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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 8:16:00 PM
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shellboa
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As far as I know, corn snakes do not eat eggs, pasturized or not. If you want to give them variety (and I'm not sure why since they have no taste buds, then offer smalll rats or soft furs.
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 8:21:48 PM
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 8:25:34 PM
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iashia
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i agree with shellboa, i dont think corn snakes eat eggs. i know king snakes will, but corn snakes, ehh. either way, its probably not a good idea. the best bet (if it was okay to feed them) would be to contact a local farmer and get a fertile chicken egg from a small hen. fertile eggs are much better than pasturized eggs, they have way more protein and would be more nutritious.
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Author Comment
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9/8/2009 8:34:25 PM
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anjeanettecorns28
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Well, the reason I was asking was because I thought it would help the sheen of their skin coat and help with Diamond's shedding issues she's always had basically since I got her.
I thought they did eat birds eggs in the wild so I thought it wouldn't be a totally bad idea to feed her one every couple of weeks or at least once a month. I know I've read it somewhere
that they do eat birds eggs even in captivity but I can't think of what book or article I read it in. I'll have to find it and see what it says again. If I can just remember. Thanks for yr replies though.
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 8:43:53 PM
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Jeffriey
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Corn snakes are know to eat eggs in the wild. Some people will feed small eggs like quail or finch eggs to WC corn snakes. Store bought eggs for one are probably too large and as mentioned are infertile meaning they lack nutritional value. Brad and Rebecca both keep egg eaters (dasypeltis altra). Maybe one of them can enlighten us on this. Other than that I don't see a problem keeping your corn snakes on a staple diet of rodents.
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 8:46:22 PM
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iashia
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oh yeah =) what i do to get my ball python to shed better (coz he really sucks at shedding) is get some snake oil and before she sheds, put a bit on paper towel and rub it in a stroking motion down her scales. dont use too much, a drop or 2 will do great. and when shes in shed, just a few days away from removing it, soak her in water. is should help with making the skin come off in one piece. and, if you increase the humidity in her enclosure, it keeps the skin moist and makes it come off nice. =]
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Author Comment
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9/8/2009 8:52:25 PM
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anjeanettecorns28
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Well, I'm sure glad I asked this question before trying to feed one to her. Do you all have any other suggestions on how to help Diamond have better shed cycles? She is always having so much
difficulty with shedding her skin in one whole piece. And I don't understand why since her temps are good and her humidity levels are good inside her enclosure. But it doesn't fell no matter what
she has problems shedding on her own. I always have to assist her in most of her shedding to get it all off in mostly one piece, to keep it from being really choppy and in small chunks or strips of skin which
is how she does it if left alone to do it on her own 100% which is I know not good for them. And it leaves old skin retained. Any suggestions on that?
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 8:53:59 PM
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Jeffriey
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Oh and you can try baby chicks too if you want to add in a bit of variety.
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Author Comment
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9/8/2009 8:55:24 PM
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anjeanettecorns28
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Thanks iashia. Do you know what the snake oil is called? And if I can buy it from the pet store?
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 9:16:16 PM
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Geckofactor
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Corn snakes will eat fertile chicken eggs I have never seen one eat a store bought egg though just to clear that up for everybody. We constantly find red and gray rat snakes in chicken pens here eating both the baby chicks and the eggs. I however do not think it would help with any shedding issues.
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 9:19:58 PM
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Krestie Kate
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The only shed stuff I would get is Shed aid by ESU. It's the only one that hasn't been a waste of money or time.
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 9:24:27 PM
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Jeffriey
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Double check your humidity. I have yet to have a cornsnake not shed in one piece. If anything just mist them down when they are ready to shed. Oiling a snake in general is a bad idea although some people will do that to treat for mites. Do you have any rough or sharp objects in the enclosure where the skin is actually tearing when it tries to shed?
