2006-07-18 15:32:28 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
The question is "could" it eat a kitten, Not "should I feed a kitten to a snake" I dont want my kitten to get eaten.
2006-07-19 01:04:36 · update #1
I don't think so but it would depend on the size of the kitten.
I wouldn't recommend you allowing the python near the kitten unsupervised.
2006-07-19 06:22:39 · answer #1 · answered by carl l 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It probably *can*, but ball pythons are notorious for imprinting on prey. If a ball has only eaten frozen/thawed rats all its life, it may not be interested in anything that doesn't smell right -- especially something that moves *and* doesn't smell right.
Still, better not to risk it. The kitten still has claws, and could cut the python up quite badly, especially inside the mouth. And even if you were just planning on "introducing" your two pets to one another... well, one little snap from a python that big and you'd have a mortally injured kitten and blood and squealing and generally a very large mess.
Go get yourself some more frozen rats and leave the local animal shelter alone. Seriously.
EDIT: Just got a PM that suggests the person who asked the question is not, in fact, planning on doing any live kitty feeding. Phew. Glad for the clarification. Still, the answer stands: the python might not attack prey so different from its normal food... but it only takes one little exploratory bite to have a seriously gory incident.
I imagine it'd be possible to train your snake to be less interested in cats -- handle your kitten lots, then handle the snake. You'll either end up with some interesting conversational-piece scars, or the snake will learn that cat-smell does not equal food-smell. Perhaps the chances of a bad confrontation would be lower, too, if you kept your python extraordinarily well-fed, and never allowed it to eat live (moving) prey.
That's still just a guess, and it still would take just one bite to be, well, dead wrong.
Wouldn't chance it.
2006-07-18 15:55:06 · answer #2 · answered by Tenley_S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could kill it. But also the kitten would probably fight back. Just like when my snakes are eating I have to check and make sure the rats wouldn't bite them. And if the snake did try to eat the cat it would most likely hurt it alot. cause i have a 4' ball python also yea no way it's gonna be able to eat a kitten without it hurting it.
2006-07-19 03:38:43 · answer #3 · answered by Andi 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If its a kitten, yup that snake ought to kill it. Ive considered some heavy duty 5 foot balls pythons, and they could without question kill a kitten. no longer certain what kind of bread of kitten may weigh 4lbs. Thats a huge kitten. 10lbs cat is a good sized cat. yet i'd be scared for the safe practices of my finished grown cat round an finished grown ball.. And vise versa. If the ball doesnt get the hind legs tied up he ought to wade through awefully. Snakes do kill animals they can't devour. They dont use measuring tapes. Your kittens and cats aren't to any extent further secure with an finished grown boid on the free. no count number ball, rock, boa.
2016-10-14 22:50:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The real question is would it? The answer is no...a ball python imprints what specific types of prey it eats and the list is very narrow.
There a ways to get a four-foot ball python to eat a kitten but you also sound like the kind of idiot who might try it too...
2006-07-18 16:17:37 · answer #5 · answered by rian 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They like kittens and puppy's as well. Even a rather large kitten will be easy to eat. By the time they become cats they usually know better than get near a snake.Here Boas have even swallowed baby humans.
2006-07-18 15:41:25 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure about eat, but it could definitely kill one. Ball pythons are smaller pythons, and while a kitten might be the size of a guinea pig, most balls are sized more for rats.
2006-07-19 16:33:42 · answer #7 · answered by shadowfist 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it could. Please for God's sake, do not lwet the snake out of the cage, and keep the kittne away from the cage at all times.l I would really hate fot eh kittne to die like that. That is a low and painful death and that kitten would be swalloed whole. Please take what I am saying seriously! Keep the snake and kittne away from each other at all times.
2006-07-18 20:12:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
not sure why a couple people say no of course it could i have studied snakes for years also went to college for 6 years to be a zoo-oligist specialty in reptiles and it can swallow your kitten up
2006-07-19 06:58:21 · answer #9 · answered by RC 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it depends on the size of the kitten
2006-07-18 15:35:47 · answer #10 · answered by Jonas A 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