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Egg Eating Snakes, need some info :)

16K views 160 replies 21 participants last post by  Maureen Collinson 
#1 ·
as the title states lol,

ive always been interested in these snakes, and i have a mate whos dad breeds quails for his falcons, and i have heard that they love quails eggs and that they are really good for them as a staple diet. im pretty sure i could strike up a deal with my mates dad for regular supply of eggs and maybe a few small quails to later produce eggs for me,

anyway back to the main question, does any1 have any info caresheets etc? ive found one or 2 but there not very detailed, also does any1 own any and could maybe answer a few questions and some advice?

any help would be great : victory:

Thanks Jord
 
#2 ·
Also would pigeon eggs be any good as part of a staole diet as i can get alot of those 2?
 
#3 ·
if you get a baby you need to syringe feed it untill it is a decent size at which it can take an egg... this is when they are about 8-12months old depending on how they have been feeding. i would reccomend getting an adult if you can that is already on eggs, as the babies are a nightmare, with ours it was a very long process and it isnt something that i would highly reccomend...

quails eggs are fine, as are pigeon eggs. if you are able then try getting smaller birds eggs like canary, budgie etc. if you can get surplus of these then you wont have to syringe feed for as long...

Lucy :D x
 
#6 ·
Sounds a right pain, i would happily do it though how often did you syringe feed a week? isnt it stressful for the snake?

i can get alot of budgie eggs, as they have them at college and they lay eggs all the time lol : victory:

Guy Pettigrew would be the guy to ask, helpful bloke and he has a good article that he wrote on them, very interesting!

Erik
Thanks Mate :2thumb:

Hi Lizard loft

Where are you? I'm near Gatwick airport, Surrey.

You're welcome to come over to see my eggeaters and have a chat about keeping them.

Mine are Dasypeltis medici; D. atra; D.fasciata; D. gansii and one lone male D. scabra. I have some baby D. medici available.

Guy
Pm'd ya :notworthy:
 
#7 ·
Aw I am so jealous!
My first snake was an egg eater and that was 25 years ago when it was really hard to get help and advice. I was soooo young and made so many mistakes!
I still have nightmares about that snake, as I wish I had known more and had more help in keeping him. He lived a long and probably ok life, but I still wish I had known more. That is why researching these things before you get a snake is good. So well done in asking for help first.
If you have a fresh supply of eggs that will be a huge bonus, as my main problem was getting small enough eggs on a regular basis.
Good luck if you do get one and enjoy, they are fabulous snakes.
 
#8 ·
Hi, i have two D atra snakes and would consider selling one, (I have no idea of price yet though). One is red phase, cf from living jungle, year old, eating button quail eggs of ebay but would prob eat any small quail eggs (very greedy) about 60cm. The other is black phase, same age but half the size, only eats fresh finch eggs although never tried with budgy eggs.
Im in southampton, pm if you would be interested or with any q but i am no expert
Yahoo groups have a really good egg eater group and try eierschlange.de Needs translating or
www.dasypeltis.com
 
#11 ·
I've got a young scabra female, great snake, pain in the arse is finding the budgie eggs for her, as she cant quite manage a quail egg.... :( That is the one warning I have about them, is finding eggs small enough for them. If anyone has any little eggs, pm me as I'm running low
 
#12 ·
Hello Rain

Do you mean she's too small for the Supermarket size quail eggs?

If so, then she'd probably be OK on Chinese Quail eggs. They are just a bit larger than budgie eggs.

Here's a link to ebay.

There's usually more than this on ebay, but it is Christmas!

Also, do you have a picture of her?

If she's a real female scabra (lots called scabra are, in fact, medici), then she'd go well with my male scabra!!

Guy
 
#13 ·
Hi all,

thanks for the links, and help everyone much appreciated : victory:,

i think im definately guna get one of these duno which species yet im guna keep looking into it for the next few days until i decide, then ill let you all know :2thumb:

Thanks again
 
#14 ·
We've been looking into getting an Egg Eater for a while (they appeal to my hubby because of the lack of teeth! lol) , but so far have had no luck in finding any non-tube feeders for sale. Eggs for us shouldn't be a problem as we live pretty rural and have a local farm which stocks quail eggs.
 
#24 ·
Good luck with the Chinese quail eggs.

A picture of your scabra would be good.

Here's a medici, followed by a scabra.



D. medici






Guy
Hi Guy

Is this one of the snakes I am seeing tomorrow?

Stuart
 
#22 ·
Thanks for all the posts and pics everyone much appreciated : victory:,

what are these guys like to handle? are they docile like a corn or is it best not to handle them?

