The Egg Eating Snakes I.E. "Eggies" Page
A combination of scientific research, and this breeders anecdotal knowledge, on the captive care of Dasypeltis
If its your first time to this page, please read through every section in the entire sheet top to bottom as the information builds upon each other. This page was built accordion style to help facilitate finding answers to common questions quickly while viewing on a mobile device.
Please do let me know if any section/links etc are not working properly as this page is brand new and may need the kinks worked out :)
Please do let me know if any section/links etc are not working properly as this page is brand new and may need the kinks worked out :)
FAQ
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Is it true they dont have teeth?
Photo Credit: David Northcott
It's absolutely true that egg eating snakes have no actual teeth in their mouth that they can bite with. Their mouths don't really work that way to be able to even pinch you with any force. You'll see what I mean if you click to watch an egg eating snake adjusting its jaw.
Tooth loss has been documented in several species, and in the egg-eating snakes is thought to ease the movement of large eggs into the esophagus^1
Having that said, technically they do have tiny rear facing nubs in the jawbone that one could call "teeth" in the very back of the throat, and bony plates attached to the cervical spine in the bottom of the neck that they use to secure and pierce the egg. They then squeeze out the contents before throwing back up the shell. Your fingers would never unintentionally come into contact with either of those though. They are quite far down the throat. you can see where at 2:46 in at this video You can also Click here for a 3d interactive model of the skeleton of a D. scabra egg eater where you can see the jawbones and the bony plates (enlarged and flat hypapophyses) used in their unique feeding method. Cool right? ^1-https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284341626_The_functional_morphology_of_the_egg-eating_adaptations_in_the_snake_genus_Dasypeltis/citations Whats Their temperament Like? Are They Handleable?
In addition to being literally physically incapable of harming you, captive born egg eating snakes are also commonly very calm once they learn to trust you. Some are so calm in fact that they will literally eat out of your hand. Click to watch one do so.
The fact they're semi aboreal means they don't panic about being off the ground like some other snakes will too. In the wild they are known to jump out of trees if the mother bird comes back to a nest they're raiding. So they also won't typically get hurt from drops from small heights either. Eggies make great embassadors for those afraid of snakes too- the fact they dont have teeth seems to help. We often have an egg eater quietly perched on the lights while vending at public shows. It brings us immense joy that countless snake phobic people have been able to overcome their fear of snakes after encountering one at our booth. Just like dogs and any other animal pets, temperaments can vary across individuals and behaviors can be influenced by several factors such as environment and care, frequency of handling, etc. Its easy to understand that an eggie might go through a mood change if too hot, hungry, or gravid- we certainly do! Having that said, it would be fair to say they are very, very, well behaved snakes especially when captive born. Do They Make Good Pets for Beginners?
In my opinion, absolutely. Some people will say that Egg Eating Snakes should be seen as snakes for "intermediate" keepers due to their dietary requirement for properly sized eggs, but I disagree. When you look at the snakes typically recommended for beginner keepers you will see that they all require their owners to source appropriately sized prey. Eggies are no different. I'd argue that its really no different of a responsibility to find eggs than to find the live rodents some species of beginner snake require- especially when using the syringe method. One could even argue that its easier. Bet you probably already have a chicken egg in your fridge to syringe feed your eggie right now, but do you have newborn pinky mice that just came out of their mother less than an hour ago to feed that newborn "beginners" corn snake? probably not. See my point? We'll get into their care in detail below, but they don't have any above average care requirements for housing, temperature, or humidity either. They're African so their environmental set up is just as easy as "everyone's favorite beginner snake"- the ball python- and I would argue their smaller size makes their housing even easier because they will never need as big of an enclosure as an adult ball python will. The eggies I've produced are being cared for by children (under parental supervision). Some feedback that I've received from parents is they appreciate that their kids can just place the egg inside the cage and they don't need to watch a live furry rodent die. :( Watching egg eaters eat is a non-traumatizing and unique experience too. Point is there's no real reason that I can find to claim that eggies should not be considered good beginners pets. All pets carry some responsibility, and the responsibility required to care for an egg eater is not really any higher than other snakes currently thought to be good for beginners. Yes, you must be able and willing to provide an appropriate environment, and appropriate food, but the same can be said of all pets. So if you're a beginner looking into an egg eater for your first snake ask yourself this: Will I source appropriately sized food? Will I set up an appropriate enclosure for it? Will that enclosure be maintained responsibly? If I have questions, will I seek answers? If the answer is yes to all four, than you can keep an egg eater. Is it true They *Only* Eat Eggs?
-.Yes it is. In captivity you will only ever need to feed them the liquid contents of bird eggs. They receive all the nutrition they need from the contents of bird eggs^1. The way that egg eaters developed this specialized diet is actually somewhat interesting. In the research paper, "Historical Contingency and Animal Diets: The origins of Egg Eating in Snakes"^2 the authors demonstrate how this probably happened, “snakes that eat... birds may also recognize the corresponding eggs as suitable food because of some similarity in the chemical signatures {the smell] of eggs and adults”. Indeed "phylogenetic work on the bird-egg specialist Dasypeltis and its close relatives... along with dietary data for these relatives... strongly indicates that the most recent common ancestor of Dasypeltis and its sister group fed heavily on birds". So egg eaters developed this because their ancestors originally ate the birds that laid them, and the eggs smelled similar so they eventually ate them too. They then evolved to raid their more vulnerable eggs inside the nests entirely, instead of having to kill and eat the birds. ^1 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284341626_The_functional_morphology_of_the_egg-eating_adaptations_in_the_snake_genus_Dasypeltis/citations ^2 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7109621_Historical_Contingency_and_Animal_Diets_The_Origins_of_Egg_Eating_in_Snakes What Kind of Eggs? Can I Use Chicken Eggs? Fertile eggs? Reptile Eggs? Powdered Eggs? Leave a cracked egg out for them?
