Cooked Egg Whites

[guidofatherof5]

What are your thoughts about adding cooked egg whites to a mixture of worms, salmon or pinky parts. Egg whites are high in protein and low in fat. I've done a little research and can't find any downsides to them. Mixing them in will coat them with food scent so it shouldn't be a problem introducing them.
I know that some members feed chicken to their snakes and that some snakes if not most would probably eat baby birds if that opportunity presented itself.
I offered some cooked egg whites to a couple of my adults last night and they took them. One female took them unscented and a couple others ate them after they were worm scented. I cooked them in the microwave with nothing added. The snake that ate them unscented seemed to like them and returned for a couple helpings. Those snakes seemed fine this morning and nothing had been regurgitated.
What do you think!
Egg white - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_white)

[GartersRock]

I personally wouldn't give a snake cooked anything. ;)

[guidofatherof5]

I personally wouldn't give a snake cooked anything. ;)

In this case cooked is much safer than raw.

[drache]

no coherent thoughts on the matter right now, but it's early

[MasSalvaje]

Very interesting Steve! I have heard the warnings about feeding cooked meat to snakes and understand why that would not be advised but I don't know how that would apply to egg whites.

From what I have seen in the wild, garters are a lot more diverse in their food selection than I think we give them credit for (That is not to say they come across cooked egg whites in the wild, just that I don't think it is a bad thing to try new food sources), so as an addition I don't think that they would harm them in anyway. I don't know that I like it as a staple though.

-Thomas

[guidofatherof5]

Very interesting Steve! I have heard the warnings about feeding cooked meat to snakes and understand why that would not be advised but I don't know how that would apply to egg whites.

From what I have seen in the wild garters are a lot more diverse in their food selection than I think we give them credit for (That is not to say they come across cooked egg whites in the wild, just that I don't think it is a bad thing to try new food sources), so as an addition I don't think that they would harm them in anyway. I don't know that I like it as a staple though.

-Thomas

I would never want it to be a staple. Only an additive to main food sources.

[ConcinusMan]

Never thought about that. I don't see how it could do any harm.

[wadih]

I am not sure about the eggs, but according to what I tried before none of my snakes accepted any cooked or processed food. However, I think if a snake accepts a food it wont hurt it. I have seen a lot of them staying weeks without food and just eating what they like or what they think is good for them.
Although I heard a lot about chicken it is the first time i hear about eggs, but what is the problem!!! I guess I will try that the next time I feed them. In fact I have a male Natrix tessellata that never rejected any type or quantity of food I ever offered him, so I guess he would be a great candidate for the test :)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I am not sure about the eggs, but according to what I tried before none of my snakes accepted any cooked or processed food. However, I think if a snake accepts a food it wont hurt it. I have seen a lot of them staying weeks without food and just eating what they like or what they think is good for them.
Although I heard a lot about chicken it is the first time i hear about eggs, but what is the problem!!! I guess I will try that the next time I feed them. In fact I have a male Natrix tessellata that never rejected any type or quantity of food I ever offered him, so I guess he would be a great candidate for the test :)


wow, my natrix tesselata are picky picky pickyyy!!! I don't see how cooked egg whites would really do much harm... but what about the yolks?! I think the yolk is more nutritious? I do know this: snakes LOVE eggs. They won't eat the pasteurized ones because those no longer smell like eggs, but farm fresh eggs... they will gobble them up!!! My larger snakes absolutely adore fresh whole eggs!

[drache]

My larger snakes absolutely adore fresh whole eggs!
how do you feed them and which snakes eat them?

[guidofatherof5]

wow, my natrix tesselata are picky picky pickyyy!!! I don't see how cooked egg whites would really do much harm... but what about the yolks?! I think the yolk is more nutritious? I do know this: snakes LOVE eggs. They won't eat the pasteurized ones because those no longer smell like eggs, but farm fresh eggs... they will gobble them up!!! My larger snakes absolutely adore fresh whole eggs!


When I came up with this idea I was thinking solely about a good protein addition to their diet. I knew egg whites were high in protein.
Since it's the yolks that can cause problems for us people I thought I would keep them out of the mix. I think that's were most of the fat is stored.

