Hopper Mice For Snakes? The 68 Latest Answer

Mice are “opportunistic omnivores”. This means they will eat plants, seeds and grains, but also insects when given the opportunity!

Top tip: Suddenly changing your mouse’s diet can cause an upset stomach. Instead, introduce new foods gradually every day.

The ideal mouse diet includes:

A commercial mouse food. Mice love variety and are therefore often happier on a Museli-style diet.

You can buy mouse food at pet stores.

Small amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables. Below is a list of fruits and vegetables that are safe for mice.

Healthy treats like boiled or scrambled eggs, mealworms, lean meats, beans, peas, chickpeas, and other legumes.

This makes feeding fun

In the wild, they spend most of their time searching for food. You can recreate this natural behavior for your house mice. It will make meal time more interesting for your pets and keep them from getting bored.

Scatter their daily amount of pellets around their cage instead of feeding them from their bowl. Your mice need to sniff out their meal. This is a really useful trick when you have a mouse that is overly protective of the food bowl and doesn’t let your other mice get their fair share of the food.

Hide treats like hay and veggies in paper bags or cardboard tubes and boxes. Your mice will love crushing the cardboard to get their food!

Safe fruits, vegetables and herbs for your mice

These fruits, vegetables, and herbs are safe for your mice. You should feed them a small amount every day.

Vegetables:

carrot

broccoli

cabbage

cauliflower

chicory

sweet peppers

cucumber

cress

zucchini

Peas

Fruit:

apple (make sure you remove the core first)

pear

peach

melon

Dried Banana

Red grapes

Don’t feed your mice citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, or grapefruit.

Herbs:

Snakes feed on live food, so many owners prefer to give them live prey such as feeding mice. However, it is arguably more humane to feed snakes pre-killed mice, so many owners choose this route. If you choose to do this, you may need to train your snake to tolerate dead food by rubbing it with the slime of its preferred food (such as frogs or toads), thawing and warming it, or dangling it in front of the snake to encourage movement simulate until it shows interest.

Most snakes should be fed a prey size roughly the size of the snake’s body at its widest point. This means that as a snake grows, you need to adjust the size of the prey fed to the snake to accommodate the increasing size of the snake. Choosing too large a prey can cause serious health problems for your pet snake. If the prey is too large, injuries are more likely and can cause intestinal impaction.

Booty size selection

If you’re having a hard time judging how big your snake is compared to the size of the prey at the pet store, measure your snake around the widest part of its body. If you take a piece of string cut to this measurement to the pet store, you can quickly check the extent of the prey available to find the best match. However, it doesn’t have to be an exact measure; smaller or slightly larger prey is fine too, and a little variety never hurts. If in doubt, ask the pet store clerk for help.

feeding young animals

Very small juveniles can be started on small mice (newborn mice) and then graduate to larger sizes. The main terms used for feeder mice are fuzzies, hoppers, and weaned mice, or weaned mice, then large and extra-large adults.

Feeding rats to snakes

If you have a species of snake that grows large enough to eventually eat rats, it’s a good idea to switch to rats while the snake is young to get it used to eating rats instead of mice. While mice are very shy creatures with few defensive abilities, rats are very inquisitive and a larger rat can cause serious damage to your snake. If you plan to feed live prey, you should train your snake to eat prey that can fight back while it is young. Also, never put live prey in and out of your snake enclosure; Always watch your snake so its prey doesn’t hurt it. Younger rats are the same size as older mice. So when your snake has evolved into larger mice, it’s a good time to make the rodent switch. Feeder rats are named using a similar sequence to mice: pinkies, fuzzies, pups, weanlings, then small to extra-large adults.

How to prevent snake burping

Snakes have unique jaws that allow them to swallow prey larger than their heads, but your snake may have trouble digesting overly large objects, leading to belching. Another common cause of belching is handling your snake too soon after eating it. Although every snake is different, you should wait at least 24 to 48 hours after feeding to touch your pet. If after 48 hours he starts up again when you touch him, try giving him another day off.

