delivered through a straight crop needle.
“Once you get the hang of it, it is a very easy
method to feed a large number of baby snakes at
once,” he told me. “You can feed six or so snakes in
five minutes.”
Shane has used this technique to raise Greater
Black Whip Snakes (Demansia papuensis) and
says it is far preferable than trying to force- or
assist-feed neonates of this species on pinky mice.
Restraint tube feeding.
This technique has been described to me by
Damian Goodall, Senior Keeper of Reptiles at
Melbourne Zoo, and has been successfully used to
start neonate Broad-headed Snakes
(Hoplocephalus bungaroides) on pink mice. It
involves placing the neonate’s head and anterior
third or so of the body into a narrow, clear, flexible
tube and pushing a thawed pinky down the other
end with forceps. Zoo staff found that snakes
restrained in this manner would latch onto the prey
and consume it in the tube. Initial bites were
probably defensive in nature and in a way this is a
form of assist-feeding. The benefit to the keeper is
safety - the snake doesn’t need to be restrained by
Dos & Don’ts
Remembering a few simple rules can greatly assist in
your quest to raise neonate elapids.
Do
Co-opt others to help you raise large litters. Give them
away or sell them at reduced cost and maintain only
what you can commit to.
Know your state laws about feeding natural prey items
such as skinks.
Experiment with substitute foods and different feeding
methods.
Keep your neonates hydrated. Many die not of
starvation but dehydration.
House your neonates appropriately, ensuring correct
temperatures and humidity, and that the animals have
a secluded refuge.
Wait for your captives to become hungry before
attempting to feed them.
Try low intervention methods first, before graduating
to assist- or force-feeding if necessary.
Maintain condition on young snakes; they can quickly
succumb to starvation.
Don’t
Try to feed your snakes before their first shed or
before they’re hungry.
Try to assist- or force-feed venomous snakes if you
are tired or affected by drugs or alcohol.
Assist- or force-feed large food items.
Become too upset upon the deaths of some of your
neonates. Mortality in the wild is high and some
snakes will die for reasons unknown.
hand. The benefit to the snake is that this
appears to be a less stressful option than grabbing
it and prying its jaws open. This is a method that
deserves exploring for these reasons alone.
Supplements.
Whole, natural food items such as skinks supply the
entire dietary needs of a juvenile snake, including
energy and essential nutrients such as minerals
(e.g. calcium from bone). Indigestible material such
as keratin contributes to roughage and aids in
passage of food through the gut. Substitute food
items, however, may be of less nutritional value. For
instance, mouse tails comprise skin, connective
tissue and bone but are probably low in energy
value. Nonetheless, some keepers have maintained
juvenile snakes on mouse tails for many months
(Neil Sonnemann; personal communication). Some
keepers and vets argue that reptile-specific
supplements can offset the deficiencies that may
characterise substitute diets. Dr Shane Simpson,
from Karingal Veterinary Hospital and The Unusual
Pet Vets, regards Vetafarm Herpaboost® as one
such product and has used it to rehabilitate sick and
injured reptiles. This product contains fresh
Tasmanian Mutton Bird oil, vitamins and essential
amino acids. While I cannot vouch for it specifically,
I do know a few keepers who have supplemented
the diet of their snakes with Mutton Bird oil from
time to time. They claim their snakes ‘look healthy
and glossy’ but do report runny and offensive
faeces as a by-product!
Starting young elapid snakes on their way can be
challenging. The risk of being bitten complicates
what are far simpler issues in other non-venomous
species. The fact that many of our elapids can be so
small, plus require feeding on unnatural diets and
come from large litters, means that keepers can
have their work cut out for them in the breeding
season. That said, many elapids are bred and
raised successfully every year, and based upon the
advertisements of animals for sale, numbers appear
to be increasing. Raising elapid neonates can be
frustrating, with some animals refusing to eat for
extended periods, and a degree of mortality is
inevitable. My biggest disappointment was losing
two litters of Desert Death Adders (Acanthophis
pyrrhus) in the 1990s before I knew about assist-
feeding mouse legs as a substitute food.
Acknowledgements.
Many thanks to the keepers cited in this article who
willingly shared their expert knowledge on feeding
neonate elapids – Brian Barnett, Shane Black, Damien
Goodall, Dr Shane Simpson, Nigel Sowter and Neil
Sonnemann. Shane Black, Siimon Fearn and Michael
Cermak kindly provided the photographs.