[wadih]

wow, my natrix tesselata are picky picky pickyyy!!! I don't see how cooked egg whites would really do much harm... but what about the yolks?! I think the yolk is more nutritious? I do know this: snakes LOVE eggs. They won't eat the pasteurized ones because those no longer smell like eggs, but farm fresh eggs... they will gobble them up!!! My larger snakes absolutely adore fresh whole eggs!

First the natrix tesselata I mentioned earlier is a very strange one; he is always hungry and never misses a chance to consume any type of food. He is getting larger and larger by the day, imagine he is as big as his mother!!! So I always use him to try new and strange food types.

Regarding the fresh eggs you suggested, I always heard people living in the village telling stories about snakes attacking the chicken nets and stealing the eggs. Most of the times they find the snake stuck inside the cage since the eggs (or even the bird) inside the snake stomach prevents it from escaping. However, I never thought these snakes were garter or natrix. Just to cut the story short, I will buy some quail eggs from the supermarket tomorrow and try them with my snakes... I will feed you back with the results.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

how do you feed them and which snakes eat them?


My bigger snakes, such as my king rat snakes, my whitesided black rat snakes, and even my carpet python ate one once! They don't get them very often at all, just as a little treat when I can get them. They have to be fresh and non pasteurized so that they actually smell to the snakes like an egg. I have also fed dove eggs (the doves at work never stop laying) to my smaller corns and rats, I never tried them on the garters before... but I have little doubts they would turn them down. If I had a source of quail eggs nearby I would use them more often! To feed them an egg I simply balance it in my tongs (even the chicken eggs) and put it in front of the snake... and they open wide and gulp it down. By the next day the shell is already completely broken down and there's no lump. Eggs are nutritious, the shell is packed with calcium of course....and yes, farmers always complain about the foxes eating their chickens and the blacksnakes eating their eggs! It's almost impossible to blacksnake- proof a chicken coop :p! they go in through the roof! Snakes definitely readily view eggs as a food source, and in the wild, a convenient one at that! Think about it, if a rat snake is cruising through the trees in search of nests, most of the birds that nest in trees are far too small to harm him! And if they tick him off enough, he will simply eat them too!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

YouTube - bird vs snake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ0E63kRKPk)

in this video, a large green rat snake of some sort is found raiding a woodpecker's nest. He's most likely just eaten her eggs, or possibly her chicks! The bird just doesn't quit trying! When the snake first pops out it almost looks like he's got an egg in his throat, but it may just be him puffing air as well.

[ConcinusMan]

It's not a rat snake, and it didn't necessarily eat any eggs. The "lump" you see is a threat display. Ask Stephan-A. He correctly identified the snake (from South America, I believe).

But yeah! Rat snakes will definitely eat freshly laid eggs. I imagine garters would too, if the egg was the right size, and smelled right. If I ever offered them to a garter, I would offer them without shells though. maybe even slightly cooked to avoid respiratory issues. You know, just cooked enough so that they could swallow pieces of the soft parts. I wouldn't give them shells since garters really aren't egg eaters generally speaking. I would say to Steve, go for it. I see no way that slightly cooked egg whites can hurt a garter. Or their "normal" food mixed with some egg whites. I don't see how it can hurt them. Just make sure it's not so "gooey" that it ends up blocking their breathing while swallowing. We've all seen milk come out someone's nose. We wouldn't want egg white bubbles coming out of our garters' noses while they are eating, possibly obstructing their breathing now would we?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

It's not a rat snake, and it didn't necessarily eat any eggs. The "lump" you see is a threat display. Ask Stephan-A. He correctly identified the snake (from South America, I believe).

But yeah! Rat snakes will definitely eat freshly laid eggs. I imagine garters would too, if the egg was the right size, and smelled right. If I ever offered them to a garter, I would offer them without shells though. maybe even slightly cooked to avoid respiratory issues. You know, just cooked enough so that they could swallow pieces of the soft parts. I wouldn't give them shells since garters really aren't egg eaters generally speaking. I would say to Steve, go for it. I see no way that slightly cooked egg whites can hurt a garter. Or their "normal" food mixed with some egg whites. I don't see how it can hurt them. Just make sure it's not so "gooey" that it ends up blocking their breathing while swallowing. We've all seen milk come out someone's nose. We wouldn't want egg white bubbles coming out of our garters' noses while they are eating, possibly obstructing their breathing now would we?

