East African egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis medici)

Short answers

East African egg-eating snake: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 110×55×110 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, egg-eating snakes). Height.

East African egg-eating snake: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 25–31 °C, basking spot 33 °C, at night 20–24 °C.

East African egg-eating snake: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Not required.

East African egg-eating snake: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 10–15 years.

East African egg-eating snake: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

25–31 °C

Night temperature

20–24 °C

Basking spot

33 °C

Humidity

55–70 %

UVB

Not required

Enclosure

Minimum size

from 110×55×110 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, egg-eating snakes). Height

Substrate

Bark mulch, plenty of climbing branches, a cork hide, a water dish

Feeding

Food

ONLY bird eggs of a suitable size (zebra finch, quail or canary eggs)

Feeding interval

1×/week

Key facts

Adult size

70–110 cm

Life expectancy

10–15 years

Origin

East Africa

Protection status

Not listed under CITES; toothless and completely harmless to people

Brumation

A cooler dry spell of 6–8 weeks

Cohabitation

Keep them singly. Snakes are solitary and do not seek company — a shared hide is competition for the best spot, not social behaviour. The concrete reason is the feeding accident: if two animals grab the same food item, one can swallow the other along with it. On top of that, once they are kept together you can no longer tell which animal has eaten and which is losing weight. For breeding, put them together under supervision and separate them again afterwards.

Notes

It eats only birds' eggs – a supply of eggs in the right size has to be secured before purchase, or keeping it is not possible. It climbs a lot; toothless and harmless.

Do you keep this species?

Add your animal to Reptoria – Reptoria reminds you about feeding and shedding. Add your animal for free →

Look for East African egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis medici) in the marketplace →

Related species

• Common egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis scabra) – Intermediate
• African house snake (Boaedon fuliginosus) – Beginner
• False water cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas) – Experts
• Spotted house snake (Boaedon maculatus) – Beginner
• Western whip snake (Hierophis viridiflavus) – Intermediate
• Striped house snake (Boaedon lineatus) – Beginner
• Smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis) – Expert
• Rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep East African egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis medici) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (from 110×55×110 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, egg-eating snakes). Height), substrate (Bark mulch, plenty of climbing branches, a cork hide, a water dish), a heat source with a thermostat, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.