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Feeding Neonate Elapids.
Ron Waters has kept reptiles, including elapid snakes, since the mid 1960s.
Inspired significantly by Vincent Serventy’s iconic natural history program of the era,
Nature Walkabout, he started catching Tiger Snakes, Little Whip Snakes and other
reptiles when he was in primary school. Later he went on gain a Master’s Degree,
majoring in zoology; while still a student Ron worked for the City of Hobsons Bay as
their snake catcher. Since the 1980s, Ron has worked in the environmental sector of
the Victorian State Government. He has written articles on science and the
environment for newspapers, including The Age.
It’s that dual feeling of elation and ‘there goes my
life for a few months’. You’ve awoken to 30 writhing
worms in your Tiger Snake enclosure or a bunch of
eggs in with your brown snakes. Elation because
you’ve successfully (perhaps accidentally!) bred
them. Distress because you are now faced with
dozens of tiny, venomous mouths to feed.
Starting juvenile elapids feeding can be challenging.
Sure, some species will take their first meal without
any fuss. More likely, anything but the largest
species will require some coaxing. And even if
you’re familiar with getting pythons and colubrids
going, there’s the extra challenge of avoiding getting
bitten.
Natural versus substitute diets.
With a few exceptions, neonate elapids will feed
readily on small lizards, such as skinks or geckos,
together with frogs or tadpoles. Some will also eat
each other. The reason that lizards and amphibians
1.