Snakes also vomit due to stress. If your snake is stressed by loud noises or people knocking on the glass of its tank, try to move it to a quiet area after feeding and give it space. Your snake will be ready to play in a few days. Belching takes a lot out of snakes, so wait about two weeks before trying to feed them again. If you feed them, make the meal smaller.

It’s important to understand the difference between belching and vomiting in your snake. Regurgitation happens before food reaches the stomach. When a snake expels digested food that was in its stomach, it’s called vomiting and is usually a sign of illness. Vomiting is a bigger problem than belching because the snake loses many of the amino acids and electrolytes it needs to stay healthy and maintain an ideal body weight. If your snake vomits or regurgitates its food repeatedly, take it to a veterinarian immediately. Vomiting and belching can be deadly in snakes.

Mice are social, alert, and extremely active small animals. They may be shy at first, but with daily gentle handling, they can become docile and sweet companions.

Provide the mouse with the largest possible living space so that it can hide, dig, train and play. Metallic, wire-based habitats have better ventilation, but the spacing of the bars must be close enough to prevent small mice from slipping through. Glass or plastic habitats can be used but are more difficult to keep ventilated; Litter in tanks may need to be changed more frequently to avoid ammonia odor from excreta. Horizontal bars and multiple tiers are ideal as mice like to climb. Habitats should have solid floors to prevent toe and foot entrapment. All habitats should have a securely attached top to prevent escape.

Learn how to care for a gerbil, recommended diet and habitat setup. Find the right groceries, supplies and equipment at Petco near you.

Shorthair, longhair, hairless, and European hamsters are clean and fascinating companion animals that are best kept individually.

Learn how to care for pet rats, recommended diet and habitat setup. Find the right groceries, supplies and equipment at Petco near you.

Notes and Sources

Ask a Pet Care Center associate about the selection of Petco products available for the care and well-being of your new pet. All products have a 100% money back guarantee.

Because all small animals are potential carriers of infectious diseases such as lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, rat bite fever and Salmonella bacteria, always wash your hands before and after handling your small animal or habitat contents to prevent the possible spread of disease.

Pregnant women, children under the age of 5, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems should consult their doctor before acquiring or caring for any small animal and consider a pet other than a mouse.

Visit the Centers for Disease Control at cdc.gov/healthypets for more information about small animals and diseases.

The information on this care sheet is not a substitute for veterinary care. If you require additional information, please contact your veterinarian.

Ball pythons make excellent pets for people who like snakes. They are relatively low maintenance, small and clean. But they have very different nutritional needs than a cat or dog. As a new ball python owner, you need to know what to feed your snake, how often to feed it, and what to do if it won’t eat.

ball python diet

Their feeding needs vary by size and you don’t need to feed them every day.

What do ball pythons eat. In general, the youngest, smallest, eat small frozen feeder mice or rats. Larger ball pythons usually eat larger mice or rats.

Choosing prey for a ball python. As a general rule, you should choose a rodent that is 1 to 1.25 times the size of your snake’s midsection. Smaller prey is fine, but avoid getting too big food.

Living prey vs. pre-killed. Snakes are predators and in the wild are used to catching their own food. However, your pet snake will be fine with fresh, pre-killed, or even frozen rodents (you’ll need to thaw them first). It is safer not to feed your snake live prey. Live rodents are afraid and can bite your snake. Even small rodent bites can cause an infection that will make your snake sick. Pet snakes are easily trained to eat dead prey.

How often should you feed a ball python. You don’t have to feed a ball python every day. In general, smaller or younger ball pythons need to feed every five days, while larger ones usually feed every one to two weeks. As they get older, feed them more all at once so they don’t need to be fed as often.

Cost of feeding a ball python. The annual cost of feeding a ball python can range from $100 to $150.

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Many wild reptiles have some type of live prey in their natural diet. Be it insects, rodents, birds or fish, the fact is that many herps have an instinct to look for their food. For years, hobbyists have been familiar with the concept of offering herps (usually snakes) prey that has already been humanely shipped and, in some cases, frozen and thawed for storage. Some keepers consider prekilling to be a time-consuming and unnecessary effort, but the fact is that in most cases it is a cautionary tale and worthwhile practice.

