Rare: Rescuing a pet snake that swallowed its own tail because it was too hungry
The king snake swallowed part of its own body because it was so hungry and thought its tail was another snake.
Image of a snake swallowing its own tail.
The clip recording this rare moment was recorded by Jesse Rothacker, an expert working at a reptile sanctuary in the state of Pennsylvania (USA), showing the moment the king snake is devouring and trying to swallow the tail of the snake. me in the stomach.
“I’ve worked with snakes and reptiles for the past 15 years, but have never seen a snake swallow itself. It’s an interesting and rare sight,” said Jesse Rothacker.
“Snakes can bite their own body, mistaking it for another snake or prey, but a snake actually trying to eat itself is unusual.
It seems that this snake was too hungry and mistakenly thought its body was another snake, so it tried to swallow it whole,” Rothacker added.
Amazed by the incident, however, Rothacker also gently intervened, removing the king snake’s tail from its mouth before the animal hurt itself. The expert then provided the snake with a meal to prevent it from repeating itself.
According to reptile and snake experts, when a snake is kept in a cage that is too narrow, it becomes tense and easily agitated.
At that time, the snake may mistake its tail for another snake and will attack or swallow its tail. Because snakes often swallow their prey, not shredding it, snakes will not feel pain when swallowing their own tail.
In many cases, if not detected early, snakes can choke and lead to death.
King snakes are non-venomous snakes, however, they are resistant to the venom of other snakes, including extremely venomous snakes such as cobras or rattlesnakes… uses the strength of its muscles to squeeze and kill its prey, before devouring them.
The food of king snakes is very diverse, including lizards, mice, birds, eggs and other snakes.