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 10:39:49 PM
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iashia
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what i have is called bensons and sons nature zone snake oil and reptile polish (sounds rediculious i know). i got it at a local pet sote for 9.99 almost a year ago, and it doesnt look touched. if you use it right, it will last you YEARS. really, just shop around, most of the oil is the same (organic, corn seed oil, and a bunch of other natural jibberish) the reason i started using snake oil is because in the summer, i take my snakes outside for some natural excercise, and i didnt want them to get some kind of mite or something, so i was looking around and saw this. what it does is helps prevent external parasites ( i guess they just slide right off, lol ) , help heal scrapes and cuts, and helps repair skin problems. mine contains (safflower oilo, sweet almond oil, wheat germ oil, avaccado, tree and neem oil.)
like is said, i think its worth the investment ( dont pay any more than 9.99, you can probably get it really cheap online) it will last you forever. but the BEST bet you have is to soak her before her shed
*** comming from a ball python owner (horrible shedders)***
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Member Comment
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9/8/2009 10:45:16 PM
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iashia
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oh, i forgot to say this in the previous post. if you do decide to get it, its not a weekly thing. i only do mine maybe once a month if that. if you do it too much, it can clog their skin (kind of like the pores on your face, you dont want to over moisturize or youll clog them)
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Member Comment
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9/9/2009 12:41:38 AM
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magsj387
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Why don't you just try something nice and simple like a shed box? Get yourself a decent sized tuperware container big enough for the snake to comfortable coil up in, cut a hole a little larger than the girth of the snake and put either moist paper towels inside or some damp moss, that way they have some where nice and humid to hand out in while shedding. That way you can avoid anything unnatural....
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Member Comment
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9/9/2009 12:51:18 AM
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iashia
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theres nothing unnatrual about natural plant oils. in the wild, snakes get that natural oil traveling over and through plant material.
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Member Comment
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9/9/2009 1:08:22 AM
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magsj387
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Yes, to some extent that is true, but they don't exactly get a commercial condensed mixture of non native plant matter slathered all over their body. My response was simply to suggest an easy inexpensive natural alternative to the situation, I was not attacking your comment, but in this situation I don't think that will help with what shes trying to deal with....
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Member Comment
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9/9/2009 1:09:17 AM
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FowlerHerps
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I'm certainly not an expert on variety in corn snake diet, but as Jeff said I keep a true egg eating snake and so have done some research in the area. I've seen milksnakes eat eggs and I think corns would probably do the same if given the chance - that being said I would try to find some local, fresh quail eggs rather than a pasteurized chicken egg. Quail eggs are probably of an easier size for your snake to swallow and fresh ones would certainly be more beneficial.
But, as some others have said, I sincerely doubt they will help the shedding issue. One of my corns had shedding issues the first several months of her life, and I began giving her a nice healthy soak whenever I noticed she entered a "blue" pre-shed stage. To soak your corn, just fill a container with no more than a few inches (enough for the snake to submerge, but still be able to push out of and breathe). It's essential that the water is the appropriate temperature - too hot or too cold could seriously shock and damage your snake. If the water feels lukewarm to you, then it should be fine. I just leave my girl in the water for 10-20 minutes and then return her to her enclosure. The soaking has helped her tremendously and she now sheds in one piece even without a soak.
I would recommend against using oil - I've heard overuse can actually soften the snake's scales and make them more susceptible to puncture wounds from sharp objects. I would definitely recommend trying regular soaks before resorting to oil.
Hope that helped!
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Member Comment
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9/9/2009 1:12:32 AM
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iashia
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i do agree with that. i always soak my snakes, or mist them when their shedding. t hats about as natural as you can get.
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Member Comment
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9/9/2009 3:35:56 AM
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bwaffa
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Regarding the egg-eating, Ken's comment was probably the most concise, although I'll add that I don't think the pasteurization itself poses any sort of problem. I maintain the primary reason most snakes won't take store-bought eggs is because they lack any sort of scent. Throw some feathers on an appropriately sized egg and I bet many a snake would take them (though that's not what I'm suggesting you do). An egg-supplemented diet will not solve the shed issues. The method Becca described has worked tremendously well for her and may be the simplest approach. I use humidity boxes like what Jim described for many of my truly tropical pythons. No doubt they would help solve your shed issues, but they seem a bit overkill for a temperate species! Rebecca is right -- don't waste your time with oils unless you're dealing with a very special circumstance (e.g. a stuck eyecap or a romantic night in); they're largely ineffective and can easily do more harm than good!
