Snakes and Eggs

[Shell]

I was wondering if I could feed by coastal carpet python a raw egg?
They are fresh from our chooks, and my dogs knew inately how to eat them (Very cute and clever) but I am not sure if the snake will be the same?
Are eggs even good for snakes?
thanks

 

[Squiddy]

You will find that some snakes will eat eggs quiet happily, but I would not reccomend giving your snake whole eggs .

 

[slim6y]

I've read about people doing this before on this forum - ave a flick through these two....

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/snakes-eggs-snake-eggs-39152/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/chit-chat-39/feeding-eggs-pythons-21580/

It wouldn't harm to bring up some of these conversations again actually.

Most people on the second thread I'd trust easily... And most had never tried it....

You will find that some snakes will eat eggs quiet happily, but I would not reccomend giving your snake whole eggs .

Why not? What is wrong with raw eggs? Please tell me you wouldn't boil them???

Here's an exert from the second thread I posted above:

(Posted by Magpie - a trusted herper)

Eggs are high in fat, but contain everything that a rat does in terms of vitamins / minerals. They ARE a complete animal. They have a higher caloric value than red meat (unable to get an exact caloric value for whole rats.) This means that not only would eggs supply all a pythons nutritional needs, they would actually promote faster growth than feeder rodents. However, they are severely lacking in fibre, meaning your snake won't poo after a feed of eggs.

Unfortunately I just found this one... Also wth trusted herpers... Now I am confused...

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/feeding-eggs-68438/

The final post from sssssnakeman is relevant:

"Finch, quail, budgie or ahg eggs would be fine, full of protien and vitimins.Not to often though.
.Im sure they come across eggs(mostly skink or dragon) in the wild.
I have a tiger i can feed chook eggs to but i dont because it stinks when she craps.
Best to stick with rodents."

 

[GeckPhotographer]

I know one wildlife carer that fed egg very successfully to a Demansia psamophis. This is different in one important way however as they did not offer the whole egg just the insides. The point is more that as an occasional thing or for an injured animal the egg does have a high nutritional content as well as very high fat content and that this can be good for your snake assuming you do not overfeed it.
This of course has no bearing on how a snake might go with the shell on a whole egg, especially as different eggs can be rather different (i.e. small Australian bird egg vs chicken egg). So the question in my mind still revolves around the shell.
I watched a documentary once where a carpet python was being driven from a brush turkey mound by the male. This documentary certainly implied strongly the python would eat the eggs, and if so then a chicken egg should be no problem (apart from any stink it might make at the other end). However the python was never shown eating the egg, I slightly doubt it would dig far through the mound to get them. And even have a sneaking suspicion that another plausible explanation would be it may be waiting/hoping for a chick to hatch which I doubt anyone would question a wild carpet would find a real treat. (Virtually defenseless, newborn and likely still disoriented, high nutritional and especially fat content all = very good for wild snake.)

 

[slim6y]

I watched a documentary once where a carpet python was being driven from a brush turkey mound by the male. This documentary certainly implied strongly the python would eat the eggs, and if so then a chicken egg should be no problem (apart from any stink it might make at the other end). However the python was never shown eating the egg, I slightly doubt it would dig far through the mound to get them. And even have a sneaking suspicion that another plausible explanation would be it may be waiting/hoping for a chick to hatch which I doubt anyone would question a wild carpet would find a real treat. (Virtually defenseless, newborn and likely still disoriented, high nutritional and especially fat content all = very good for wild snake.)

Could also be a possibly that the mound was warm... Easy heat...

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Could also be a possibly that the mound was warm... Easy heat...

Very true.