Snake ate a finch (small bird)

[twinkie]

I am not new to this website, however I couldn't log on with my regular name, but I felt I needed an answer quickly.

I have a cornsnake that got out of his cage, and ended up in my small finch cage and ate a finch!!!

Will the snake be ok? Obviously its too late for the bird, he scared one to death, and the other was missing, and sure enough the snake was under the paper in the cage, and has a fairly large bulge....

The snake is moving and seems quite content (and I had just fed him Sunday).

A very expensive lesson, to not keep my snakes near the small birds! Gouldian finches are very pricey...

Please don't scold me, just let me know if the snake will be ok or should I plan a vet visit to try and get this bird out of him? or will he digest it?

 

[ratsncorns]

He should be fine. I am sure that in the wild they will take small birds if they can. Sucks about your loss tho

 

[DAND]

It'll digest it, well, most of it. Like the hair from rodents the feathers aren't digestable.

 

[BeckyG]

Agreed. Snakes will often take wild birds if they can get to them. I once saw a nature program in which a corn snake was climbing a tree to prey on birds.

 

[Weebonilass]

Ouch... that was indeed a very expensive lesson. I'll agree with the others that the snake should be fine

 

[kathylove]

I sometimes feed chicks to my adult corns for variety, and they eat and digest them fine, although their stools are often messier afterwards.

If the finch is too big for him to digest properly, he may regurge. Then you just have to go through the usual regurge protocol. But he will probably digest it just fine.

Expensive meal!

 

[Checkerbelly]

That's an expensive Thanksgiving dinner.