When it comes to feeding vertebrate prey (e.g., mice, rats, rabbits, etc.) to reptiles, the animal being fed is almost always a snake. Large carnivorous lizards like monitor lizards and tegus tend to have little trouble with live rodents; However, the principles presented here still apply and should at least be considered if you routinely feed your monitor lizards or tegus live rodents.

First let me explain some of the benefits of feeding pre-killed prey, then I will offer some steps you can take to pique your snake interest in prey that is no longer alive.

Benefit number one is directly related to the safety of your pet. Mice, from weaned to adult, and rats of all sizes can inflict a nasty bite on another creature. If your snake is unlucky, or perhaps doesn’t grab the prey easily, there’s a good chance the rodent will bite back. This is relatively common and generally not serious, but as with any wound (particularly a bite) there is a chance of systemic infection of your snake. While it sounds ridiculous, I have personally observed a number of snakes, after being painfully bitten by a mouse while being killed, refusing food for an extended period of time. In both cases, the end result is avoidable.

A less common but much more serious situation occurs when a live prey item is left unattended with a snake for some time. There have been countless reports of snakes (usually tricky ball pythons) being left in a closed box with a live prey item for days. The results are usually fatal. Snakes are often munched on by hungry rodents that have nothing else to eat. Remember, snakes can go months without food, but not mice and rats. Why would a snake allow that? Easy. The snake is not hungry. It can be stressed, sick or just full. In any case, if the initial feeding response is not there, then leaving the rodent with the snake for hours will make no difference. If a snake doesn’t immediately show interest, it probably won’t eat right away. The longer the prey remains with the snake, the more desensitized the snake becomes to the prey. Rule of thumb: Don’t leave live prey with an unattended snake for more than 15 minutes at a time.

So you might be wondering who pre-kills the rats and mice for these snakes in the wild? Well, nobody. But that’s okay. These snakes are not in the wild. They are our pets and their health and life is our responsibility. It is up to us to do everything we can to keep our pets safe and comfortable as long as we continue to keep them as pets. To the person who insists that feeding live prey is the natural, only way, I offer this: why not expose your pets to other “natural” factors as well? How about unexpected cold snaps or predators. Do you see my point?

By offering freshly killed prey you can obviously avoid the whole phenomenon of prey avoidance. However, you can go one step further and take the safety and convenience of feeding rodents to a whole new level. Consider buying frozen loot. They are readily available for less than the price of a live food item and can be kept in your freezer for months. Additionally, freezing the prey will undoubtedly kill any potential diseases and/or parasites that may have been present in the rodent.

There are cases when live prey needs to be fed. Finicky or young animals can be stubborn when it comes to taking dead prey, as well as certain single animals that will simply never cooperate. In all other cases, the only benefit of feeding live prey is the entertainment value it provides to its owner. Sure, hunting can be exciting, but is it really worth the potential damage to your pet?

So you’ve decided to try the pre-killed feeding thing. Good. You have nothing to lose. If your snake is used to being offered live prey, I would continue to do so in your home until your snake is fully settled. There is no point in further confusing and stressing an already disgruntled animal that is adjusting to a new environment. It’s best to give the snake a few weeks to acclimate before making any drastic changes in feeding practices.

At best, your snake will accept prey with little or no work on your part. Snakes with strong feeding reactions, such as most colubrids and boas, will often take prey if simply left alone for a while with the dead rodent in a dark, quiet place. (Remember, it’s always a good idea to feed your snakes in a different container than the one they live in. This will greatly reduce their level of aggression in the cage, as well as your chance of being bitten.) If the snake doesn’t After 15 minutes, consider leaving it with the prey in a safe and warm place overnight. The downside to this is that over time the prey will begin to stiffen and cool to room temperature. Both can cause the snake to lose interest. My personal opinion is that if the snake hasn’t consumed dead prey after an hour or so, it probably won’t last a few days.