Strictly speaking they will eat any kind of bird egg that they can fit into their mouth, but which is best?
Assuming you're feeding whole shelled eggs- and not syringe feeding (more on that later) For hatchlings finch eggs are most widely used, but i've also fed them eggs from budgies, parakeets, dove, and canary- I've even seen them attempt small cockatiel eggs. For Juveniles to adult males: Button Quail Eggs are going to be the easiest to source, and for adult females it's hands down corturnix quail eggs. What about chicken eggs? To answer the question, yes I have had large adult females eat the chicken eggs commonly sold in stores, especially the smaller sizes. Yes- you can feed adult females whole chicken eggs -if they are willing to eat them, which is not entirely common. If you're going to do this, you must wash the shells first before offering to your egg eater! Commercial chicken eggs are porous and often bleached to make them pretty for the human consumer, which usually isn't eating the shell. You do not want your eggie to have those chemicals in their mouth!
Anyway yes, you can syringe feed youngsters chicken egg contents, and they will grow and be healthy. Chicken eggs do contain the macronutrients they need, but they are really not the "best" though. At first glance they do have similar macronutrient profiles.
When looking at macronutrients, chicken eggs make sense. But when you look deeper the clear winner is quail eggs. One comparative study between the two concluded that “Even with their small size, the nutritional value of quail eggs is 3 - 4 times greater than chicken eggs. Quail eggs compared to chicken eggs, contained more essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, in addition to their chemical composition, they are not harmful for people allergic to albumen in chicken eggs.”^1 So! Yes you can use chicken egg, but its really best to use quail. Not only are quail eggs their native prey source ^2, but they're higher in nutrients helping the egg eater to grow faster. Another question I get a lot is, do they have to be infertile? No. You can use fertile or "hatching" eggs but the farther into development they are the less likely they will try to eat them. In fact, there have been bird embryos found inside wild caught egg eating snakes stomachs before ^5. This is thought to be accidental, but it shows that they will eat fertilized eggs. Will they eat reptile eggs? Sometimes people will claim that they will eat the eggs of reptiles. In all of my research I have not been able to find a single documented case of this. In my attempts to feed my own colony of egg eating snakes the infertile eggs of other reptiles (also native to africa), I have found them to show no interest. While some research authors have felt confident enough that this is not true to make statements such as “all members of Dasypeltis obligately feed only on bird eggs” ^3. I do not feel confident enough to say definitely this has never happened. I will say it does not seem likely. Their common ancestors did not eat reptiles, and eggs of other reptiles certainly have different nutritional qualities. Egg eaters also will not eat the eggs of their own kind, even when housed together and the eggs are from a different female. So we know they can tell reptile eggs apart from bird eggs even when held in captivity and having never been previously exposed. This in combination leads me to believe they do not eat reptile eggs. Can you use quail egg powder? Absolutely, and I recommend it if you are syringe feeding your hatchlings. You can raise the nutritional content of the small amounts of egg liquids that a hatchling can eat by sprinkling some powdered quail egg into the fresh egg liquid or by just mixing less water into the powder if no egg liquids are available. You do need to make sure the powder you are using is just the whites and yolks, no shell or any additives. We can actually sell you some with your egg eater if you need it, So contact us if that interests you. Another fun fact, freeze dried quail egg powder retains 97% of its nutrients^6 and is actually the first ingredient in "Critical care carnivore" which is the powdered diet veterinarians give to a wide variety of critically ill carnivorous reptiles ^4. It's that safe to do. Can I just leave out a cracked egg and they'll slurp it up? That's very unlikely. Egg eaters don't appear to have the anatomy to suck up a thick viscous fluid like that. If you look at the anatomy of the jaw in the next section "how big of an egg can they eat" it makes sense why that's unlikely to happen. . . . ^1-https://jedu.journals.ekb.eg/article_73533_83d169768de3a836ec32eebbafb3cc44.pdf ^2-https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262826115_Predation_on_the_eggs_of_groundnesting_birds_by_Dasypeltis_scabra_Linnaeus_1758_in_the_moist_highland_grasslands_of_South_Africa ^3-https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284341626_The_functional_morphology_of_the_egg-eating_adaptations_in_the_snake_genus_Dasypeltis/citations ^4- https://oxbowanimalhealth.com/product/critical-care-carnivore/ ^5- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358047215_Natural_History_Notes_Dasypeltis_scabra_Linnaeus_1758_Rhombic_Egg-eater_Feeding_African_Herp_News_78_54-56 ^6- https://www.ivins.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/RCP-Freeze-drying-vs-Dehydrating-1.pdf- Can they really eat an egg that big?! How Big of an Egg Can they eat?
They can eat eggs that are way bigger than you'd think. Seriously! In fact, members of "dasypeltis have the greatest size corrected gape of any snake taxon.. as much as 7 times those of all other studied species ^1".
Gape being the maximum size in which an animal can open its mouth, of course. Most people assume that head size is what determines gape, but its not so. Research has shown that "rather than head length, maximal gape is affected more directly by: (1) the dimensions of the bones that span the circumference of prey.., (2) the orientation of relevant bones.., and (3) the distension of relevant soft tissues"^1. 