Jord
 
#26 ·
Hi there, am following the thread and love the pics, thanks Guy!
Reminds me of my childhood! I had a scabra as my first snake when I was about 9 years old.
It was a fantastic snake, but a real nightmare to feed. I used to place the eggs in water, if they sank to the bottom he usually ate them. Something about the air in the egg and the freshness, as if they are off they float. It just made it easier to test the eggs before I offered them to him them.

I doubt I would get another one now, but for sentimental reasons I am thinking about it.

Could you post pics of your viv setup please? How do you keep them, arboreal or ground dwelling? When I kept mine there were no books on how to keep them that I knew off, so it was all very makeshift. But he had a long life and so somehow he coped, but I would be keen to see how it is done now, just incase I decide to get one for old times sake- and do it properly this time.
 
#28 ·
Could you post pics of your viv setup please? How do you keep them, arboreal or ground dwelling?
Hi Aconite

Viv set up is embarrassingly simple!

Aspen shavings as substrate, hide box, water bowl, heat mat under the cage, that's it!

As you're enjoying the pictures, here's one of a D.gansii.

Life would be good if I could get these to breed. I have 2.1.

D.gansii



Guy
 
#29 ·
Hi Guy,
Thanks for the info. I am pleased to hear that the set up is so simple. I was feeling a bit quilt ridden about how I kept mine, but actually it was pretty much the same. Only I used garden soil and natural african heat. He was in an old fish tank and had a hide, water etc and eggs when my poor mother managed to source them. He lived for ages and in the end was re-homed to the herp who gave him to me. How long do they live for? I had mine for about 8 or more years.

I am from South Africa, so finding snakes was always easy and the best part of growing up in the wild. For me the joy of snakes is catching and releasing them. There are far too many to keep each one for their entire natural life and so in the UK I am limited to only the ones I am mad about, whereas in Africa it was fun to experience a variety of snakes in the wild without being limited to just a few vivs.
How did you get into egg eaters? They are not a common choice for snake lovers.
Peta
 
#30 ·
Hi Peta

Not a common choice at all.

They should be, though. There are several species to choose from, varying colours (red, black, green), they are amazingly hardy and easy to keep, even if tube feeding is neccessary.

I can't remember what got me into them, exactly. Just fascination with them as being so different from everything else. I started keeping them and realised how many species there are and how little is known about species identification. From there on it just grew. I have about 25 now, plus babies, representing 5 species.

Love 'em!

Guy
 
#31 ·
Hi again Guy!

Ok, so educate us please! Post some MORE photos of your lovelies! Also are there any good web sites, or books on keeping and breeding them- or is it something you have learned as you have kept them?

I would be interested in a scabra at some stage, so keep me informed if you ever wish to sell any of yours. As they are small and can be kept in small vivs I am sure my husband would let me have one. I am trying to convince him to let me get a jcp at the moment, so an egg eater will be a breeze. (He seems to think 3 snakes should be the limit!)
Also I have a great affection for them as my little one was such a friendly little chap. Would be nice to have one again.
And when they eat it is the most exciting/ awesome thing to watch!

Cheers Peta
 
#32 ·
Hi

Sadly, I only have 1 scabra, a male. He's been with me for ages and still needs tube feeding. It's been impossible to find a female, but hopefully one will turn up one day.

All I have available for sale at the moment are 2 tube feeding baby D. medici, sorry.

Here's a picture of one of my male D. fasciata.




Guy
 
#33 ·
Hi Guy, me again!

Ok, can you show me the pics of the 2 tube feeding baby D. medic you have and also how much you want for them? I assume they are not sexed.
I would want to keep them in a aquapac viv with a reptile radiator, as the house we are in can get chilly. What size viv do you suggest? Or do you feel (from years of experience) that such a set-up is overkill?

My scabra was a wc tricky feeder. Maybe they all are. I think that is why some people might stay away from keeping them. How do you source the eggs? If I am going to get one I would first need to find how to get the food etc, as I am scared of tube feeding after seeing an inexperienced vet puncture a hole in a baby house snake. (also over 15 years ago, things have moved on, people know much more these days.)

But I am thrilled with this thread. I am looking for a safe snake to show the neighbourhood children and so that my son can learn to respect snakes. But I dont want a corn or king. I have a gtp, but dont like my son to touch him.
I used to handle my eggie, but he was small and so was I :)
Do you find they are ok with handling, as I am looking out for a snake that wont get stressed by the odd cuddle.

Why wont your scabra eat? What a nuisance! I guess you are a pro at tube feeding then!
Mine once refused food for almost a year! Scared me to death, but he survived and had a lot of fight in him despite the thin tummy.

Thanks for all the help and advice. Need to ply my husband with alcohol tonight and then tell him about a small little snake and see if he melts and lets me have one.

Cheers,
Peta
 
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