a gangi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>I also know a number of
>snake owners with the larger snakes that buy/raise rabbits, guinea pigs,
>chickens and quayle for snake food. I even knew one person who fed their
>snake baby kittens they'd get via "free to good homes" ads1
I noticed form my researches of advice to snake keepers that Ball
Pythons (called Royal Pythons in Europe,) being arboreal, normally eat a
lot of birds and eggs.
Some breeders recommend feeding poultry. others recommend storing feeder
rodents with poultry before feeding it.
Apparently, despite it being an endangered species, some 18,000 Ball
Pythons are imported into the US every year from West Africa. These are
often bred abroad an imported having never known mammalian food. That is
meant to be one reasons why they are reluctant to take mammalian food.
Like most predators, Ball Pythons will take whatever is available. One
probable is that they only feed rarely. Once every few months, or even
once a year is not unusual. This also leads to many breeders believing
that their snake is fussy about food, when it is just not hungry!
All the more detailed pages say that a US bred Python will eat mice and
rats if suitably killed and prepared. In fact, the web pages that bother
to cite scientific and other references say that Ball Python's natural
diet is lizards, snakes, birds and eggs. Mammals are mentioned. But
nearly always at the end of the list, suggesting that other foods are
preferred.
--
Julian
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* Jackie and Julian *
* [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* National Gerbil Society *
* http://www.gerbils.co.uk/ *
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