Egg Eaters have an amazing combination of the right bones, in the right place, and the right type of elastic tissues that allow them to take down eggs multiple times the size of their heads. Click here to watch a wild scabra eat a comically large egg. It gives you an idea just how big they really can take down. So yes, that tiny 3 gram hatchling really can take down an entire finch egg. Adults really can eat chicken eggs. There is even documented evidence of captive D. scabra with a head width of only 10 mm successfully swallowing a domestic duck egg (70mm)^2. So yes, they *can*. Typically speaking they'll be considerably more willing to eat if you keep their eggs between 2x and 5x the width of their head though.... ^1- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372996259_Scaling_relationships_of_maximal_gape_and_prey_size_of_snakes_for_an_egg-eating_specialist_Dasypeltis_gansi_and_a_dietary_generalist_Pantherophis_obsoletus ^2- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262826115_Predation_on_the_eggs_of_ground-nesting_birds_by_Dasypeltis_scabra_Linnaeus_1758_in_the_moist_highland_grasslands_of_South_Africa [accessed Dec 28 2023]. How Often Do they Need to eat? How Long can they go without eating?
This is one aspect of keeping eggies that takes a little getting used to. "Egg-eating Snakes have a slower metabolic rate compared to other snake species. This allows them to survive for extended periods between meals, making them well-adapted to their specialized feeding habits.^1 In the wild egg eating snakes will gorge themselves on as many eggs as they possibly can during the bird's egg laying season, a timespan of roughly 3 months, and then simply live off stored body fat for the rest of the year^2. They can predate upon ground nesting bird eggs throughout the year should they need to ^3, but typically speaking this long fast is entirely natural for them, and it is completely likely you will encounter a long fast in your time keeping egg eaters. So how often should we feed eggies in captivity? There's a few different schools of thought on this, and neither is wrong per se. One method is to mimic the wild habit and binge feed as much as they will take for as long as they're willing to take them, then stop and offer a single egg roughly once a month or so, until they take again. Another method is the weekly feed method. This works best with captive born eggies since they have never known the annual rhythms of wild birds anyway. To do this, you simply offer one or more eggs a week and replace them every week with a fresh one(s). Keepers of other species of snakes sometimes enjoy the familiarity of the weekly schedule so this can be a convenient way to do it. Which is better? they both have their own pros and cons. The maintenance on binge fed eggies is just cleaning urates and water changes for the majority of the year, since no food in means no poop out. It does require one to keep a close eye on their snakes body condition to be sure they don't stay off feed too long though. They are certainly not particularly messy snakes by any means though. If breeding is in your future, binge feeding can help regulate your adult female's cycle. Weekly feeding is a great choice for hatchlings & juveniles to help them get up to size a bit. Hatchlings can not stay off feed for as long as adults can either, their smaller bodies just have less to lose. I typically recommend allowing hatchlings to eat as much as they want for as long as they want to, and continuing to offer them at least one egg a week for their first year of life. They will put on considerable size in their first year when done this way- and that's ok. this is not "power feeding" like it would be with other species- again, this is their natural development. How long can they go? I've seen an adult female refuse for an entire year before and lose only 10% of her weight in that time. It really does depend on the individual but if your enclosure is set up properly, it appears outwardly healthy, and isn't visibly losing weight, then there's no need to worry. Especially if it just went through a big transition- they can take a little more time than other snakes when acclimating- but don't panic- not eating does not mean they are sick like it sometimes does with other species. Most of the time if an egg eater isn't eating its just not hungry. On the other hand if it has begun visibly losing weight, or you just feel like giving it a try, there's a few things you can do to help encourage them to eat. First, try raising the humidity to roughly 70% for a while- In the wild, the start of the african birds commonly predated upon by Egg Eating Snake's breeding season coincides with the onset of short rains^4, and some authors believe that at least one species of these snakes (d. fiasciata) "will feed only during the rainy season" ^5. So it makes sense that this would be a good place to start in order to get your eggie feeding again in captivity. Other things to try would be: 1) try smaller eggs- sometimes they're just lazy and don't want to put in that level of work lol. 2) try fresh eggs- sometimes if we store our eggs unsealed other smells from the fridge will get onto the eggs and the snakes will turn them down (onions seem to be especially problematic of a smell) using a fresh unrefrigerated egg can help rule that out- (be sure to read "how to store the eggs") 3) try sanding the shell down with a nail file- it helps them smell stronger and be a little easier to pop 4) try putting a few nest feathers in with the eggs- 5) try using a needle to pop a small hole in the egg- this seems to help especially with older snakes 6) try coating the egg in the strained juice from canned chunk chicken in water- hey it works sometimes- make sure its canned in water NOT oil. I will update this with more suggestions as I come to know them :) If all else fails and they really do need to eat, there's always the option to syringe feed. I always include a syringe and needle with any order containing an egg eater, just in case. I really do want you to have every tool to be successful :) More on syringe feeding later. How will I know if my eggie needs to be syringe fed? Here's how I personally do it. At the beginning of the feeding cycle they will eat one egg. So next week they will get two, if they eat two they will get three next week and so on, typically even my biggest girls wont eat more than 5 in a week. Say one week they were offered 5 but only ate 4. ok next week they get 4. if they only ate 3, then they get 3 next week, and so on, eventually they will get down to just one, and then they stop eating. When I check on my weekly feed day and they didn't eat the only egg offered, I mark the enclosure with a dry erase marker, and I weigh them with a gram scale. This marks the beginning of the fasting period. Next week I will check for the egg again and if they haven't ate it, I'll put another mark on the enclosure. I will repeat this the next week, at which time I will replace the egg with a fresh one since they can only be stored 21 days at room temperature. I repeat this process every week until they do eat the single egg again-which marks the start of a new feeding cycle. So! If at any time during the fasting period I suspect they are losing too much weight, I will weigh them. If they have lost more than 10% of their bodyweight from the previous measurement, then I will syringe feed them. I still offer them the single egg in their enclosure and if they eat it, then I will stop syringe feeding them of course. ^1-https://facts.net/nature/animals/14-unbelievable-facts-about-egg-eating-snake/ ^2-http://www.jstor.org/stable/3933844 ^3-https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262826115_Predation_on_the_eggs_of_ground-nesting_birds_by_Dasypeltis_scabra_Linnaeus_1758_in_the_moist_highland_grasslands_of_South_Africa ^4- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319964612_Montane_Egg-eater_Dasypeltis_atra_diet_and_distribution ^5- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371304820_Dasypeltis_fasciata_Smith Where can I source eggs for my egg eater?
