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nickyff
Yearling
507 Posts |
 Posted - 06/04/2012 : 00:16:58
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okay so we've all read a squillion times about how if aspen sticks to the mouse and gets eaten, a snake can become 'impacted' ? and it's really dangerous..
my OH asked something the other day, and i thought- hm, good point, so here goes...
if they can digest fur, feathers, claws, bones beaks and teeth, how come they can't digest a bit of aspen??
obviously im not planning on any stupid experiments, but i did think it was a logical question to ask.
so, ...does anybody know? why aspen/beech chips/whatever would be more indigestible than all the above??? |
and you thought there was no such thing as a stupid question....
1.2.0 corns: captain haddock, sharon the tiddler and Darling Debbie. plus 0.2.0 cali kings: spot and Numpty... not forgetting the delightful Miss Lovely-Gonzalez-La-Poop apricot pueblan milk snake, and we all miss the Lodger who thought he was a cobra....
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kev 5
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3065 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 00:35:32
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| good question - 1 of my snakes will only eat in his viv so i put a length of perspex in the viv which covers most of the substrate(which is corn cob)then leave the mouse on top of that. but i've seen him drag the mouse around the viv loads of times managing to find the small areas not covered,then he eats the mouse wiv a few bits of substrate on it and he's never had any problems |
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a33272
our battery charger
United Kingdom
3063 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 14:32:48
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| its to do with the wood fibre that there tummy acid cant break down. bone an beck are made up of various minerals. which the acid can break down ok. same with fur. |
    
0.1.0 creamsicle corn-Marmalade
1.0.0 jungle carpet python-Bumble
1.0.0 corn Casper
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Spreebok
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
1135 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 18:14:53
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Yeah, pretty much what A33272 said. Their stomachs and the acids are designed to digest flesh and bone and the like, as that's their diet. Snakes are carnivores, so the stomach acids aren't made to digest plant matter, unlike omnivores such as us :)
And they don't really digest fur too well, like larger snakes don't digest hooves and such. It because they're all mostly composed of Keratin, hence why you occasionally get a lovely little plait of fur out the other end haha!
Anyway, thats my understanding of it, I thiiink it's right haha
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Katie.Dublin
Sub Adult
Ireland
1560 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 18:28:10
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| interesting! |
     
0.1 normal (Miami) - Hugo
0.1 hypo Motley - Spunky
0.1 MBK - Tequila. RIP
Horses, bearded dragons, a red tailed boa constrictor, a tortoise, a cat and a dog |
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Dancross0
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
1315 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 18:43:48
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| Adding to what a33272 has said, it's the enzymes in the stomach juices that break apart the bonds between the proteins in flesh, and the acids break down the bones. Wood is made up of cellulose, which is bonded differently to flesh, and so the enzymes don't break it down.... |
Aguna CB11 Anery - Typhon CB12 Amber - Plissken CB08 Carolina - Iara CB11 Caramel
Indra CB12 Lavender (?) - Evren CB12 Carolina (?) - Ophis CB11 Hypo Lavender - Sirae CB11 Ghost Motley
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lupi lou
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3670 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 19:35:27
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| ohh this is very interesting. you learn some thing new every day! |
 
1.0.1 Corns
0.1.0 Dog: springer
1.0.0 Horse
0.4.0 Gerbils
2.2.0 Leopard gecko
0.2.0 Cave gecko |
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 19:39:53
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| What a33 said, if every animal could process everything they put in their mouths, we would be able to digest metal and plastic and poop it out fine... |
  
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
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nickyff
Yearling
507 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 21:27:05
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thx for that- after the OH asked it was bugging me....
it totally makes sense, though; the same reason that cows have to have four stomachs in their digestive system to break down the fibres in grass, and rabbits and guinea pigs eat their poos and so digest the plant matter twice |
and you thought there was no such thing as a stupid question....
1.2.0 corns: captain haddock, sharon the tiddler and Darling Debbie. plus 0.2.0 cali kings: spot and Numpty... not forgetting the delightful Miss Lovely-Gonzalez-La-Poop apricot pueblan milk snake, and we all miss the Lodger who thought he was a cobra....
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smart bunny
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
5091 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2012 : 08:24:17
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| Eeeewwwww, could have done without that final part of the sentence Nicky lol!!! |
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substrate- silly Q
