Humans love to share their food with others, it’s one of the main ways we show affection. We love to cook, feed, and share our food with loved ones. This extends to our dogs and cats, and it’s how we domesticated them in the first place.
But snakes are not your usual pets. You can not just give your snake some of your Doritos or chips like you do with your dog, even if your friend tells you to try it. This makes you wonder about what are human foods snakes can eat and what they can’t. So, I’ve done my research, asked a few vets and experts, and found the answer.
So, what human foods can snakes eat? Snakes can eat human foods like meats (including worms, fish, pork, beef, and poultry) and eggs as long as they’re raw, unprocessed, and without any seasoning or spices, snakes can not eat any fried or saucy foods, and snakes are carnivores so they can eat neither fruits nor vegetables as well.
I know this may seem like a general answer, but it’s basically the main thing you need to remember whenever you are planning to feed your snake.
In this article, I’m going to go over all the human foods (and non-human foods as well) that you can feed your snake safely and what are foods you can never give your snake, so keep reading as I try to answer all your questions as simple as possible.
Contents
7 Human Foods Your Snake Can Eat
Before we delve into the specifics of what snakes can and can not eat, it’s important to remember that each snake species is different in its needs and that what and when your snake eats can differ wildly from one snake to another.
Not only that, but that snakes also have different personalities, so what they eat can change between individual snakes even if they are of the same species.
So, what are the foods your snake can eat? (both foods that humans eat and don’t)
Your snake can eat the following:
- Fish
- Poultry
- Eggs
- Rabbits
- Other meats (Snakes eat Red Meat and White meats)
- Rodents (Frozen, never live)
- Lizards
- Other small reptiles and amphibians
- Insects
- Birds, including chicks.
If you have read this list carefully, you will notice that these are all meats. Does this means that snakes can eat only meats?
Snakes Can Eat Meats Only – All Snakes Are Carnivores
Yes, as a matter of fact, snakes can only eat meats. Snakes are carnivores by nature and are unable to digest things other than meats like fruits and vegetables.
If you are vegetarian yourself, please know that snakes physically can not be vegetarians and will literally die if you feed them something else other than meats as fruits and vegetables get stuck in their stomachs when they are unable to process them, leading to serious problems and eventually death if left without medical intervention.
You can learn more about why snakes can never be vegetarians here.
Can Snakes eat Human Foods?
Yes, you may offer your snake human food. However, when they are still raw, red and white meats as well as eggs are acceptable. These are technically regarded as human foods since they may be consumed in their raw form.
But if you cook the food for your dogs and cats, why should the snake eat only uncooked, raw foods?
The main reason for this is so that your snake may eat what it would in the wild. Giving food in its most basic and raw form is safer for your snake, not just because it’s similar to what they consume in the wild.
You can not give your snake any seasoned or spicy foods because they can’t physically consume herbs or spices, its bodily systems will have a difficult time breaking hem down if it can at all, and it may cause them problems.
If you’re fed up with feeding your snake thawed mice and want to try something different, some owners have reported good results in steaming some of the foods mentioned above, but please do consider checking with your vet first.
Some people have even tried giving their pet snakes the worst foods of all: Fried foods. They have claimed that the snake will eat the white meat even when friend but they will ignore the skin.
Others who have fed their snakes fried food claim that they just give the white meat and ignore the crispy skin.
Nonetheless, the same owners discourage this practice as the primary source of food for your snakes. Giving thawed mice to many snake owners is still the best and safest method, even if you still hate it.
Human Foods your snake can never eat
Your snake can never eat any of the following foods:
- Seasoned or spicy foods.
- Processed foods, including processed meats.
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Or basically anything other than meats
How often should I feed my snake?
How often you should feed your snake is determined on a variety of factors, including its age, size, and activity level.
Larger, more mature snakes usually eat once every week or two, whereas smaller or younger snakes typically eat twice each week. Female snakes nearing the end of their breeding season can be fed more frequently.
You can always check with your breeder, local vet, and community of snake enthusiasts that have snakes of the same species as yours or have more experience owning snakes than you do.
How to know your snake is hungry?