Probably the most commonly asked question that I get. It's easier than you might think. 1) The first place to start is your local pet shop. If they sell pet birds the odds are they have eggs. They are likely just throwing those infertile bird eggs away too. If you call and ask nicely, a lot of times they will just give them to you free of charge, or for a small fee. I've sourced hundreds of finch eggs for hatchlings this way. Give it a try! You can also google "finch/canary/etc breeders near me" and ask around what they do with their infertiles. You might just find a breeding partner! 2) Facebook Groups such as African Egg Eating Snakes and EE Snake Lovers Looking for Eggs, plus your local bird keeping type groups often can point you in the right direction or are flat out advertising them for sale. 3) Small shops on places like Etsy, Ebay, Offer up, and even Amazon often sell eggs of various species. I often buy 100 or so button quail eggs at a time off ebay. 4) Publix and many health food stores carry the larger quail eggs for human consumption that are perfectly safe to use with eggies. Do wash the shells of any commercially bought eggs though, just in case. 5) You can acquire quail egg powder online and reconstitute it. The powder has a very long storage life and does not need to be refrigerated. Here's a list of internet resources that claim they will ship eggs. Feel free to message me if you know of one that I don't have here! I will keep this list updated as I best I can, but please note that I personally do not use each of these sources so I can not vouch for their quality. http://www.zebrafinch.com/Research.html https://reptanicalshop.com/products/button-quail-eggs-1dozen?variant=36319683444900 https://www.twochicksquail.com/product/pet-feed-eggs/108?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=18 https://www.backwaterreptiles.com/feeders/feeder-quail-eggs-for-sale.html https://www.ebay.com/itm/195919611141 I am often asked if I personally can supply whole eggs to customers and the answer is: while I can supply freeze dried quail egg powder for syringe feeding, no I can’t provide whole eggs, even if paid for. The sale of whole eggs within Florida (where I am located) requires a separate license that I simply don’t have, and can’t get in the foreseeable future. As my children and I depend on this business, as much as I really do want to help, I wont break the law to do so. Sorry guys. I will keep posting new sources here as I find them though! How Do I store the eggs?
Sealed container is best. Unlike chicken eggs, Quail eggs will store for 3 weeks at room temperature, and roughly twice that if refridgerated in a sealed container. My egg eaters did not seem interested in previously frozen eggs the one time I tried it. Not sure if thats the same for everyone though.
These tri-fold containers that quail eggs are often sold in work great, but you can use air tight tupperware too! 
It's important they be stored in a sealed container when stored in a fridge with people food because the smells from the other food seem to be able to linger on the eggs and turn the egg eaters away from eating them. They have a very sensitive sense of smell... What If I cant find the right size/Type egg? How To syringe Feed?
If you really cant find the right size egg, you can syringe feed. Of course its best to let the egg eater eat whole eggs, but this is real life. Sometimes that finch breeder that was so reliable at the beginning just doesn't have eggs for us anymore, and that baby has to eat. Maybe you acquired or hatched a special needs egg eater who just cant do it for himself (more on Scramble in the next section) or maybe this is just the best option for you to ensure that your snake gets fed. However you find yourself needing to know how to syringe feed, I'm here to help.
But first, lets make sure this is something that you need to do. If you haven't already, be sure to read the section "how often do they need to eat?" above. Egg eaters can go a remarkably long time without eating, and so long as they don't visibly lose weight, there's no need to worry.
you can certainly find these types of needles on market places such as amazon or as part of pinky pump kits at shows too. There's nothing special about these exact ones.
What's important is the size. if you're using a metal needle for hatchlings, you'll want the straight, 20 gauge x 25mm long with the 2mm ball tip, for all the other ages the straight 15 gauge x 79 with the 3mm ball is great, but you can use the 16g or 14g in either 3 or 4mm ball tip. It'll work for the rest of their lives. You can use the 15g needle on hatchlings, but it is much easier to tell the depth of the needle using the 25mm length, because you simply insert the whole needle depth on a hatchling whereas you'd need to guess the depth if you're using a longer needle. Some people prefer the curved version. I do not. I find it much harder to insert and much more difficult to judge the depth using the curved needles. If this is your first time, I recommend straight. If you are using a flexible plastic needle it does not need to have a ball tip. Remember that egg eater snakes must be able to regularly regurgitate sharp egg shells. A tiny plastic tube is not going to hurt them. I tend to prefer these types, and if you have ordered from me directly then you will be sent this kind. I find them more beginner friendly because their flexible nature makes the insertion a bit more smooth. Ok so now we've got the needle. For the syringe, you'll want a 1cc syringe for hatchlings and 3cc works for everyone else. Check how your needle attaches to be sure they're compatible. If your needle has a luer lock tip (twist on) you'll need a luer lock syringe. If your needle has a slip tip (press on) than you'll need a slip tip syringe. If you purchased your egg eater from us, this was already done for you and the one provided is compatible. No worries! Ok so now you have the needle & syringe. Next we grab a raw quail egg (yes you can use chicken but quail is best, see what kind of eggs? above), and a small condiment cup. roughly 2oz works great but its not mandatory, any type of cup that can hold liquid will do. That's all you need! Before we get started lets go over the one big safety rule. Nothing goes in the windpipe! In order to successfully and safely syringe feed, there's one very important piece of anatomy you need to be familiar with. That is the windpipe. Its known by a few other names too (glottis etc), but basically this is the tube that snakes breathe out of. In egg eaters, its attached to the bottom jaw so they can breathe while swallowing enormous eggs. Here's a picture of one doing just that. The red arrow points to the windpipe. 
