Do Snakes eat golf balls... Yes with pictures

[3feathers]

I've seen several post where people say snakes will not eat golf balls. This snake ate 2 eggs and a chick under a broody mother. I wasn't sure what had got the chick as I was traveling for business. At the time I didn't have any golf balls in the nest so I put another egg and a golf ball in to see what happened.
Next day there was the snake (Bull Snake) and egg and golf ball were gone. When I first saw the snake the ball was a bit farther down. Maybe it could have regurgitated it. It took some time but I did get the golf ball out without killing the snake, not sure if it hurt or not. Bull snakes are beneficial so I left the snake in the middle of 1000+ acres to do snake stuff.

 

[Cherib603]

Wow!

I think I just would have shouted "Fore!"

 

[Ridgerunner]

I keep golf balls in my nests all the time, one per nest. Several times I’ve had snakes eat eggs and once a baby chick in the brooder, not bothering the golf balls. One extremely rare occasions I have a golf ball totally disappear, but I’m talking about once every few years. Really rare. Probably a snake.

That makes my story even weirder. A few years back I went to the coop in the morning and found a 5’ black snake in the coop. It had eaten two golf balls and could not get back out through the hole it came in. I cut the golf balls out of the snake, washed them, and put them back in the nests. About a week later it happened again. A black snake the same size ate two golf balls and could not get back out. Again I retrieved the golf balls.

Neither snake survived. I wasn’t sure if they would regurgitate the golf balls or slowly starve to death, probably with suffering, so I killed them. I don’t want them eating my eggs anyway. I have a friend several miles away that loves for me to relocate a non-poisonous snake to her place, I’ve done that several times when I catch a snake in my coop.

To think that in all the years I had that scenario repeat itself a week apart and not at any other time.

 

[Cherib603]

Snakes.
Why did it have to be snakes??!
*shudder*

 

[3feathers]

Wow!

I think I just would have shouted "Fore!"

It was tempting but my 10 wood was in the shop. Hope a 10 wood is a real club.

I keep golf balls in my nests all the time, one per nest. Several times I’ve had snakes eat eggs and once a baby chick in the brooder, not bothering the golf balls. One extremely rare occasions I have a golf ball totally disappear, but I’m talking about once every few years. Really rare. Probably a snake.

That makes my story even weirder. A few years back I went to the coop in the morning and found a 5’ black snake in the coop. It had eaten two golf balls and could not get back out through the hole it came in. I cut the golf balls out of the snake, washed them, and put them back in the nests. About a week later it happened again. A black snake the same size ate two golf balls and could not get back out. Again I retrieved the golf balls.

Neither snake survived. I wasn’t sure if they would regurgitate the golf balls or slowly starve to death, probably with suffering, so I killed them. I don’t want them eating my eggs anyway. I have a friend several miles away that loves for me to relocate a non-poisonous snake to her place, I’ve done that several times when I catch a snake in my coop.

To think that in all the years I had that scenario repeat itself a week apart and not at any other time.

It took 20 minutes or so (really didn't time it) to work the golf ball out. The snake kept twisting and tensing muscles which held the golf ball pretty tight. I found that letting it wrap its back around the chair, better than wrapping around me, let me shift my hand left and right much like its normal motion. You have to be careful of its spine as well using your fingers to push forward more on the belly. When I first started I didn't think it was moving. But it went faster the closer it got to the mouth and the snake began to relax more. I was a bit worried when the ball reached its mouth because I needed to let go of its head to get it out. But it went well. Yes, there's enough land here and I know people as well that are happy to get non-poisonous snakes as they help with rodents etc.
If I couldn't get it out I would have killed it and probably gotten one of my asian friends to cook it up. I haven't eaten snake in the states but it is said to be good and I like to make use of something I kill, if I can. I've certainly eaten stranger things in my travels.

 

[Sonya9]

It took 20 minutes or so (really didn't time it) to work the golf ball out. The snake kept twisting and tensing muscles which held the golf ball pretty tight. I found that letting it wrap its back around the chair, better than wrapping around me, let me shift my hand left and right much like its normal motion.

Glad you got it out. I have heard of snake keepers doing that when their animal eats something it shouldn't, usually they hold the head downward so gravity assists with bringing the object up.

I don't know if it would regurgitate it on it's own, but I won't use golf balls for that reason.

To the poster that "cuts them out" of live snakes, that sounds extremely cruel. Even when beheaded their brain can lie for HOURS, while some folks no doubt like the chance to torture small animals, for the rest be sure to completely detroy the brain.

 

[Al Capon]

Lost a perfectly good golf ball today with this surprise in the nest box. Lift the box lid and see this staring at you gets the heart going, for sure.

I usually give snakes a free rein, but I draw the line at the chicken coop, this one didn't make it, and yes, they apparently will eat golf balls.

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