It looks like some kind of green rat snake to me! Yellow bellied puffing snakes do this display but many other species do it also. Do YB puffing snakes come in green? But, the video's quality is lacking, so it's really difficult to ID anyways. And yes, I DID mention that it very well may have been a threat display... I have snakes that do it! EITHER WAY, whether its food, or a display, I would aly large sums of money that they snake has just eaten a nest full.

[ConcinusMan]

Nest full of something, that's for sure. But no, it's not a rat snake. ask stephan-a. This video was posted somewhere else and stephan took a shot at an ID. I looked up the name of the snake he had given, and sure enough, he was right. The video was filmed in South America. Notice how the snake is laterally compressed, suggesting an aquatic and/or abborial lifestyle, and listen to the human accents and background bird life. But yeah, my guess would be that the snake feeds largely on eggs and baby birds. I don't think garters are quite equipped to eat whole eggs in their shells, but if they'll eat whites, why not give it to them. Just do it in a way that's not going to cause issues with breathing.

[gregmonsta]

I don't think garters are quite equipped to eat whole eggs in their shells, but if they'll eat whites, why not give it to them.

:rolleyes: Actually ... the egg-eating garter snake Thamnophis dasypeltissima of the Toronga Atol was presented in 2007 by Stumpke (German scientist). A few observations lists a thamnophis that specialises on eating groundnesting bird's eggs and shows extreme defensive behaviour (as a result of having to defend against parent birds). Diet outside of bird breeding season is unknown. We are talking about island populations. Apparently they utilise thir spines much in the same fashion as the egg-eating snakes of Africa.

:D I love EGSA puplications.

[ConcinusMan]

ahh.. I did not know that. But I'll assume we aren't feeding a Thamnophis dasypeltis sima.

[gregmonsta]

True :) .... but if an isolated group can convert to specialising on eggs then the dietary value must be sound. I'm sure there are plenty of egg types that could easily be swallowed by an ordinary thamnophis.

[ConcinusMan]

I never doubted that nutritionally, it's good. About swallowing whole eggs though, I dunno about that. Even if they would, and could, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with it.

[Stefan-A]

:rolleyes: Actually ... the egg-eating garter snake Thamnophis dasypeltissima of the Toronga Atol was presented in 2007 by Stumpke (German scientist). A few observations lists a thamnophis that specialises on eating groundnesting bird's eggs and shows extreme defensive behaviour (as a result of having to defend against parent birds). Diet outside of bird breeding season is unknown. We are talking about island populations. Apparently they utilise thir spines much in the same fashion as the egg-eating snakes of Africa.

:D I love EGSA puplications.
Was this in the April issue? :rolleyes:

[ConcinusMan]

quick, stefan, what was the name of that green snake in the tree again? (post # 14)

EDIT: Nevermind. I found the thread: http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/garter-snake-lounge/6311-so-what-kinda-snake-guy.html

There's a link to a longer, higher quality video in that thread ^^^

Pseustes sulphureus is the snake. I've seen photo's of one's kept in captivity. Sadly, many appeared to be emaciated.

[Stefan-A]

quick, stefan, what was the name of that green snake in the tree again? (post # 14)
Pseustes sulphureus, probably. It fits the profile best, at the moment.


Do YB puffing snakes come in green?
Yes, they do. The general appearance is right, the size is right, the colour is right, the behavior (the defensive display and nest raiding) is right.

Doesn't mean it's not something else, but like I said, it's the best candidate I can think of.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

:rolleyes: Actually ... the egg-eating garter snake Thamnophis dasypeltissima of the Toronga Atol was presented in 2007 by Stumpke (German scientist). A few observations lists a thamnophis that specialises on eating groundnesting bird's eggs and shows extreme defensive behaviour (as a result of having to defend against parent birds). Diet outside of bird breeding season is unknown. We are talking about island populations. Apparently they utilise thir spines much in the same fashion as the egg-eating snakes of Africa.