Its very, very, important that nothing other than air goes into this tube. Odds are very good that you will not accidently do so- simply due to anatomy- because egg eaters have smaller, flatter windpipes than other types of snakes. if using the needle provided for one of the hatchlings its actually physically impossible since the tube is much larger than the opening of the windpipe, but the point is, its very important to leave the windpipe alone.
When you go to syringe feed your egg eater it is very important that you place the needle into the throat, and not into the windpipe. Ok? ok. Here is a video on how we do it here at HSM, using our supplies- the same set which will be sent to you with the animal if the egg eater is purchased from us. Note that adding the powder is optional, but adding powdered quail egg to the raw egg to increase its nutrient density. Doing this will help the hatchlings grow a little faster. Given how little fluid they can be syringe fed as newborns its a very good idea to use the most nutritionally dense food available.
Here's more detailed instructions, and things you should know that weren't covered entirely in the video.
To prepare the syringe: Crack the egg and place the contents in the condiment cup. Dispose of the shell. whisk up the liquid insides best you can. You want some of the yolk and the whites mixed into the syringe. These both have different nutrients so try to get it mixed well enough to get some of both. You wont be able to tell them apart if you added quail egg powder, that's because it will absorb both. That's a good thing. Try to fill the syringe up entirely if you can. Attach the needle and look for air bubbles. Invert the syringe and tap it while expressing the air to remove them if they occur. To hold the snake: Assuming your right handed, hold the snake in your left hand at the back of the jaw with your fingers at the sides of the head, you want to leave the windpipe alone, so not squeezed by your fingers. Use your other hand to pinch the flap of skin of the snakes bottom jaw and pull open the mouth. Gently insert the needle down into the throat- if you're using the plastic ones provided or the 20g x 25mm for a hatchling-then you insert the entire needle, if using a bigger needle for an adult you'll need to go at least roughly 1.5" inch (38mm) or roughly half the length of a 75mm needle. Do keep in mind that the bones typically used to puncture the egg are fairly far down the throat, so that's where you need the needle to get to.
This xray shows how far down the throat the egg must go to reach the piercing bones, which are on the larger, longer vertebrae on the the right side of the egg.....
This photo courtesy of Underground Reptiles 2016
If you dont go far enough down, the worst that will happen is the liquids will come back up. if this happens don't panic- that's ok! Give it another day or so and try again. Keep in mind that egg eaters bodies are built to crack hard shells that can splinter into pieces and then vomit up those sharp shells- naturally. They're built to be able to vomit regularly, and their insides are remarkably tough. You are very unlikely to hurt them with a small smooth ball tip needle or a flexible tube using just a little care. So once you've got the needle at an appropriate depth, slowly depress the plunger of the syringe to dispense the egg liquids. For newborn hatchlings try to get 0.2 cc down, and then you can adjust up from there. Just be sure to go slowly. Adults can certainly take upwards of 5cc or even more. Once you've dispensed the liquids simply slowly remove the syringe, and place the snake back into his enclosure to rest. Its best not to handle or disturb them for the rest of the day. If you are to reuse your needle/syringe than be sure to clean your needle/syringe by drawing up water back and forth into it, you can use a drop of dawn dishsoap as well so long as you rinse very thoroughly. Needles can also be sanitized by placing them in the dishwasher. Think of cleaning them like cleaning your own dishes that you would eat off of. It doesn't need to be professionally lab grade sterilized, but you need to eat off clean dishes, so make sure theirs are clean too. Can Egg Eaters Be Syringe fed their entire life?
It is worth mentioning that there have been bird embryos found inside the stomachs of egg eaters on rare occasion- but that's more or less thought to be accidental from the snake being unable to successfully regurgitate a partially developed embryo. There's also a theory that females may do this (or swallow the shell) intentionally on occasion to regain calcium stores depleted during the egg laying process^1. This is only speculation though. There are only very limited anecdotal examples of this. Many colonies of wild-caught and captive born egg eating snakes have been kept, raised, and even bred for years while feeding exclusively on nothing but the liquid content of eggs. If it is true that egg eaters do on occasion swallow pieces of the shell intentionally, we could certainly fill that need if exclusively syringe fed by mixing some powdered egg shell or reptile calcium supplement into the liquids as needed, should signs of calcium deficiency develop, but as of the time of writing, I have yet to have any egg eater show any sign of calcium deficiency, even after laying. So there's really no data to suggest this isn't true, but we don't have enough data to say for certain that it is either. There's just not anyone who has attempted to do so for the entire life span of 15 years to know for that for sure- yet. ^1- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358047215_Natural_History_Notes_Dasypeltis_scabra_Linnaeus_1758_Rhombic_Egg-eater_Feeding_African_Herp_News_78_54-56 Can EGG EATERS BE Housed Together?