Many snakes are attracted to their prey’s movement and/or body temperature. If you don’t manage to feed your snake prekilled prey the first time, try moving the food around slightly with long tongs or a long, smooth stick. Usually, a slight wiggle or two is enough to get the snake’s attention. The animal will often flick its tongue once or twice, realizing you have something to eat, and then head into town. But there will be exceptions. Sometimes you need to dangle the prey item for a few minutes before the snake strikes. Just be patient and try not to startle the snake with quick movements that the snake might interpret as threatening.

As for prey temperature, remember that pythons, some boas, and all pit vipers sense the body heat of their prey while hunting. Obviously, a mouse that has been dead for 2 hours will have little or no effect on the snakes’ heat sensing abilities. To counteract this problem, you can only offer freshly killed food (as opposed to prey that was killed 5 hours ago and was only left at room temperature). You can also warm the prey slightly by placing them under a low-wattage heat lamp or by placing them in a ziplock bag and floating them in very warm water. Under no circumstances should you microwave prey for feeding a snake. Chances are it will explode or worse, burn your snake internally.

When feeding frozen prey, you simply need to thaw the food before feeding. Never offer frozen prey that hasn’t been fully thawed. Sometimes the outer layers appear to be thawed but the food remains frozen in the middle. After consumption, this prey can rapidly lower a snake’s body temperature from the inside out. The best way to thaw prey is to simply let it sit at room temperature until it’s completely thawed, and then place it under a heat lamp for a few moments so it’s slightly warmer than the snake’s surroundings. The other proven method is to put the rodent in a waterproof plastic bag and place it in warm water. This method is quick and clean, typically taking 10-15 minutes to thaw an average sized mouse.

Hopefully the information I’ve shared here makes sense to you. Remember, when we bring wild animals into our homes as pets, it is our responsibility to provide them with the absolute best care possible. Good nutrition is the cornerstone of caring for any animal species. So give it a try when feeding pre-killed. It’s safe, convenient, and an excellent way to ensure the health and longevity of all the animals in your collection.

All your reptile feeders can be found on LLLReptile.com by clicking the feeder link on our home page. We carry a full inventory of frozen mice and rats, as well as crickets, worms and fruit flies.

There are four terms used for different sizes of mice fed to snakes. In order from smallest to largest they are:

Pinky is a mouse who is so young that she hasn’t developed her fur yet. The term refers to the skin color of the mouse.

Since it’s basically a newborn mouse, it’s obviously going to be the smallest mouse you can get your hands on.

Fuzzy is a mouse slightly older than a Pinky Mouse. Just old enough for it to start growing its fur. Hence it is fuzzy.

Hopper is a young mouse that is in the development phase where it begins to move. Since they are still quite young and developing, they tend to move around by hopping.

It is also used to refer to young gerbils (at least in my area) since gerbils get around by hopping on their hind legs

Adult mouse Actually no explanation needed. It’s an adult mouse. She’s fully grown, so she’s the biggest mouse you can get.

Rats are used for larger snakes but don’t carry the same slang terminology as mice. In my experience at least, they are referred to simply as “small”, “medium” or “large” rats.

Florida brook kingsnakes feed on rodents in the wild. In captivity, you need to offer thawed frozen mice as the main food. A young snake (less than 2 feet long) may eat up to six pinky or funnel mice weekly. Once the snake is one year old and has reached adult status, feed it one to four mice every week. A reluctant feeder, particularly one not born in captivity, may prefer lizards for its first meals. After about a month of lizard meals, rub a lizard on a thawed, frozen little mouse (this is called “scenting”), which helps the king snake make the transition from lizard-to-mice feeding.

mythologe.net

Ouroboros derives from a Greek word meaning “tail eater”. While the word first appeared in English in the 1940s, the concept of the ouroboros is very old and is used in many cultures as a symbol of cosmic harmony, eternity, and the cycle of birth and death.