When a snake is hungry, it may be seen performing the following activities: prowling the tank’s frontmost area, being more active, focusing on you when you are near the enclosure, flicking its tongue more frequently, and searching for food at the same time each day or night.
Some of these behaviors, for example, your snake staring at you, may also be caused by something else, like boredom, fear, or a disease, but you can usually find out if hunger is the cause by simply offering your snake food. If it eats and then goes back to the normal routine, then it was probably just the hunger.
Can my snake eat eggs?
Almost any snake can eat eggs, and the vast majority of species will happily consume the eggs of other animals as part of their diet. There are also snakes that only eat eggs, famously, the African egg-eating snakes, which you can learn about in my article on whether snakes can be vegan.
Here is a video showing how snakes eat eggs:
Can my snake eats red meat?
Snakes absolutely love red meat, and they will eat thawed red meat happily if they are trained to do so.
If you want to feed certain pork or beef parts to your snake as a treat, they must be regarded as such and not their main diet.
Some snakes are less picky when it comes to eating meats than others. For example, ball pythons will eat most red meats without a second though. Garter snakes are also a bit open-minded in their diets. I actually have a full guide on garter snakes that you can check here: Can Garter Snakes eat mice?
Can I feed my snake white meat?
You can feed your snakes white meats and they will like it. Some examples of white meat that snakes can eat include fish, chicken, and chicks. The same rules apply for white meat as for red meat, the food must be given intact, it must be thawed or frozen, and it should never be a live animal.
Can I feed my snake fruits or vegetables?
Snakes can not digest fruits or vegetables as their bodies lack the enzymes needed to break down these foods and consume them. Snakes are obligatory carnivores, meaning they must eat meat to survive.
Can I feed my snake fish?
All snakes eat fish, and it’s the main and favorite food for many snake species. Fish are quite nutritious to snakes, and so, they will pick it over most other foods. Fish is full of protein and fats.
Can I feed my snake Amphibians?
Snakes can eat amphibians like frogs or toads since they tend to eat them in the wild as well. However, it may be tricky to find these in your local pet store, and cruel to even feed them to your snake.
Can I feed my snake Insects?
Some snakes will eat insects but others will not. Smaller snakes usually have a diet that includes insects, and they are not going to be very picky about insects.
Snakes like the garter snakes eat cockroaches, crickets, and mealworms.
Can I feed my snake rabbits?
You can feed your snake rabbits if you have a large snake. Rabbits should only be fed to bigger snakes, such as boa and python species. Although bull snakes have been seen eating tiny to medium-sized rabbits.
Can I feed my snakes lizards or reptiles?
If you have a snake that is naturally a lizard or fish eater, then you can feed them lizards or reptiles, and although you may see it as cruel and inhumane, if that is what your snake eats in the wild, you may just have to bite the bullet and offer them what they desire.
You can then proceed to slowly convert them over to a food item that is more convenient for you once they’ve fed several times.
Can I feed my snake a hamster?
You can feed your snake hamsters but you should not feed your snake live hamsters. Not only is feeding your snake live hamsters very cruel, but also dangerous for the snake as the hamster can (and will) injure the snake and may even infect it.
I discuss the dangers of feeding your snake live rodents in this guide to why you should never feed your snake wild mice, so make sure to check it out.
Can I feed my snake fruits?
You can not feed your snake fruits as they will not be able to digest them and it may cause them serious issues and even death. The same goes for Vegetables. Snakes are strictly carnivores and can only eat meats.
What happens if you feed your snake a frozen mouse?
Feeding your snake a frozen mouse that has not been defrosted can harm the snake by lowering the snake’s body temperature drastically and if it’s still so frozen that it’s rigid then it may also hurt the snake’s insides as the snake tries to swallow it whole and it moves through the snake’s body.
Conclusion – What Snakes Can and Can Not Eat
Snakes can eat human foods just not like we eat them. Snakes can eat almost all the meats we eat as long as they are in their raw form.
What you feed your snake may depend on the type and size of snake that they are. A good rule for feeding snakes is not to give them anything unless it’s what they would normally eat in nature.
Helpful Resources
How to Use Rodents as Snake Food
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