cannibal snakes exist in nature. However, in nature, what just does not exist! Snakes that feed on snakes are not at all uncommon or even an exception. This is a regularity. If, for example, lizards can eat their young, then why can't snakes eat their own relatives? Even the well-known to all of us, on occasion, can feast on ... a viper! That's what natural selection is.

The snake is not the most common pet, so before you get one, you need to study all sorts of information. Reptiles are quite unpretentious, but when buying, consult the seller about their diet. Some species have their own food preferences.

How to feed a snake at home?

Snakes swallow prey whole, it can be toads, insects, lizards, small rodents, birds. They also give earthworms, pieces of fish, chicken and quail eggs, meat. Captive-bred pets can be gradually taught to feed on pieces of lean beef, chicken, snails without a shell.

It is not recommended to give live rodents, as they can fight and bite, injuring the snake. Before this, the rodent is blocked by the spine, holding the torso and sharply pulling the tail, and the largest teeth are cut down. However, it is best to give frozen prey, having previously thawed it in the air. Food should be dry, as snakes can burp wet animals. Domestic snakes also need moisture: you need to spray the terrarium and be sure to put a drinking bowl with water at room temperature in it, change the drinker every day.

How often to feed the snakes?

During the molting period, reptiles may completely refuse food, the snake may well go without it for several weeks. In general, juveniles are fed once every 3-4 days, adults once every 7-10 days. Young snakes will actively feed after the first molt. It has been noticed that when living conditions or the owner change, snakes can go on long hunger strikes.

Interestingly, over time, domestic snakes even send signals to their owners, hinting that they are hungry. Reptiles behave restlessly, make clicking sounds, glance towards the feeder.

How to feed the snakes?

It is advisable to feed the reptiles one at a time, as they can easily fight each other. Feed is lowered into the terrarium with tweezers or tweezers; this should not be done by hand, because, smelling food, reptiles can behave aggressively.

If several snakes live in the same space, a fight will begin for food, as a result, strong individuals will be full, and weak ones will be left without lunch. The choice is small: either put animals away for feeding, or give food first to the most aggressive snakes, and then to the rest. Feeding dead animals does not greatly excite the hunting instincts, so the snakes behave calmer and do not rush at each other.