Why can the snakes be poisoned or trapped in the same manner as rats?
There are a number of difficulties associated with attempting to poison snakes partially because of the way they forage in the wild. Snakes are very selective about what they eat. They will often refuse to eat real bird eggs if they have been refrigerated, have been washed, or are below a typical body temperature of a bird. All of this suggests that the snakes use more than the appearance of potential prey when considering their next meal. Also, evolution has helped snakes develop natural defenses against consuming potentially harmful substances: they will often regurgitate or pass indigestible materials if they are accidentally consumed. Another difficulty in poisoning snakes involves the type of substance that needs to be used to attract snakes. Snakes are quite particular about their food and are usually not fooled by fake baits, so poisoned prey items such as eggs, meat, or other attractants would be needed. The problem with this idea is that many other organisms include the same f