The earliest known Ouroboros symbol comes from a 14th-century BC Egyptian religious text. BC found in King Tutankhamen’s tomb. The symbol appears in a passage about the origin of the sun god Ra through a union with the death god Osiris to illustrate creation through destruction. The ancient Egyptians also used the ouroboros to symbolize the flooding of the Nile, which occurred in seasonal cycles and was of great importance to ancient Egyptian agriculture and society. Other ancient cultures also integrated the Ouroboros symbol. The Norse legend tells of the great serpent Jörmungandr, which orbits the earth and bites its own tail. Hindu cosmology shows that an ouroboros helps support the earth.

The Ouroboros was specifically developed by Gnostic philosophers in the 2nd century BC. Adopted. To them it symbolized the dual nature of existence, characterized by life and death, male and female, light and dark, mortality and divinity, or earth and sky. Notably, alchemists also used the ouroboros to represent the element Mercury, which was believed to permeate and unite all matter. A drawing of the ouroboros is found in one of the earliest alchemical texts, The Chrysopoeia of Cleopatra, from the 3rd century AD.

Fast forward to 1865 when the ouroboros was reportedly the inspiration for German chemist August Kekulé von Stradonitz in his discovery of the linked carbon ring structure of a benzene molecule. The late 19th-early 20th-century psychiatrist Carl Jung viewed the ouroboros as a psychological archetype representing the unconscious desire to consume oneself and be constantly reincarnated. The English psychiatrist Helton Godwin Baynes, a friend and translator of Jung, introduced ouroboros into English with his 1940 study of schizophrenia: “The uroboros symbol represents our psychic continuity with the immemorial past.”

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In nature, most animals eat what they can to survive. While some animals have adapted to consuming nuts, seeds, or berries, others have evolved to consume other animals. Of these hunters, some developed a taste and the skills needed to hunt snakes. Ophiophagy, or “snake eating” in Greek, refers to this behavior of routinely eating snakes. Numerous animals include snakes in their diet. Some, like the mongoose, primarily eat snakes, while others eat snakes only occasionally to survive. For example, there are a number of birds that eat snakes. These feathered hunters possess the sharp beaks, talons, and hunting instincts needed to capture snakes in the wild. In this article, we cover 7 different birds that eat snakes. Besides their eating habits, we will also discuss their physical characteristics and where they live. Let’s start talking about these snake-eating birds.

#7: Red-tailed Hawk

In some areas, snakes make up 40% of a red-tailed hawk’s diet. Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock.com

The red-tailed hawk, also known as the chicken hawk, is one of the most widespread hawks in the world. It is found throughout North America, living as far north as Alaska and south as far as Panama. They thrive in a variety of habitats including grasslands, forests, mountains, deserts, and urban areas. On average, they are about 18 to 26 inches long and weigh between 1.5 and 3.5 pounds. While they vary in appearance, most adult red-tailed hawks have light or dark brown plumage and red tail feathers. Red-tailed hawks eat a wide variety of animals including rodents, small mammals, other birds and reptiles. Due to geographical limitations, some of these snake-eating birds consume them as a large part of their diet. In some areas, snakes make up over 40% of a red-tailed hawk’s diet. To date, scientists have identified nearly 40 species of snakes that are targeted by red-tailed hawks.

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#6: Gray Heron

The great blue heron will stand very still before grabbing a passing water snake in its long beak.

The great blue heron is a large shorebird found throughout North America, the Caribbean, and the Galapagos Islands. It is the largest native heron in North America, ranging in length from 36 to 54 inches and weighing from 4 to 7.9 pounds. The great blue heron gets its name from its size and blue-grey plumage. They live in various wetlands and spend most of their time wading near the water in search of food. Gray herons primarily eat fish, but will also eat birds, rodents, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. As one of the birds that eat snakes, a gray heron will also occasionally hunt and eat snakes. To catch a water snake, a heron stands still and lets the snake slide within reach. As soon as the snake is within range, it will strike with its long beak, swallowing the snake whole.