:D I love EGSA puplications.


that is SO COOL!!!! The next time I bring home dove eggs, I will give them a shot with some garters. I have garters large enough to eat those and not even have a lump!!!

[Stefan-A]

For the record, Greg: This is hilarious. :D

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

For the record, Greg: This is hilarious. :D


wait! so possibly the egg eating island dwelling garter snakes are mythical?!?!

:confused:


I decided to google them just now and I didn't get anything....

I am still trying dove eggs on my thamnophis!! :P

[Stefan-A]

wait! so possibly the egg eating island dwelling garter snakes are mythical?!?!

:confused:
Try googling the scientist behind the 1967... I mean 2007 presentation. ;)

[gregmonsta]

Oh dear .... :o .... do I get the record for the longest April fools ever? :cool:

[Stefan-A]

Oh dear .... :o .... do I get the record for the longest April fools ever? :cool:
It was in the April newsletter, wasn't it? :D

[gregmonsta]

It was in the April newsletter, wasn't it? :D

:o It was .... I guess I can discount the first report in each April newsletter from now on :P .... silly boy, I should have known better :rolleyes:

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

hahahaha

alright, you guys got me on that one :o

jerks! :p;)

[drache]

hey - nothing wrong with allowing for possibility
after all, the duck-billed platypus turned out to be real, and I wasn't entirely certain of that until my mid-thirties
actually - I still haven't seen a live one, so I'm still allowing for that to be a joke

[guidofatherof5]

If I were to feed a whole egg, shell and all. I think I would put a few cracks in the shell.
When I was reading the nutritional info. on eggs I saw that raw egg white has a lot of sodium. It looks like the cooking process reduces that greatly.

[Stefan-A]

hey - nothing wrong with allowing for possibility
after all, the duck-billed platypus turned out to be real, and I wasn't entirely certain of that until my mid-thirties
actually - I still haven't seen a live one, so I'm still allowing for that to be a joke
People were right to be skeptical of the platypus, it was unlike anything ever seen.

[drache]

People were right to be skeptical of the platypus, it was unlike anything ever seen.
apparently at the time people were way less skeptical in general, and there were many fantastic creatures the existence of which was not questioned
come to think of it - those people still exist

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah. They are called Americans. If it's on the news, it must be true. If CNN says there is a one eyed, one armed flying purple people eater, they'll believe it to be fact if it's repeated enough. But anyway, I'll take it that the egg eating garter is a myth. Didn't sound quite right to me to begin with. Still, I'll stick (like an egg to a bare aluminum pan) with my opinion that egg whites should be cooked slightly so they have some coherence, then mixed with some other "normal" foods, but without shells. I don't see feeding egg whites as being all that necessary though, given the multitude of other high protein foods garters will eat.

[guidofatherof5]

I've decided to add cooked egg white to 3 groups of babies. I mixed it in with cut-up night crawlers.
This little one seemed to enjoy it. I did notice that at the end of a fed some of the egg was left on the plate, even though it was covered with worm scent(fluid, blood). They had picked through the remaining mixture and removed all the worm pieces. I would say that at least 90% of the egg was eaten.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/egg_eater.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/egg_eater_3.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Cool. The way you did it is exactly what I had in mind. That should be good for the little guys. I would think that it probably wouldn't hurt to occasionally give the yolk to gravid females too.

[wadih]

Excellent results :) much much better than mine.... I gave them the full egg with the shell (cracked and painted with egg's white) but I think they made jokes of me and played with the eggs rather than eating them :D

[guidofatherof5]

Excellent results :) much much better than mine.... I gave them the full egg with the shell (cracked and painted with egg's white) but I think they made jokes of me and played with the eggs rather than eating them :D

Typical snake moves:D

[katach]

My babies enjoyed a fresh from the hen cooked egg white and worm dinner tonight. Thanks for the idea!

[guidofatherof5]

As part of a balanced diet I think egg white could be a good source of protein.
I could find very little in the way of red flags with regards to egg whites.
I think the best way to prepare them would be boiling. This way no cooking oils would have to be used.
Just a thought.

