Facts About The Red Bellied Snake Diet
Red bellied snakes are small, thin creatures commonly found across the United States. If you’re curious to know what they snack on, the answer is quite varied!
Primary Diet
The primary diet of red bellied snakes consists of:
- Insects, such as crickets and grasshoppers
- Small rodents, including mice and voles
- Lizards
- Frogs
- Bird eggs
Secondary Diet
Red bellied snakes are considered opportunistic feeders, meaning that they’ll eat whatever is available. For this reason, they definitely don’t shy away from a meal of:
- Carion
- Earthworms
- Fruit
- Slugs
They will even occasionally eat other snakes and small mammals, like rabbits. Though, this occurs very rarely.
Eating Habits
Though many think these snakes feed on a daily basis, they actually have a fairly irregular eating schedule due to their need to actively hunt for food. After they find a meal, they store it in their esophagus and stomachs, using the extra fat stores to digest the food over a period of days.
When they do feed, they consume their prey whole and the digestion process takes around 6 hours.
Conclusion
The diet of the Red bellied snake consists of mostly small insects, lizards, and rodents, with a few other items occasionally offered as snacks. Though they may not eat on a regular schedule, they’re sure to get their fill of whatever is available.
