Snakes & Fake eggs& questions

[alwaystj9]

I have read several times that people had snakes eat fake eggs and golf balls. I have had to "rehome" several Texas Rat snakes over the years
when they preferred eating my eggs to eating rats. I have seen one with 4 eggs it had eaten, some with 2 or 3. I just can't believe they would eat
a wooden or china egg or a golf ball. Wouldn't the different smell throw it off?
Another question...I have had a snake and a broody hen in the nest box at the same time, the snake all lethargic and full of eggs (at its most vulnerable)
while the hen sits on the eggs that are left, looking okay. Shouldn't the hen be freaking out?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I can personally attest to fact that texas ratsnakes willingly eat golf balls and porcelain eggs. I deal wirh them every year. And you are right; once they discover delicious eggs that dont run away or bite, they mostly leave the rodents alone. And you are also correct thst snakes have a very strong sense of smell. To ensure the fake "eggs" smell just like the real thing, before you place a fake egg in nestbox, first roll it around in a bit of chicken manure,& also in pineshavings, hay, or whatever bedding you use in coop & nest boxes. After a time, the fake egg will take on the chicken smells naturally, but if u are in a hurry to catch a snake, the above actions speed up the process. Re broody hens & texas rat snakes, ive only had a snake steal eggs from under a hen once. (After that one instance i always put the broodys in seperate hardware-wrapped snake-proof cages.) In that one instance, i didnt see the snake eat 4 out of 10 eggs that day. But when i went to check on hen the next day, the 4 eggs were gone! And while broody hen was taking her quick daily break, and i was trying to figure out what happened to the missing eggs, i heard a rustle in corner of the barn. Hen got very worried look on her face, & immediately stopped eating & hurried back to her remaining eggs. It was the snake she heard, coming back for a second meal. She knew exactly what it was, even tho i had no clue until the snake appeared. That rat snake was nearly 6 feet long, & was trying to intimidate ME to leave, by posturing and rattling its tail. The instincts of a broody hen are very strong to stay with their eggs, even tho the hen is defenseless to stop the snake from eating her brood. In fact there are reports on this forum about large snakes strangling a broody hen and THEN eating her eggs. In those cases, suspicions are that the broody attempted to defend her eggs by pecking at the snake to drive snake away, & the snake then strangled her. So even tho she is as defenseless against a large snake as chickens are defenseless against predators in the dark, a broody will often continue to set on her eggs as the snake eats them from underneath her. She knows whats happening, but maternal instincts often prevent her from fleeing. After seeing how my broody hen reacted when she heard the snake coming back for its next meal, I dont think your broody hen felt "ok" with the snake in the nest box with her, she was simply following her instincts to try and keep her remaining eggs warm & alive. And was wise not to otherwise try to defend against the snake.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

I know this is an old thread but it has answered half of my question so I will continue with the rest of them here rather than start a new thread.

I was told a story of a chicken operation (several hundred hens) near Natchitoche that would put porcelain eggs in all the nesting boxes for snake control. Said snakes would swallow the porcelain egg and not being able to crush it would die somewhere outside the coop/run area. As people moved around the area they would find snake skeletons and would retrieve the porcelain egg that was found with it.

@Allsfairinloveandbugs, and other sources have answered the first part of the question on weather or not a snake would eat a porcelain egg or a golf ball. But I can't find any information on if this habit is deadly to the snake. I would think so, but have never witnessed it.

Mostly just wanted to fact check the story. My coop should be snake proof once completed but I don't want to kill any of the rat snake population unnecessarily either.

 

[alwaystj9]

...awaiting a day off to go buy golf balls and fake eggs to feed the snakes...

 

[cmom]

I put golf balls in my nest boxes mainly to entice the pullets to lay their eggs in the nests boxes. I did find a rat in a nest box and a rat snake wrapped around the outside of a nest box. I have had golf balls come up missing. I believe if a snake eats a golf ball or fake egg it could die but I can only relate a story I have read. Somewhere someone was having an issue with snakes eating their eggs, so they boiled a few and put them in their nest boxes. Apparently a snake ate the boiled eggs and did regurgitate them. If I remember the snake was found in a nest box and it was evident the snake ate the boiled eggs. The boiled eggs were found somewhere. Apparently snakes have places they rest where they digest their food but in this case the boiled eggs were found where the snake apparently regurgitated them. Don't know if it is true or just a story. When researching some say the snakes will die when swallowing a fake egg or golf ball and some say no they will regurgitate it. ???

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

After more digging I have found that the answer to this question is "no". A snake that swallows a golf ball or fake egg will not die. It simply regurgitates it like it would any other parts of a meal that it can't digest. Things like egg shells, bones, fur/hair and the like. The only reference I found of a golf ball or fake egg killing a snake is if, for some reason, it can't regurgitate it in a timely manner.

Case closed .....

 

[cmom]

After more digging I have found that the answer to this question is "no". A snake that swallows a golf ball or fake egg will not die. It simply regurgitates it like it would any other parts of a meal that it can't digest. Things like egg shells, bones, fur/hair and the like. The only reference I found of a golf ball or fake egg killing a snake is if, for some reason, it can't regurgitate it in a timely manner.

Case closed .....

Could you please cite your research. Curious and interested...

 

[cmom]

I must admit that I don't know where I read my research as I looked at so much. Always curious.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

Could you please cite your research. Curious and interested...

I didn't keep track of all the places I went since it was mostly just my musing. I just searched for things like "will a snake die if it swallows a golf ball" and it turned up a bunch of stuff. Most of it deals with snakes swallowing golf balls and fake eggs along with images.

Finally found a snake page that stated that a snake that swallows a fake egg or golf ball will just regurgitate it like anything else it can't digest. It will only be fatal to the snake if for some reason it can't regurgitate it.

Need to add: A snake will swallow an egg whole and then crush it to get the good stuff out of it. Once it has been crushed and squeezed the snake will regurgitate the shell since it isn't digestible. If a snake swallows a fake egg or golf ball it can't crush it. Once the snake figures out that it's made a mistake it will simply regurgitate the fake egg or golf ball and go on it's merry way.

Guess I need to start keeping up with my sources on this stuff huh.

 

[cmom]

I found pretty much the same information.