Kat,
Keep us posted on what you observe after feeding.
Especially feces. A photo for the Poop ID thread would be nice.:)
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/husbandry/8076-poop-id.html

[katach]

No problem! They seemed to enjoy and come back for seconds. I'll keep an eye on them and let you all know.
My parent's neighbors have hens so I was comfortable using an egg I knew where it had been. The gentleman that gave them to me was very interested in our snakes. He asked a ton of questions! It was great to see his interest in them.

[d_virginiana]

Wow, I'm glad I saw this, I'll have to try a piece or two with Houdini when they get fed tomorrow. He's usually good about taking new food as long as it has a smell.

[mb90078]

I was just looking at this old thread the other day, wondering if anyone has been trying this on a semi-regular basis since the original post.

[katach]

I read it because I saw you reading it and the title peaked my interest. Thought I'd give it a try. The babies seemed to like it, only one adult did.

[snakehill]

Good to know! We get fresh eggs every day! Will have to try it! ;)

[RedSidedSPR]

Sweet! Maybe I'll try that...

[Mommy2many]

I was thinking of quail eggs, only serving them raw, shell and all. Can anyone think of a reason not to do this?

[kibakiba]

Haed time digesting the shell, maybe.

[Mommy2many]

I thought about that but I also thought it had been mentioned that the shell was rich in calcium. I also thought that a wild garter wouldn't pass up a free meal of a bird's nest if it came across it.

[kibakiba]

That is ture, but I'd be worried thta the edges of the eggshel would hurt them while swallowing, if it craced

[Mommy2many]

Not sure. That was one of my concerns, however, they have been known to eat small birds with beaks and feet so...

[guidofatherof5]

The shell would be my only concern but it's much less dense then bone.
I sure garters eat small bird eggs in the wild so it's not a completely foreign food item.
I've seen "bird eggs" listed on many sites as a possible food item.
Let us know how it works out.

[Mommy2many]

I think I'll try it sometime soon just to see. I think, if any take them, it will be my big WC girl, Midnight.

A small grocery store here carries the quail eggs and they look like the perfect size to try with the snakes.

[guidofatherof5]

I've got access to cockatiel eggs. Might have to give it a try.;)

[Mommy2many]

Yeah, could be a "fun" food.

[d_virginiana]

Haed time digesting the shell, maybe.

If it cracked on the way down, like you mentioned, it might cause problems, but I think they're actually nutritious. I've heard of people occasionally grinding them up to dust amphibian food for calcium when they can't get access to another supplement.


I've got access to cockatiel eggs. Might have to give it a try.;)

That's so cool. Sort of a random thing to have regular access to. I'd love to try whole eggs sometime but mine won't take anything without a strong smell, and the baby... Well, actually she'd probably try, but I don't think she'd be very successful. :p

[katach]

The babies seemed a little more active than usual today. Not sure if it was the egg or the 84° weather.

[RedSidedSPR]

Is there any eggs that are BAD?

[guidofatherof5]

Is there any eggs that are BAD?

Good question, I can't think of any.

Other then rotten:D

[snakehill]

:D:p;):rolleyes:! (couldn't decide!):)

[katach]

I wouldn't use the chicken eggs from the store. They can be months old and who knows what kind of hormones the hens are pumped full of. That's just how I feel though.

[RedSidedSPR]

I wouldn't even consider.

[ConcinusMan]

The yolks are really very fatty and the whites are high in sodium. Personally, I don't use eggs to feed garters. I suppose a little undercooked egg whites now and then won't hurt them though.

[guidofatherof5]

I worm slimed up a cockatiel egg and offered it to a few of my big girl radixes.
They bit at it but released when they felt the hard egg.
They didn't give it a second try.

[RedSidedSPR]

somehow that doesn't surprise me...

Have you ever tried the egg whites?

[guidofatherof5]

somehow that doesn't surprise me...

Have you ever tried the egg whites?

Not from a cockatiel egg.

[katach]

I haven't seen any side effects from feeding the egg whites to the babies. They seemed to like it and the poop was just like worm fed poo, dark and loose.

[guidofatherof5]

I haven't seen any side effects from feeding the egg whites to the babies. They seemed to like it and the poop was just like worm fed poo, dark and loose.

Thanks for the update.;)