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Posted by Thamnophile on November 04, 2002 at 20:15:49:
In Reply to: Re: Egg-eating snakes?? posted by meretseger on November 04, 2002 at 19:09:02:
Hi,
I have a pair of Dasypeltis inornata. They are large enough to handle medium store-bought chicken eggs. Mine take them occasionally - the problem with chicken eggs isn't necessarily size (although my impression is that other Dasypeltis species may be smaller than D. inornata, I'm not sure). The real problem is that store bought chicken eggs, well, no longer smell like a bird's butt, lol. The washing process removes the scent cues the snake needs to recognize food. I have had some limited success with dipping eggs in chicken broth, and have thought about (ewww!) collecting bird droppings to smear on the eggs for the proper scent (haven't done that yet though). They take pigeon eggs with gusto, considering they not only smell right, but are also more of a snack-size. I haven't been able to find quail eggs locally, and haven't tried the drinking egg yolk trick, either.I have read that they only actually feed for a short season in Africa, based on the breeding season of certain ground nesting birds, and certain weaver birds. Mine seem to support this theory, they don't seem to need to eat often, to maintain their good condition. They are also saw-scaled viper mimics, and its fun to watch them flatten out their blunt head to a perfect arrow-shape, and strike repeatedly at your hand - with their mouth closed. They have 2 rows of specially shaped scales halfway up from the ventral scales that they use to rasp against each other just as the saw-scaled viper does, and they huff and puff to boot. The only place I have ever seen them available is Glades Herp, and they were all wild-caught. I have been unsuccessful at breeding attempts, and am unaware of any successes (not to say they aren't out there, but I'd be leary, they might be captive born to a WC female). Mine don't appreciate being handled, and constantly try to fling themselves out of my grip, and will start to thrash. Eventually, they do calm down in my hands, but they don't seem to remember from one handling session to the next, lol. Based on all of this, I can't really recommend them as pets, I appreciate mine for what they are, they're neat, but not the best pet. Really, because of the specifics of their food needs, I would suggest that the only people who should keep them are people who already have small birds, (quail, pigeons, etc) and so have ready access to a steady supply of eggs. These are just my opinions, based on my experiences with the species. Neat, but not the easiest to keep. I hope this helps.
Lisa
:THE eggeating snake is the genus Dasypeltis, from Africa. They are colubrids and are not venomous (indeed, they have no teeth), so they defend themselves by mimicing vipers. The reason they're not more popular? They're too small to eat chicken eggs! However, if you're dedicated you can order quail eggs off the internet. Also, I've heard some will drink egg yolks, but I'd personally rather see them eating whole eggs.
:I believe one person on the classifieds has been selling CB Dasypeltis inornata, but I forget who. Keep your eyes peeled.