Yes they can. It's actually fairly common too. They will not fight, even when two males are kept together. You don't need to worry about two of them biting into the same prey and accidentally swallowing the other like you would with other species because that would never happen with egg eaters- but there are risks involved like there are when cohabitating any species of snake. For example, If one snake in the enclosure gets sick, they likely all will. If one snake in the enclosure is particularly hungry they may eat all of the available eggs and prevent the others from eating. You may not be able to tell if one or more is being overstressed or "bullied" by the others out of basking or hide areas. If you are cohabitating mixed sexes you may have overbreeding issues. You can reduce the likelihood of these issues by providing ample basking and hide areas in the enclosure, keeping food and water topped off- and only keeping snakes of similar size and same sex together. |
Egg Eater Caresheet
Cage Security:
Quick note on this before we get into the meat of it. It would be neglectful of me to not mention that Egg Eaters can both climb and flatten their bodies really well. This helps them survive the fall from jumping out of trees at dramatic heights to avoid being injured from mama birds returning to the nest to find them snacking on their future offspring, but also makes them very good at escaping enclosures that have security weaknesses they can exploit. This is especially true of ambitious youngsters. So my rule of thumb when designing my enclosures are, if you aren't sure whether or not they can escape from it- they probably can! So leave no doubt. It is very important that your cage be escape proof.
Enclosure Orientation:
A question I also get a fair bit is, "Does the enclosure have to be vertical?"
To which the answer is no, not really. Egg eaters are only semi-arboreal. Meaning they spend time on the ground but can climb trees when hunting eggs. Its worth mentioning that a 2'Dx4W'x2H' cage has the exact same volume as one that is 2'DX2'Wx4'H, and neither is going to simulate being in an actual tree if you think about it.
To which the answer is no, not really. Egg eaters are only semi-arboreal. Meaning they spend time on the ground but can climb trees when hunting eggs. Its worth mentioning that a 2'Dx4W'x2H' cage has the exact same volume as one that is 2'DX2'Wx4'H, and neither is going to simulate being in an actual tree if you think about it.
People are frequently surprised to hear I actually prefer the landscape orientation provided there is some height to get them off the ground with. This is because the way vertical orientated enclosures are often heated will force the egg eater to climb up to an area where it is often difficult to place a good hide in order to thermoregulate. This forces the snake to choose between heat or security. :( In the landscape orientation heat is often provided at one side, and hides are easily placed on both sides. Now of course you can provide hides both at the top and bottom of a vertically orientated enclosure too, it's just been my experience that it's harder to do so- and the landscape orientation has certainly shown to work just as well.
Enclosure Size:
I am asked frequently on the absolute bare minimum enclosure size for egg eaters. I tend not to try to find the bare minimums for things, so I look to research for this which does have some insights. For example, literature on the historical captive breeding of Dasypeltis in research papers includes a successful breeding trio of one male and 2 females being kept for multiple breeding years in an enclosure measuring 40 × 70 cm, and an height of 40 cm^1- This is only 15"x27"x15H" and works out to roughly a 20 gallon tank for the 3 snakes. In plastic enclosure terms, you'd be looking at roughly a sterilite 66qt tub.
Adult Individuals being kept for research purposes have been successfully kept long term in enclosures as small as 29 × 16 × 9cm (11"x 6"x3.5") ^2. Does that mean I think you should too? No. This size for a 6" long 3 gram hatchling sure, but an adult? I'm surprised that it was big enough to provide everything required for them to survive to be honest. It just goes to show how tough these guys really are.
There's lots of conflicting opinions on what the minimum size enclosure should be for snakes. So lets keep it simple. What you need is an enclosure that will be escape proof, provide the ability for the animal to thermoregulate properly, and is large enough to contain hiding areas, a water bowl, and the ability to stretch out completely at least around the entire perimeter. That's the survival requirements. It's worth mentioning that there's a difference between survive and thrive though ok? That's a discussion for another time though.
Anyway, we do need an idea for the starting point so here's my suggestions for minimum sizes.
Hatchlings (very teeny tiny!): 9"x6"x2.5" to about 20"x10"x13" (ten gallon tank)
If you're wondering thats 1.5 snake length x snake length x ~1/3 snake length high. Yep the minimum here is about the adult size referenced before. This is about as small as I can make an enclosure still be able to thermoregulate, so its as small as i'm willing to go really. I don't typically recommend keeping tiny hatchlings in very large enclosures because they are much more delicate, and you'll need to be able to keep an eye on them. You'll need an enclosure that is very escape proof because they are very small. Large tupperware, plastic critter keeper type boxes, acrylic terraria typically for insects, etc can make great choices so long as they are escape proof and you are capable of providing the necessary heat gradient and humidity with it.
Juveniles to adult males: Once they get a little size to them so they're less delicate and escapes are less likely, (yearlings or so) you can go as big as you'd like. Juveniles to adult males can be housed comfortably in ten gallon tanks, v35 bins, or 15/27qt sterilite bins. Roughly that size would be the minimum but you certainly can go as large as you like.
Subadult females- Adult Females, individually housed- You could comfortably house an individual adult female in a 66qt sterilite bin, 20 gallon, or any enclosure thats roughly 24x18x15 minimum. These are the same size as the trio from the research paper quoted above, but for just the one.
Cohabitated Egg Eaters (regardless of sex)- The minimum Id suggest if you plan to cohab would be 90/105qt sterilite (32"x20"x15"), 29 gallon, roughly 3' by 2' by 1.5'. This level of space gives you the ability to create multiple microclimates within the enclosure so that they don't have to compete or share the same resources, which you need to be able to do to be successful with cohabitating any species, including these.
