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Will corns eat birds?

texastailfeathers

texastailfeathers

New member
I feel like a goober for asking this, but the responsible grownup side of me just has to be sure...

I breed tiny parrots. They are very small and expensive. The largest bird is the size of a medium rat. They are housed in cages, but are all in the same room as my three corn snakes (14 in, 18 in, 16 in).

Family members have already started teasing me and asking if I'm missing any birds yet, and before customers start asking me questions about the snakes and birds being in the same room, I guess I should find out if I really need to be concerned. I know nothing is 100% guaranteed safe...believe me...one of my dogs ate THREE of my baby birds last year.

But really, do I have anything to worry about? Or am I living in a blissful state of denial by thinking it's no big deal to have snakes and birds? :shrugs:
 
I suppose it would be possible, once they have reached adult size. I don't think you'd have anything to worry about at the moment. In fact, I'd be more worried about the birds killing the snakes before the snakes eating the birds right now.

The best thing to do, if you are that concerned, would be to move the snakes into another room. If you don't want to do that, or you don't have any other place to keep the snakes (I know that happens at times.), just be sure that all of the snake inclosures are secure each time you put a snake away, or get into it for any reason.

Like I said though, the claws and beak of a bird would do considerably more damge to a small snake then it could do to the bird(s). And, corn snakes can climb - even up a door jams or wall depending on the moldings and angles of the walls - and will climb given a chance. They are also great escape artists, so making sure the cages are secure is a very important step in preventing escapes and possbile disaster.

Jenn
 
Separate The Birds And Snakes

Many years ago I bred various kinds of birds, including parrots. Some birds are real temperemental and can be upset at the sight of a predator. I still have a DY amazon that will freak at the sight of the garden hose. I would put the snakes out of the birds sight.

While corn snakes are avian opportunists, they really are rodent specialists. I suppose an escaped adult could get into a parrot's cage and pose a threat, especially at night. However,most parrots can bite really hard. I had a Sengal that could bite a corn snake in half.

All in all,you will sleep better with the two in separate areas.
 
texastailfeathers said:
But really, do I have anything to worry about? Or am I living in a blissful state of denial by thinking it's no big deal to have snakes and birds?
Click to expand...
Last fall, I got a phone call from an hysterical friend. Seems a gopher snake had wriggled through her garage, across her family room, up a chair and over a bookcase to her society finch cage. He had already eaten one of the adult finches before her boyfriend was able to remove the snake from the cage. This was a yearling Pacific gopher snake, comparable in size to a yearling corn. It managed to squeeze through bars set 3/8" apart. Snakes and small birds in the same room is playing with fire.

BTW, what kind of birds? Pacific parrotlets, quakers, what? I used to have several parrots, but am content now with 3 whiteface cockatiels and a couple of budgies. Well, those and 19 snakes, 2 cats, 1 turtle, 1 betta and 1 blackhooded rat :rolleyes:
 
Snakes are opportunistic, and, given the opportunity, will eat just about anything. Hungry snake + small bird = upset parrot breeder.

Not only that, birds are instinctively afraid of snakes, regardless of the size of the snake compared to the bird. Seperating them would greatly reduce any unnecessary stress on the young birds...
 
In Florida, birds are a natural food of corns. The cornsnake will climb a pine looking for a woodpecker nest. If the woodpecker sees the corn, it will start pecking around the nest hole, causing sap to drip down the tree trunk. If the sap touches the snake, it lets go of the tree and drops off. Otherwise, it has baby woodpeckers for lunch.

To test this, (just the climbing part) I took Maizey out into the yard to the big pine I originally found her under, and she climbed right up that tree like it was a flight of stairs.

Just make sure everyone is secure.

My pigeons don't seem to notice my snakes, but I never go up and say- "Hey, what do you think of my snake?" either, I just have snakes out to watch TV while Dill is out.

Nanci
 
Just a side-issue along the same lines... Some Corns will happily eat defrosted hen chicks. However, what plops out the other end after digestion, emits the second most revolting smell that a Corn can produce (next to a regurge)!

I only tried it the once - never again. I had the windows open for two days trying to get the smell cleared.... :puke01:
 
I breed Pacific parrotlets and Bourke parakeets. I also have a very small colony of finches (society & silverbill). My birds and snakes are on opposite ends of a very long room and can't see each other most of the time. The birds can only see the snakes when I have the snakes out for feeding or am handling them on the couch. The snakes spend most of their time hiding.

I would never let them out at the same time. I'm not one to tempt fate. However, I'd hate to wake up one morning to find that my snakes had eaten all the birds on the bottom set of cages. :)
 
Great advice from all!

I feed f/t chicks to my adult corns occasionally, and they love them (and also have no problem switching back to rodents the next week). But the poops are pretty disgusting and stenchy!

I had a couple of friends who raised finches and parrakeets outdoors and would occasionally find a yellow rat or corn nearby with a bird in the belly. If the corn is big enough to subdue and eat the parrot, there is a good chance it will, if given the opportunity.

As mentioned, the parrots may be stressed just looking at or smelling the snakes nearby.

Separation and secure enclosures are best.
 
I use chicks occasionally, too. & I haven't noticed the stinky poo--just a set of undigested feet each time.

Anyway, yes...corns do eat birds but there is no real reason you can't keep both. You just need to be very diligent about keeping both sets of animals secure.
 
my corns will eat most prey. occasionally feed f/t chick or small quail and switch back to rodents easily. my black pines prefer birds over rodents.
 
Mine is one of the few corns that won't eat chicks.. I tried them on the advice of a breeder I know, for a protein-boost because he'd been eating rats for a while.. Or just for a treat :) He wasn't at all interested, he had a sniff and ignored them.

However, ask a few people around here and they'll tell you he will eat sheep, horses, dinosaurs.... :laugh:
 
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