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Member Comment
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9/9/2009 9:45:13 AM
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JohnJohn
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Corn snakes eat rodents! You should be feeding them rodents. I would really be surprised if a corn snake would even consider eating an egg.
You should be feeding your corn snakes rodents.
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Author Comment
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9/9/2009 10:45:40 AM
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anjeanettecorns28
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Wow, thanks everyone for yr thoughts and suggestions. I really appreciate them all. I will try soaking her the next time she is in the shedding process and see if that starts helping her out.
I'm not going to feed her any eggs now that I know it's not as nutritional as I originally thought it was to give to them once or twice a month. I just thought to be sure and ask the question on here
before I went ahead and did it. I'm glad I waited. Again, I will try soaking her first and if after a couple of times that don't seem to help I will try a nest box, and buy some of that snake oil if I can find
it around here at the pet stores. Thanks, again for everyone's suggestions and tips. :)
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Member Comment
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9/9/2009 11:11:54 AM
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shellboa
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Oh, I get it. Eggs are well known to help mammals coats, makes dogs shiny and cats have nice thick fur. I don't think it works the same way for snakes since they have no oil glands in their skin to condition their scales. A shed box is an awesome idea and any brand of plastic food storage container will work. If you get your rodents while they are still alive you might consider supplementing their diet with extra vitamin E before feeding. I would try a shed box and extra soaking before putting even natural oils on your snakes. If you soak and give them a box and still have issues, don't buy an expensive pet product. Go to the vitamin section and get the gel caps of vit E and use a drop from one of them. Smear it on your fingers to warm it and pet the snake where the shed is stuck. One drop can actually go a long way when it gets warm
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Member Comment
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9/9/2009 11:17:37 AM
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dalvers63
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You say the humidity is good in the cage - exactly what is the humidity in the cage?
Like Jeff, I've never had a corn snake not shed completely as long as I kept the humidity up around 50% during their shed cycle. I've never had to soak a snake (they all have water bowls big enough to get into if they want to soak) and just about all of my guys shed perfectly.
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Author Comment
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9/14/2009 7:48:36 PM
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anjeanettecorns28
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My humidty range is between 50-60% on a regular basis in all of my tanks. But Diamond my oldest one has always had shedding problems. Now my youngest three corn snakes that I have
do not have any problems shedding at all and shed their skins just fine in 1 whole piece . So I'm not too sure why Diamond has such problems.
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Member Comment
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9/15/2009 9:35:02 PM
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EricIvins
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Personally, I'd think you're nuts if you wanted to feed a snake an egg. I go with what has been proven to work, and that's Rodents, exclusively................And just because your humidity may be perfect, doesn't mean your animal is properly hydrated...........Big difference between the two.............It's up to you to figure out why...........Bad sheds are the direct result of de-hydration...............
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Member Comment
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9/15/2009 10:45:07 PM
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Geckofactor
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I wouldn't think she was nuts to feed a snake something it eats in the wild there's nothing wrong with varied diet. What you think has been "proven" is pretty relative you could make the argument the liquid slushy type died Bill Haast has fed his animals for years is proven doesn't mean we should all tube feed all of our snakes.
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Author Comment
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9/16/2009 11:43:38 AM
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anjeanettecorns28
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Hmmm...well I'm not nuts I just thought it was something I could try. That is the reason why I asked on here before I went and did feed her an egg. Anyhow, I appreciate all the suggestions on here and I will
instead of feeding her any other type of food items just use misting and soaking to see if that helps her any. And if doesn't then I will get a shed/humidity box for her to lay in when she is getting
ready to shed. I provide all my snakes with adequate sized water bowls and I monitor the temps and humidity on a daily basis to make sure they are at the right levels. So other then her being unable to shed I
do everything right as far as I know. The rest of my snakes shed their skins just fine without any problems it's just always been Diamond that has had shedding issues. I'm unsure
what the reason is behind that. Otherwise, she's a healthy active snake that eats just fine, moves around just fine, and sticks her tongue out on a regular basis, and poops just fine as well.