Adult Individuals being kept for research purposes have been successfully kept long term in enclosures as small as 29 × 16 × 9cm (11"x 6"x3.5") ^2. Does that mean I think you should too? No. This size for a 6" long 3 gram hatchling sure, but an adult? I'm surprised that it was big enough to provide everything required for them to survive to be honest. It just goes to show how tough these guys really are.
There's lots of conflicting opinions on what the minimum size enclosure should be for snakes. So lets keep it simple. What you need is an enclosure that will be escape proof, provide the ability for the animal to thermoregulate properly, and is large enough to contain hiding areas, a water bowl, and the ability to stretch out completely at least around the entire perimeter. That's the survival requirements. It's worth mentioning that there's a difference between survive and thrive though ok? That's a discussion for another time though.
Anyway, we do need an idea for the starting point so here's my suggestions for minimum sizes.
Hatchlings (very teeny tiny!): 9"x6"x2.5" to about 20"x10"x13" (ten gallon tank)
If you're wondering thats 1.5 snake length x snake length x ~1/3 snake length high. Yep the minimum here is about the adult size referenced before. This is about as small as I can make an enclosure still be able to thermoregulate, so its as small as i'm willing to go really. I don't typically recommend keeping tiny hatchlings in very large enclosures because they are much more delicate, and you'll need to be able to keep an eye on them. You'll need an enclosure that is very escape proof because they are very small. Large tupperware, plastic critter keeper type boxes, acrylic terraria typically for insects, etc can make great choices so long as they are escape proof and you are capable of providing the necessary heat gradient and humidity with it.
Juveniles to adult males: Once they get a little size to them so they're less delicate and escapes are less likely, (yearlings or so) you can go as big as you'd like. Juveniles to adult males can be housed comfortably in ten gallon tanks, v35 bins, or 15/27qt sterilite bins. Roughly that size would be the minimum but you certainly can go as large as you like.
Subadult females- Adult Females, individually housed- You could comfortably house an individual adult female in a 66qt sterilite bin, 20 gallon, or any enclosure thats roughly 24x18x15 minimum. These are the same size as the trio from the research paper quoted above, but for just the one.
Cohabitated Egg Eaters (regardless of sex)- The minimum Id suggest if you plan to cohab would be 90/105qt sterilite (32"x20"x15"), 29 gallon, roughly 3' by 2' by 1.5'. This level of space gives you the ability to create multiple microclimates within the enclosure so that they don't have to compete or share the same resources, which you need to be able to do to be successful with cohabitating any species, including these.
Bedding:
You certainly can go bioactive with these guys if you prefer. They don't tend to weigh very much compared to other species of their equivalent length so they don't trample live foliage as much. I recommend Coconut husk chip if you're not going bioactive. It goes by a lot of different brand names such as reptichip, cocochip, the chipper, etc. Same stuff. It comes in compressed blocks, resists mold pretty well, and its pretty inexpensive.
Clean, reptile safe potting soil apparently works pretty well too, but I haven't personally tried it.
I don't recommend the use of wood shavings. These tend to dry out the enclosure A LOT and mold when they get wet so can cause a lot of health issues- some species of wood give off phenols that are toxic to snakes too, so just best to avoid those species entirely- Cypress is ok, but is often mixed with other species that are not. Most others are not.
Clean, reptile safe potting soil apparently works pretty well too, but I haven't personally tried it.
I don't recommend the use of wood shavings. These tend to dry out the enclosure A LOT and mold when they get wet so can cause a lot of health issues- some species of wood give off phenols that are toxic to snakes too, so just best to avoid those species entirely- Cypress is ok, but is often mixed with other species that are not. Most others are not.
Water
You'll need a waterbowl. Ceramic, glass, or plastic is fine so long as you can keep it clean. I like to use ones that are big enough for them to soak in should they want to. I keep two dishwasher safe waterbowls on hand for each enclosure so that I can remove one and swap it out for the other immediately should I find it soiled, then run the soiled one through the dishwasher to sanitize. A clean water bowl with clean water must be provided at all times. The water need not be fancy. It can be tap water if you have good tap water. A good rule of thumb here is, if you wouldn't be willing to drink it (or out of it) then neither should your snake.
Furnishings-
In one research paper, 11 wild caught egg eaters were kept alive for at least several months, individually housed with, "the snake’s enclosure only contained paper towels as substrate, newspaper for cover, and a ceramic water bowl" ^1 . So yes, you can find examples where egg eaters have survived long term in very minimal set ups- in lab conditions. I'm not going to recommend that for us who are after long term healthy pets or future breeders though.
So here's my recommendations for minimum cage furnishings:
So here's my recommendations for minimum cage furnishings:
1- water bowl that's dishwasher safe.
2- hides, at least, one on the cold side and one on the warm side. It's ideal that one be a humid hide. These can be made very easily and inexpensively by cutting a whole in the side of a tupperware container and lining the inside with some damp sphagnum peat moss. You can certainly use more decorative options, just giving ideas.
3- The ability to climb of some kind- Some will disagree that its mandatory- they may be right, but they really seem to spend a lot of time doing it, so dare I say they enjoy it? and why not give them the option? It doesn't have to be some fancy store bought reptile marketed branches. Just anything safe and sanitary they can use to get off the bedding.
I use plastic netting for babies and the 1"x1" pvc coated metal fencing for adults any time I need a quarantine enclosure- it's cheap, can be ran through the dishwasher to clean, and they love it. I see them wrapped in it all the time. buy a roll of 25' for less than $20 on amazon you'll have a ton of it. If you are going to use metal hardware cloth, be sure to use the plastic coated kind or the stainless steel so it doesn't rust. I like to put a touch of hot glue on the tips where its cut to seal it and prevent any possibility of it scratching the snakes also.
