Many people object to feeding dead mice or other small animals to snakes, yet it is essential for their diet.
Snakes have an evolved digestive system designed to break down meat. Their stomachs contain acid which breaks down sinews, tendons and bones with ease.
Vegetables
Snakes are herbivores, but lack the digestive adaptations to digest plant matter. Therefore, vegetarian diets would not provide them with sufficient amounts of essential nutrients.
Vegetables are generally low in calories, and if a snake were to only consume vegetables it would likely succumb to malnourishment. Its body structure evolved for it to eat dense, high-calorie prey animals that can digest food inside their stomachs.
Large snakes such as ball pythons, boa constrictors, Burmese pythons, green tree pythons, rat snakes and corn snakes require constant nutrition in the wild; keeping them on anything else in captivity would simply not work.
Fruits
Snakes are strictly carnivores, meaning that they must consume meat to stay alive. Their digestive tracts are shorter than those of herbivores of similar size, meaning they cannot digest plant-based foods.
That is why giving fruits and vegetables to your snake is strictly forbidden. They cannot digest these foods properly, which could prove hazardous for your pet.
Vegetables often lack essential nutrients and proteins that snakes require for growth, leading to starvation or dehydration.
When providing your snake with a plant-based diet, opt for frozen and thawed fruits, veggies and treats. Never attempt to cook these items as the snake’s digestive system cannot break down any chemicals or ingredients present.
Eggs can be beneficial to some snakes, but should never be the primary source of nutrition for your reptile. Examples include rat snakes, corn snakes and fox snakes.
Eggs
Eggs are a staple in the diets of many vegetarians and vegans alike. Nonetheless, some vegans opt not to consume eggs due to various reasons.
Eggs, in particular, are considered animal products and thus often excluded from vegan diets. Furthermore, some vegetarians take issue with some aspects of egg farming such as its industrial practices – including hens being killed almost immediately after they no longer lay eggs.
Before you purchase eggs, there are a few things you should know:
The egg white, also known as albumen, consists of four layers of thick and thin protein membranes (allantois, chorion, amnion and vitellus/yolk). These membranes create an air space between the outer shell and inner shell that accounts for the crater at the end of a hard-cooked egg.
Another essential ingredient is lecithin, a phospholipid which creates an emulsion when water and oil mix together. You can find this ingredient in many foods like mayonnaise, salad dressings and hollandaise sauce.
