Snake Feeding Methods and Technical Key Points

1. Feeding of young snakes

The period from hatching from the egg or birth from the mother to before emerging from the first hibernation is the young snake stage. Young snakes aged 1 to 3 days generally do not need to be fed bait, as they obtain nutrition by absorbing the yolk of the egg sac. Young snakes enter the feeding-start period from 4 days of age. For the first baiting, since the snakes are not strong in activity and have poor ability to eat actively, artificial induction of feeding may be adopted, that is, placing young snake bait such as young mice, small @#@237@#@, small eels and other small animals with small volume but a certain degree of activity in the activity area of the young snakes to induce them to prey. For weak young snakes that cannot actively prey, they should be kept separately from young snakes that can actively prey, and tools such as ear-washing bulbs can be used to force-feed some fluid feed such as eggs or milk. Feeding method for young snakes: before feeding, a large syringe should be disinfected in advance, then the paste-like feed is drawn in. Pick up the young snake, gently open the snake's mouth, and slowly inject the compound feed; after the young snake swallows it, use the thumb to gently rub downward along the snake's body. The feeding amount should be determined by the size of the snake's body; generally each young snake is fed 10 to 20 grams each time, once a week. Practice has proved that this feeding method increases the survival rate by about 20% compared with young snakes that eat naturally. When force-feeding with white mouse meat pieces and internal organs, on average each young snake is force-fed 0.5 grams per 10 days; with a total of 8 force-feedings in the 2 months before winter, the snake's body can increase by 14.5% and body weight by 14.9%.

2. Feeding of adult snakes

Snakes that have entered the adult snake stage have larger bodies, and body shape and body weight increase rapidly. The main purpose of this stage is fattening, so that they form products, that is, they can be used for food and medicine. Force-feeding adult snakes for fattening is only suitable for fattening non-venomous snakes, not for feeding venomous snakes. It is generally carried out on the 4th day of the second baiting after emerging from the second hibernation, or it may begin 2 to 4 weeks before the adult snakes form finished products or before preliminary processing. At the beginning of force-feeding, because the snake's esophagus is relatively narrow, it is difficult to hold a large amount of feed at one time, so 5% to 10% water must be added to the mixed feed and stirred into a paste. Each time about 100 grams of thin material is force-fed, once every other day; after 3 to 4 force-feedings, over about 1 week, after the esophagus is gradually stretched, change to force-feeding once a day, with each force-feeding amount of 100 to 150 grams wet weight. The force-feeding time should not be too long; usually continuous force-feeding for 15 to 20 days is enough for snake products to be formed and sent out for preliminary processing. For the feed used in force-feeding, try to use animals locally available from local slaughterhouses or locally easy to obtain. For example, use the heads and internal organs of various animals, insects, @#@254@#@, etc. If there are bones, they must be crushed to prevent the snake's esophagus from being punctured. It may also be matched with 5% to 10% crushed plant-based feed, uniformly stirred, and then force-fed.