2- hides, at least, one on the cold side and one on the warm side. It's ideal that one be a humid hide. These can be made very easily and inexpensively by cutting a whole in the side of a tupperware container and lining the inside with some damp sphagnum peat moss. You can certainly use more decorative options, just giving ideas.
3- The ability to climb of some kind- Some will disagree that its mandatory- they may be right, but they really seem to spend a lot of time doing it, so dare I say they enjoy it? and why not give them the option? It doesn't have to be some fancy store bought reptile marketed branches. Just anything safe and sanitary they can use to get off the bedding.
I use plastic netting for babies and the 1"x1" pvc coated metal fencing for adults any time I need a quarantine enclosure- it's cheap, can be ran through the dishwasher to clean, and they love it. I see them wrapped in it all the time. buy a roll of 25' for less than $20 on amazon you'll have a ton of it. If you are going to use metal hardware cloth, be sure to use the plastic coated kind or the stainless steel so it doesn't rust. I like to put a touch of hot glue on the tips where its cut to seal it and prevent any possibility of it scratching the snakes also.
That's the minimum cage furnishing needs- water/hides/climb- but you can go however far you like with these guys! You can certainly use reptile safe wood or plastic branches, fake or live plants etc. I've seen some amazing bioactive set ups, and very cool artificial foliage set ups complete with fake bird nests and everything. Feel free to let your imagination run with it- if you provide it, they will use it. So why not? :)
Heat
You need to provide a gradient of roughly 78 on one end to roughly 88 on the other. There's a few methods to provide heat for these guys and they both have their pros and cons. I prefer the heat mat/cable method personally, but everyone needs to do whichever will work to get the results required.
Heat lamps- usually set on top of a cage. Pros: Provide light as well as heat. Can adjust the amount of heat produced by changing to a stronger bulb. Can be acquired locally in a pinch- even your local hardware store will have a cheap work light you can screw a lightbulb into.
Cons: Not always very energy efficient, and man do they dry out an enclosure, which can lead to respiratory infections. Solution for this is typically to contain the air more, but a lack of fresh air can also lead to respiratory infections. So it can be hard to find the balance. They also can be very difficult to figure out the right size for the enclosure to provide an actual gradient of heat instead of just heating the entire cage uniformly. They also have some safety concerns to consider. They've been known to catch fire under some circumstances, especially if they get knocked over by the family cat or something like that.
Heat pads- Under tank heaters made for reptiles, not the kind you put on your body of course. You would place one under about 1/3 of the enclosure to provide a gradient. You can also place these against one vertical side of the enclosure, doesn't have to be used underneath.
Heat cable: Heat cable is pretty cool because you can wrap it around cage furniture like branches to provide heat exactly where you want.
No matter which heat type(s) you are using, you should always have them connected to a thermostat of some kind. These will regulate the amount of heat your source provides to prevent overheating the snake, or worse, catching fire.
I wish it was as simple as for me to tell you, "place this exact heater, here, and it would make it perfect" but unfortunately the physics don't work that way. Depending on the size of the enclosure you use, the material its made out of, and the temperature etc. of the area its placed in, you may need more than one heating element. You may need to experiment a little to find what works for you.
Heat lamps- usually set on top of a cage. Pros: Provide light as well as heat. Can adjust the amount of heat produced by changing to a stronger bulb. Can be acquired locally in a pinch- even your local hardware store will have a cheap work light you can screw a lightbulb into.
Cons: Not always very energy efficient, and man do they dry out an enclosure, which can lead to respiratory infections. Solution for this is typically to contain the air more, but a lack of fresh air can also lead to respiratory infections. So it can be hard to find the balance. They also can be very difficult to figure out the right size for the enclosure to provide an actual gradient of heat instead of just heating the entire cage uniformly. They also have some safety concerns to consider. They've been known to catch fire under some circumstances, especially if they get knocked over by the family cat or something like that.
Heat pads- Under tank heaters made for reptiles, not the kind you put on your body of course. You would place one under about 1/3 of the enclosure to provide a gradient. You can also place these against one vertical side of the enclosure, doesn't have to be used underneath.
Heat cable: Heat cable is pretty cool because you can wrap it around cage furniture like branches to provide heat exactly where you want.
No matter which heat type(s) you are using, you should always have them connected to a thermostat of some kind. These will regulate the amount of heat your source provides to prevent overheating the snake, or worse, catching fire.
I wish it was as simple as for me to tell you, "place this exact heater, here, and it would make it perfect" but unfortunately the physics don't work that way. Depending on the size of the enclosure you use, the material its made out of, and the temperature etc. of the area its placed in, you may need more than one heating element. You may need to experiment a little to find what works for you.
Humidity
The most common species of egg eating snake is Dasypeltis Gansi, also known as the golden egg eater (pictured top of this page), which are often imported in mass from benin and togo. The humidity in these areas is quite high, but that doesn't mean the entire enclosure needs to be that humid. In fact, it may not be the best thing for them given the air quality will be different in captivity than in the wild. Here's what I recommend. A humid hide. Yep that one is so important that i'm mentioning it again. Create a humid hide that is tight fitting that will reach about 75% percent humidity and you wont need to worry too much about the rest of the enclosure. Ideally you'll want the rest of the enclosure at least 50% which isnt typically far off of what it would be anyway for most.
Lighting:
We use and recommend a 12 hour on/12 hour off cycle for lighting. We do not use UVB lighting for our colony. Click here for a page that explains why in detail.