Digestibility, Palatability, and Nutrient Composition of Three Species of Whole Prey in Three Species of Snakes

Snakes in human care often lack diversity in the diet. Rodents account for the majority of meals, while wild snakes are consuming a varied diet composed of multiple different whole prey species. By feeding only one species of prey, the chance of nutrient deficiencies and other health concerns increases. To promote variety in the managed diet, two commercially available whole prey species (mice (Mus musculus) and chicks (Gallus spp.)) and one novel species (Seba’s short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata)), were analyzed for their dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude fat (CF), and gross energy (GE) concentrations. Additionally, the three whole prey species were fed to three species of snakes to measure and compare CP, CF, and GE digestibility. Palatability of mice and bats was compared to determine if bats make for a suitable prey species to feed in rotation to three species of snakes. Mice were the most calorically dense prey and had the highest fat concentration (25.7%). On the contrary, bats were the least calorically dense and had the lowest crude fat concentration (14.7%). Chicks had the highest concentration of CP (76.4%). Digestibility of CP and GE were not significantly different (P > 0.05) in any of the snake species for any of the whole prey. However, CF digestibility was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in chicks (87.4%) than in bats (97.5%) and mice (97.9%). When offered the choice between a bat and a mouse simultaneously, snakes approached the bat first in 21 out 32 observations (65.6%), and consumed the bat in 20 out of 32 trials (62.5%). Based on these results, bats are a suitable rotational prey item to feed to snakes in human care. Advisor: Lisa Karr