#5: Secretary Bird

A secretary bird has the head of an eagle and the legs of a stork. Barbara Ash/Shutterstock.com

The secretarybird is a large bird native to the grasslands and savannas of Africa. In many ways it looks like a cross between an eagle and a crane, with long legs and a predatory body. Secretarybirds are between 44 and 59 inches long and weigh between 8.2 and 9.4 pounds. They have blue-grey feathers on the crown, upper part and wings and white feathers on the underside. Unlike most raptors, the secretarybird hunts on foot, although it can fly. They eat a variety of prey including insects, rodents, crabs, small birds and reptiles. Among the birds that eat snakes, the secretarybird uses a unique method of killing. As soon as it spots a snake, it stomps on the snake with a force equal to five times its body weight. Due to habitat loss, the IUCN lists the secretarybird as an endangered species.

#4: Laughing Falcon

The laughing hawk gets its name from its strange vocalizations that make it sound like it’s laughing. iStock.com/phototrip

Also known as the snake hawk, the black-headed hawk is a member of the hawk family Falconidae. Its Latin and common name both refer to its unusual vocalizations, which make it sound like the bird is laughing. Laughing hawks are found throughout Central and South America and prefer to live in humid regions with some tree cover. A medium-sized species, black-headed hawks are between 18 and 22 inches long and weigh between 0.9 and 1.8 pounds. They have a whitish head, neck and underparts, dark brown wings and a brown and white striped tail. Like some birds that eat snakes, the laughing hawk’s main food source is snakes. It even hunts venomous snakes like the coral snake. To kill a snake, the laughing hawk swoops down on it from the air and bites the snake’s head with its sharp beak.

#3: Great Horned Owl

The great horned owl relies on its claws, curved sharp beak, and camouflage to capture snakes and other prey. Imran Ashraf/Shutterstock.com

The great horned owl, or tiger owl, is a large bird of prey and the most common true owl species found in North or South America. It is also one of the largest owls, ranging in length from 17 to 25 inches and weighing from 2.5 to 5.5 pounds. The great horned owl gets its name from its size and the prominent tufts on its head that look like horns. It sports dark brown-grey plumage that allows it to blend in with its surroundings. Like most owls, the great horned owl hunts at night. Almost no creature is safe from the great horned owl, and it eats a greater variety of prey than any other bird of prey. Although its diet consists mainly of rodents and small mammals, it is also one of the birds that eat snakes. Great Horned Owls use camouflage and ambush tactics to sneak up on their prey.

#2: Brown Snake Eagle

The brown short-toed eagle eats a variety of snakes, including adders, cobras, and black mambas. iStock.com/Shumba138

The brown snake eagle is a large bird of prey endemic to parts of Africa. A relatively solitary bird, a brown short-toed eagle’s range can stretch hundreds of miles. They usually live in forests or meadows with lots of trees. On average, they measure 26 to 31 inches long and weigh 3.3 to 5.5 pounds. As the name suggests, the brown short-toed eagle gets its name from its almost uniformly dark brown plumage. Its diet is similar to other short-toed eagles, all of which are classified as snake-eating birds. In fact, it almost exclusively eats snakes in the wild and makes no distinction as to which species. Brown short-toed eagles eat large, small, or venomous snakes, including adders, cobras, and black mambas. Once they catch a snake, they swallow it whole or tear it apart if the snake is too big.

#1: Chicken

Chickens will attack and eat small snakes when given the opportunity. iStock.com/Sonja Filitz

The chicken is one of the most widely domesticated animals – and the most widely domesticated bird – on the planet. These backyard birds live on every continent and many cultures consider them a staple food. Humans typically raise chickens for their meat and eggs. However, some people also keep chickens as a natural form of pest control. Not only do they eat ticks, they are also among the birds that eat snakes. A chicken will instinctively attack and kill a small snake. To kill a snake, a chicken pecks at it with its sharp beak and can even pick it up with its feet. If the snake is small enough, the chicken will continue to swallow the snake whole.

How do snakes kill their prey?

