Snakes That Do Not Eat Rodents: Insectivorous Snake Care

[bronxzoofrank]

Hi, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m a herpetologist, zoologist, and book author, recently retired from a career spent at several zoos, aquariums, and museums, including over 20 years with the Bronx Zoo

Snakes that feed solely upon insects, earthworms, spiders, snails and other invertebrates are a great choice for folks who would rather not handle rats and mice. They also have other attractive characteristics, including small size, inoffensive natures, and adaptability to naturalistic terrariums containing live plants. What’s more, most receive scant attention as captives, and so offer us the opportunity to record new facts about their needs and habits. Several invertebrate-eaters, such as Brown Snakes (Storeria) and Ring-Necked Snakes (Diadophis), thrive in the hearts of large cities, while others, including the Worm Snakes (Carphophis), Black-Headed Snakes (Tantilla), Snail-Eating Snakes (Sibon), Red-Bellied Snakes (Storeria), Pine Woods Snakes (Rhadinae) and Flower Pot Snakes (Rhamphotyphlops), are sometimes collected and offered for sale. Today I’ll introduce this fascinating but over-looked group. Please see the articles linked below to read about others that can do without rodents, including Garter, Ribbon and Green Snakes. Read the rest of this article here http://bit.ly/1uZHmKl

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My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: http://bitly.com/LC8Lbp

Best Regards, Frank

[happy1892]

I have seen and caught some of the Storeria dekeyi and worm snakes before here in NC. But I could not make them eat (Or they ate worms without me knowing.).

[bronxzoofrank]

I have seen and caught some of the Storeria dekeyi and worm snakes before here in NC. But I could not make them eat (Or they ate worms without me knowing.).

DeKay's snakes usually adapt after awhile and will feed on the surface if kept hungry...worm snakes are very hard to observe, and tend not to do well unless all is perfect. A friend who also collected some in the SE set them up in a modified "ant farm", and had some good results, but generaly they are tough. Some DeKay's prefer slugs or salamanders...may depend upon origin of the animal. Please keep me posted, frank

[dogpack]

I had larger snakes years ago.  Thank you Frank for writing about the smaller insect/worm eaters.  I'm in Arkansas near Glenwood.  What insect eaters are around this area?