# Feeding quail eggs to corn snakes?



## jebbewocky (Sep 19, 2011)

So, I was reading online that you can feed quail eggs to corn snakes as an occasional treat.
I've been thinking about doing this, and I wonder if there is anything special I should/shouldn't do regarding eggs.


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## TheKrysis (Sep 19, 2011)

Just stick to rodents or whatever you usually feed the snake. The egg could come bearing salmonella.


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## jebbewocky (Sep 19, 2011)

I suppose I could do that.  Quail eggs are much cheaper than I thought, so maybe someday I'll look into getting an egg-eater.
Right now I feed F/T adult mice, and might try F/T rat pups, it's a 5' albino corn.


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## dtknow (Sep 20, 2011)

The resulting waste from eggs will be quite runny and smelly compared to the normal waste-but other than that I see no reason why not to feed eggs.

OTOH corn snakes do great fed only mice.


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## jebbewocky (Sep 20, 2011)

I might give it a try--would boiling it be OK? To prevent salmonella?


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## KeithY (Sep 20, 2011)

I wouldn't boil it. They may lose their scent. The snake may not eat it either. I would just stick with rodents. Corn snakes are not very picky, but many animals do not like to switch between food items.


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## LeilaNami (Sep 20, 2011)

Quail eggs are often sold for human consumption and therefor unlikely to carry salmonella.  I feed dove eggs to my king with no problem.  The poop isn't any worse than when he eats mice.  I have doves so I just give the eggs to him so I don't get any more babies.  If it is a fresh quail egg, you don't have to do anything to it.  The first time I gave my king one, I did have to pick him up and put him in front of it for him to find (which he promptly smashed against the wall because he tried striking at it first).  He comes out now whenever I place the egg in the cage and gently chows down.  If he doesn't take it at first you can scent the egg with some blood from a thawed pinkie and that should do the trick if he's going to eat the eggs at all.  I don't understand the mentality of sticking with one food type unless you have a very picky or specialized feeder.  Snakes don't stick to one food type in the wild and there is no reason to push them to in captivity.  The only switching problem I see is from f/t to live and the snake not wanting the f/t anymore.  Of course, corns and kings are garbage disposals so that is usually not an issue.


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