Snakes are venomous, but venom is only used for protection, it doesn’t satiate their hunger. To satisfy its hunger, a snake must capture, kill, and eat its prey. Different species of snakes have their own methods of killing and eating their prey, but in order to get a proper answer to how do snakes kill their prey, we need to take a detailed look at the different methods used to eat their prey . Three main methods are used by snakes in this regard, and in this section we will focus on each of them. Constricting prey to death and eating afterwards Snakes are popular constrictors and this trait is used extensively by them to kill their prey. This is the method most commonly used to kill prey. The snake grabs the prey in its mouth, throws a coil around it, and begins constricting. When the prey exhales, the snake tightens the coils to prevent inhalation. This goes on until the loot comes to an end. When the heart of the prey stops beating snakes, the process of eating begins. Poisoning of Prey The final method used by snakes to subdue prey is the popular envenoming technique. The snake will bite through the prey’s skin and this will inject saliva into the wound. Toxic saliva promotes deadly reactions in the animal’s body, leading to its death. For this reason, it is always recommended by experts to keep venomous snakes away as they can cause serious damage. Without proper training, you should never keep snakes as pets as a single mistake in these situations can cost you your life. Eating Prey Alive This is another method used by snakes that can be said to be effective. These snakes simply overwhelm their victims and begin an intricate process of swallowing them alive. There are hundreds of curved fangs in snakes, and their bodies are capable of digesting even larger prey. The most dangerous aspect is that once a prey is caught in a snake’s grip, it is almost impossible to escape from being swallowed. The unfortunate victim is eaten alive by the animal and the sight cannot be seen by all as it is unsettling. Go back to the main snake removal page for more information on how do snakes kill their prey?.

Ophiophagy is the Latin term for hunting snakes. Animals that eat snakes are ophiophages, which is just a fancy way of eating snake eaters. This is actually where the Latin name for the king cobra comes from. In many cases, birds are eaten by snakes, but you may be surprised to learn that there are many different species of birds that tend to eat scaly snakes. In this article, we’ll take a look at 15 ophiophages, or birds, that eat snakes.

15 Types Of Birds That Eat Snakes

Eating snakes isn’t just limited to birds of prey, as you might assume. You may be surprised to see that even some of the more common birds eat snakes! Snakes are eaten by waterfowl, raptors, and domestic birds to name a few.

1. Falcon

A hawk’s large talons and rapid speed allow it to capture snakes quickly and efficiently. Hawks swoop down once they spot their meal, flapping their wings to distract the snake before quickly grabbing it behind the head to carry it away.

In addition to limiting their diet to nonvenomous snakes, hawks will eat venomous snakes as well. This has proven fatal for some hawks, who have been bitten while attempting to capture venomous snakes, but these unfortunate hawks are usually young or inexperienced hunters.

You may also like: Red-tailed Hawk Facts

2. Owls

Owls aren’t really picky and will eat anything that makes snakes a welcome snack!

Like hawks, owls have large talons and sharp beaks – perfect for burrowing into a snake. Owls also have incredible eyesight that makes spotting a snake a breeze. Even baby owls will eat small snakes (like blind snakes).

3. Crows

Crows are known to be scavengers, eating both live and dead animals. Crows will likely eat any dead snake they can find, but they have also been known to eat live snakes. They’re not large birds compared to some of the other snake-eating birds on this list, so crows tend to eat smaller snakes like garter snakes.

4. Falcons

Like other birds of prey on this list, hawks have been known to eat snakes. One falcon in particular, the Laughing Falcon, is notorious for eating snakes throughout its range of South and Central America. Laughing hawks will even eat highly venomous coral snakes.

5. Eagle

Eagles are known to eat and hunt some fairly large and even dangerous animals. Many different species of eagles eat snakes, and there are even several species of eagles called short-toed or short-toed eagles that specialize in eating snakes.

There are species of short-toed eagles that live in Asia and Africa that have evolved to safely eat snakes, even venomous ones. Short-toed eagles have thickened skin along their claws and legs to prevent snakes from biting them, not to mention having forgotten their hunting techniques!

