Strange Things Indigos have been observed eating

Hello all,

I am trying to speak to old timers or new timers that collected and observed wild Drymarchon of any species or subspecies eating something out of the ordinary such as fish or rodents.

Example : I have been told in the 80s an eastern was observed eating a small box turtle!
I have been told they eat crabs, crayfish and recently a picture was posted of a large indigo eating pieces off a decaying sharks head. (I have looked for the photo since but could not locate it.) Another photo I saw awhile back was of and indigo in England I believe that was constricting and eating a large pit viper of some sort, possibly a fer-de-lance (but once again I cannot remember the web-site etc.) I need to download them when I come across them!
Anyway whether in the wild or in captivity (eating a shoe or child’s toy) I would be interested in hearing about it.
The Indigo fills the niche of the apex predator of the reptile/amphibian world as far as I know; everything runs for its life when the "Great White Shark" of the Snakes is out finding meal!

Thanks
Wlamore

rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads, DOR any snakes
cornish game hens, chicken hearts, strips of chicken breast
quail, bullsnakes, goldfish, live baby chickens, doves, pigeons, rabbits
rats, mice, squirrel, deer meat, whole crawdads, raw or cooked shrimp
....and the list will grow I am sure.

those are the things I used to feed my TX Indigo. the only thing she ever refused was liver of any kind. she would also eat gizzards. I miss those days. I had to sell her and all but one snake when I lost my job. I had a huge female bull that would do the same.

now I have a very picky Northern Pine that will only eat rodents.

all of the snakes I ever fed the Indigo were DOR. I know they eat them in the wild tho, especially W. DB's.

Bill,
My captive male Eastern Indigo would eat soaked monkey biscuit, hot dogs, and pizza! I'm not condoning this diet, esp the hot dogs and the pizza of course, but he ate 'em! I did not feed these items to him on a regular basis AT ALL, just experimentally. His usual diet was rats and mice. I once fed him a frozen-thawed bullfrog, the ONLY ONE he ever got. Two days later he happily voided what could only be described as an oil slick!
Mike Collalto
Rochester, NY

I have fed my Eastern kingsnake hot dogs and cat food. haha she also made a garter snake disappear when it was accidently put back into the wrong cage.... thanks dad... 10 years ago...

Hi Bill, this thread is aging but if youu are still out there...

I am an advocate of feeding a wide variety to my captives. This includes chicks, quail, mice, bull frogs, snakes including gophers, glossys, striped and red racers, rattlesnakes, leaf nosed, king snakes, etc. Whole trout, and fillets from a wide variety of fish, including some salt water types. Rats. Pigeon legs/fillets and young squabs. The wild type foods are road killed or collected and frozen for several weeks and thawed. I am cautioned about parasite transmission, I ran 5 fecals recently and my snakes are very "clean" and no obvious parasites present. I saw someone post their Indigo eats whole eggs, pigeons I think. I mostly feed chicks and quail and mice, and the others are supplemental. The Indigos seem to really like snakes, it is amazing how they know what to do with them, instinctively. They bite the head, pin down the body and stretch it...

good luck, Vic

I have a pic somewhere that Alan Brutosky sent me of one of his Drymarchon eating a baby pig. I'll see if I can find it. From what Mr. Brutosky tells me, birds should comprise about 70% of their diet in captivity, otherwise they become obese. He was also cautioning me about feeding pinkies to the hatchlings as they sometimes get impacted with the skulls. Jeff Snodgress was also telling me about his oldest female, who is about 25 years old, and will eat hotdogs - not that he feeds her those regularly, but did once just to see what she would do. Said she's blind as a bat, but found the darn thing in her cage and scarfed it right down. I'm of the opinion if something has any caloric value that a jacobson's organ can trace, it is fair game with an indigo.