Ball pythons are the type of snakes with diverse eating habits, mainly made up of rodent meat – but it can go into unusual foods too. If you have thought to yourself, “Can a ball python eat eggs?” you are not alone.
Ball pythons have an incredible range of eating habits, but eggs are not in it. A ball python’s digestive system is complex – and they tend to eat food whole. When an egg enters the digestive system this way, it can seriously mess them up.
Whether or not a snake can digest certain foods depends on its digestive system. Your ball python has specific dietary needs and some things they cannot eat. Let’s explore and see the reasons why ball pythons cannot eat eggs – and more.
Can Ball Pythons Eat Eggs?
Ball pythons, as a type of snake, cannot digest eggs. The reason is that snakes consume their food whole while ingesting. Another reason is that only specific species of snakes or individual snakes have the gut adaptation known as vertebral hypophysis.
In any other case, snakes cannot ingest eggs. So, it also extends to ball pythons. But do not get it wrong – the inside of the egg is nutritious for the python. But when it comes to digesting the shell, ball pythons have a hard time. And therefore, the ingesting process becomes tough – and they refuse to eat eggs.
What Happens If Your Ball Python Eats Eggs?
If someone gives a ball python a whole egg for eating. First, the snakes cannot digest the egg’s shell unless they have a specific gut adaptation. So, what happens is the egg may cause disruption and damage to the digestive system of the python.
The damages can be minor to severe, but the risk of serious illness is there. So, if your ball python accidentally swallows an egg, you will have to contact your vet to have it taken out.
Can You Feed Ball Pythons Boiled Eggs?
The natural tendency of a ball python is to eat food it would prey on. And for that reason, eggs – either raw or boiled – are not their preferred food items. While eggs are filled with the necessary nutrition for the ball pythons, they would much rather eat dead rodents.
Ball pythons are carnivorous. And so, their average diet includes live or dead prey they would hunt in their natural habitat. And since eggs are not a part of their raw diet, they tend to not eat them even if you offer them.
What Can Ball Pythons Eat?
A ball python’s diet is mainly made up of animals it would prey on in the wild. Dead or live rodents make up most of their ideal diet, but depending on a pet ball python’s need, it may have other elements too.
The crucial factors in deciding what to feed your ball python are its weight, feeding times, the kind of prey, and the python’s age. You can find charts to accurately determine how much of what you should feed a ball python. But here are some rules you can follow to feed the snakes.
The Size and Type of the Ball Python Prey or Food
Although there are no set sizes, there is a rule of thumb to determine how giant your python’s diet rodent should be. Take a rough measurement of your ball python’s mid-area. Now, the size of that times 1.25 is about the largest size of the rodent you can feed them. Start small, then slowly go up the sizes to find the perfect amount of food.
Secondly, when it comes to living or dead rodents, both are good. Snakes in the wild would prefer to catch the prey before eating them. But a pet ball python can eat frozen dead rodents when you bring them to room temperature. For the safest feeding experience, avoid giving your ball python live rodents since they can hurt the snake.
How to Feed Your Ball Python?
Feeding your ball python is going to take some practice and trials. Usually, a ball python will eat once every five days or a week if they are small. Giant pythons eat less often – once every week or two weeks.
Paying attention to how a ball python reacts to their diet can make its feeding experience less stressful for them. For example, a ball python will refrain from eating if you offer them an egg.
What Types of Snakes Can Eat Eggs?
Most snakes cannot eat eggs due to their ingestion habits. Throughout the species, there are a handful of snake types that can consume and digest eggs.
Two snake genera can easily digest eggs – Dasypeltis and Elachistodon. You may hear about these snakes as the East African Egg-eating snake and the Indian Egg-eating snake, respectively. While the Elachistodon snakes are found more often in the wild, many take in Dasypeltis snakes as pets.
Dasypeltis snakes are non-venomous and safe to keep as pets. If you want a pet snake that you will not need to feed live or dead animals to, you may want to look into them.
Other than the two species mentioned above, other snakes can also resort to eating small eggs. When snakes are unable to find food for a while, they will go for smaller, more digestible eggs to consume. As a rule of thumb, pet snakes will be more sensitive to this feeding habit.
Conclusion
A ball python is a great pet due to its easy maintenance and feeding habits. However, widespread misinformation easily confuses what is okay to feed them and what is not. Hopefully, you have your answer to “Can ball pythons eat eggs?” – and your ball python can have a better feeding experience from here on out.
