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Beefing up a Cottonmouth
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by thenewdisciple on May 13, 2005
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ive got a florida cottonmouth, who will eat anything (no big suprise huh?). i wouldnt be suprised if he would eat lettuce, lol. im wondering if feeding him chicken or beef heart would be bad for him?
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RE: Beefing up a Cottonmouth
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by earthguy on May 13, 2005
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I don't know that it would be bad for him, but I can't imagine that it would be particularly good for him, either. We (humans) are a rare breed in nature, because we are omnivores. We can eat darn near anything and survive (although I wouldn't recommend too diverse a diet). You know the phrase "you are what you eat"? Well, animals are too. Cottons have a pretty diverse diet. One record in the most recent Herpetological Review (Vol. 36 No. 1 March 2005) cites a cotton attempting to eat a DOR cat. At any rate, to limit what a cotton eats is to limit the available amino acids, lipids, and other important structures (that we all remember from Biochemistry). A whole rat (or fish, forg, lizard, snake, small rabbit, etc.) has a much greater diversity of amino acids (which build proteins for muscle, venom, enzymes, etc.) than a beef heart or a beef liver. My suggestion is that you just give him a selection of natural foods. For a run down you might want to read Roger Conants book or see Vincent et al in the Journal of Zoology (Vol 264 2004)
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RE: Beefing up a Cottonmouth
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by Phobos on May 13, 2005
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Arron:
I feed my snakes a wide variety of food items: Rats, Mice, Chicks and Quail. It would be healthy as long as it does not harbor paracytes.
Al
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RE: Beefing up a Cottonmouth
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by Cro on May 13, 2005
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Snakes need to eat whole animal foods. The occasional meal of beef heart, chicken, or even pizza will probably not hurt your cottonmouth. I once had an indago snake that would eat hotdogs, pine-cones, water bowls, almost anything that was put into its cage, LOL ! For long term health, you need to feed it whole animals. JohnZ
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