Nothing that I can tell other then her bad shedding is wrong with her. Again, I will try the misting and soaking and the shed box the next time she's in shed. Thanks guys and gals.
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Member Comment
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9/16/2009 12:08:43 PM
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Geckofactor
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Again I don't think there's anything wrong with trying new things if you want to feed her other things and see what happens. Shedding issues sometimes aren't as simple as just throw in a bigger water dish and see how that works it's actually related to a number of things not just dehydration or humidity issues you have to factor in any stress, photoperiods, heat, diet, and the fact that maybe there's just an odd chance that your snake has bad skin. I don't see why it couldn't happen in reptiles it obviously happens in humans and other mammals and changing the diet or adding something may just help it along. I don't get why people are so anti-experimentation I've fed my animals all sort of stuff and I've never had a serious issue due to something I've fed them so if you wanna try feeding it an egg go for it but like it's been said here I'd try a fertile one and if she eats it she eats it and you can say ok I tried that and it did or didn't work. Hell maybe the power of positive thinking would help it shed.
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Member Comment
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9/16/2009 12:14:48 PM
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Buzz
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I have tried a variety of foods for my Corns. I ended up back with mice and rats. The nastiest smelling poos you will ever smell (from a corn) came after eating a chick.
As far as the shedding. Shed boxes work good. I use aquriums as many of my enclosures. I just add a peice of plexi glass over half the tank. Along with a large water bowl.
It doesnt have to be a deep bowl, your looking for surface area over depth. This has helped me kept reasonable humidity levels. The rest of the collect are in racks and seem to always be
fine........
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Accepted Answer
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9/16/2009 5:58:52 PM
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aSnakeLovinBabe
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I am a little confused on how so many people did not know, or at least choose not to believe that MANY snakes, including rat snakes, corn snakes, king snakes, even garter snakes will eat eggs. Heck I bet my carpet python would suck a nest of eggs down in heartbeat. (ever seen taht one that swallowed 4 golf balls? I would put money on him thinking they were eggs and being so hungry he did not care they didn't have a smell) In fact, snakes LOVE eggs. I can guarantee you that wild corn snakes do not eat a strict diet of rodents. They will eat rodents, birds, lizards, and the eggs of both of those as well. They do not discriminate. Whatever is immediately available is what they will eat. And that varies heavily depending on locality. My whitesided black rat snake eats the eggs our doves lay and relishes those things like you would not believe. The only reason my corn is not getting any is because he's still too small to eat them. I think a chicken egg would be too large for most corns, and I am not sure he would eat that because they have no scent. My black rat will not eat them for that reason. She just can't identify them as eggs because they lack the initial scent they were given when the chicken layed them. If you have a local farm nearby that sells fresh eggs, your snake would probably happily eat them if he were large enough, and eggs as a part of a varied diet are a healthy and nutritious food and will never hurt. If you can get quail eggs, he will probably suck those down like they are candy. Quail chicks, too! Needless to say, feeding eggs will not help a skin issue, and putting oil on him probably won't either. Dry sheds are often simply due to too low humidity, so instead of trying to put oils on them and in them to help, all you need to do is change the enclosure and provide soaks if needed. Fixing the problem at the root of it's source will get you much further and a permanent solution, rather than trying to fix it temporarily and topically with something that will need regular doing such as skin oils and supplemental feedings, which will probably still not help anyways. We used to sell that snake oil stuff, not saying it's a bad product, but I will say that it's definitely not necessary, is not going to fend off parasites and it's not worth the money for what it is. It's also not natural for snakes to have a fine coating of oil on their skin. Even though it might not appear to hurt them, if it's not necesarry and natural, to me, it isn't worth it. A varied diet though, that is natural and in my belief, fully beneficial to the overall health and quality of life of the snakes.
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