6. Roadrunner

Roadrunners are famous for attempting to outwit a particular coyote in a particular cartoon. But aside from that, roadrunners are also known for outwitting and hunting snakes. Not just any snakes, but rattlesnakes!

However, rattlesnakes will also eat roadrunners, so in some cases it’s everyone’s game. Roadrunners have speed on their side, while rattlesnakes have venom that can give them the upper hand in a standoff with a roadrunner.

7th heron

Herons are waterfowl, so snakes don’t seem to be the first choice for a meal. But herons are amazing hunters and have mastered eating water snakes such as water moccasins or even snakes found at the water’s edge.

Herons use their long, pointed beaks to effortlessly pluck snakes out of the water as they squirm. Heron eats snakes head first.

8. Chickens

Now, chickens get a bad rap as stupid, poorly coordinated birds used primarily for food or for their eggs. But they can also be effective hunters and kill snakes.

Chickens are pretty tired of snakes and regardless of whether they want to eat a snake or not, they will try to kill the snake. However, the snakes that eat them slurp them up easily and quickly.

Guinea fowl are chicken-like birds that specialize in hunting down invading snakes. They have been known to work together as a group, forming a circle around a snake and eliminating the threat as a team. Watch the video below.

9. Ducks

When you think of ducks, you probably don’t think of them as cold-blooded killers. But ducks have actually been known to eat snakes, including venomous ones! Apparently there are even certain breeds that are particularly prone to eating snakes, like Muscovites, which people recommend if they want to keep snakes out of their yards.

10. Geese

Of the domesticated birds, geese are certainly known for their irritable demeanor. Their attitude is probably what makes them such a fierce opponent to certain species of snakes, as geese will slurp up smaller snakes like it’s nothing. In Thailand, many people keep geese for this specific reason.

11. Turkeys

Turkeys hunt and eat snakes but tend to approach in groups. However, a lone turkey should have no problem taking down a snake alone as long as it is not too large. Once a flock or group of turkeys has located a snake, they will crowd around and harass the snake before grabbing it and tearing it apart – not a pleasant move by any means!

12. Cranes

Like herons, cranes are waterfowl and prey on many foods found in the water. This can include water snakes too! Cranes are actually omnivores, eating both plants and animals found in aquatic habitats.

Typically, cranes feed mostly on plants and vegetation, but change their diet based on availability, making any snake that crosses their path unfortunate!

13. Peacocks

Peacocks are known for many things, their beautiful feathers, their incredibly loud screeching calls and for being a sign of royalty. But did you know that peacocks eat snakes?

Peacocks are native to Asia and Africa, which are also home to some of the deadliest venomous snakes on earth. In ancient India, palaces actually kept peacocks to drive away cobras and other snakes.

14. Secretary Bird

While not the most common birds, secretarybirds are a well-known snake eater. Secretary Birds have incredibly long, powerful birds that they use to kick with incredible power. They are native to Africa where they eat several species of venomous snakes.

Secretary Birds stalk around tall grass to scare snakes out of the grass, which they then focus on and chase after at breakneck speeds. They are believed to sometimes fly up in the air with a snake in their grasp and then drop it to their death before feeding on it.

15. Kookaburras

Kookaburras, native to Australia, have a lot of choices when it comes to food. They eat snakes and lucky for them, Australia is home to many different species of snakes!

Kookaburras use a sit-and-wait technique, perching on a branch overhead and waiting for their unfortunate victim to slither past. If they see a snake, they swoop down and snatch it before slurping it whole or slamming it against the ground and then slurping it.

Conclusion

While many people assume that these are primarily snakes that hunt birds, there are actually many different species of birds that eat snakes. Some of these birds can also be eaten by snakes, but in these cases it mostly depends on who is bigger to decide who gets eaten.

The birds that eat snakes are a diverse group, from waterfowl, raptors, domestic birds, and others. Some of these birds don’t seem to have the toughness factor to devour a snake, but the wildlife never ceases to amaze us!