How to Give Snakes Live Food

Snakes can eat pet shop brand food, but they prefer to consumer living treats. It's a fascinating to watch a snake eat a rodent or lizard, though it isn't for the faint of heart. The following will show you how to feed adult and baby snakes live food.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Feed a Baby Snake

1. Purchase live newborn mice, which are commonly called "pinkies," at a pet store or breed your own.

2. Wash the pinkie with soap and water and dry it off to remove its domestic scent, which repel the snake.

3. Place the live pinkie inside the cage close to an area where the snake likes to hide.

4. Remove the pinkie if it remains uneaten after a few hours and replace it with a dead pinkie.

5. Try giving the snake something else such as a tree frog, baby wild mouse or small lizard if it won't accept the pinkie. Leave the pinkie in the cage, as a snake will typically accept the pinkie after eating the first meal.

6. Feed your baby snake 2 pinkies once a week.

Feed an Adult Snake

7. Purchase a feeder mouse or rat at a pet store.

8. Handle the rodent by the tail and lower it into the cage. Place it in the cage far enough away from the snake to prevent the snake from striking at you.

9. Feed your snake 1 to 2 mice at a time every 10 days. It is better to feed your snake 2 small mice rather than 1 large rat. If you feed a snake a meal that is too large, or feed it too much during a single session, the snake may regurgitate the food.

Tips & Warnings

• Snakes will not typically feed when shedding their skin, so do not offer them food during this time.
• A rat or mouse bite can kill your snake, so be careful when feeding. You can also feed them dead rodents, a safer alternative that is just as nutritious as a live meal.
• Never put your hands into the cage while your snake feeds.