What do you feed a baby black snake?

Answer 1

It depends of what you call a "black snake". This term has been used to describe both the Black Rat Snake(Elaphe obsoletta) and the Black Racer(Coluber constrictor), two very different snakes. Baby Black Rat Snakes should feed readily on mice pinkies to fuzzies, depending on their size, and will remain rodent feeders throughout their lives. Baby Racers can be a bit more fussy; as small youngsters, they tend to feed on small lizards more than anything else, and gradually switch over to a more-varied diet that will still include lizards, small rodents and the occasional small bird. Neither Rat Snakes nor Racers are insectivores or aquatic feeders, so neither would recognize a fish or an insect as food. Some baby Racers will readily eat pinky mice, but they are few and far between.

Answer 2

And then again, your "black snake" could be an eastern indigo, in which case, is illegal to own.

Or it could be an adult ringneck snake, in which case, slugs, worms, ant larvae, termites, etc.

This is why common names are troublesome... especially nicknames. I don't think I have to say Coluber Constrictor for most people to know what I'm talking about, because Black racer is at least the real name of the snake.

But as was mentioned earlier, if you caught it, let it go where you caught it from. If it's wild, you don't know what kinds of parasites it has, or anything like that. Best to have a snake that has been kept in captivity for a while and take some pressure off the wild population. Wild snakes have enough trouble keeping any type of population just dealing with cars and people wanting to kill them. They have a job to do, and people need to just start letting them do it without interfering.

Answer 3

The Black Racer Snake is one of the fastest non-venomous snakes in North America. I wouldn't particularly call them the best pets. I would have to agree with the others in saying you should let him go. Snakes need special care-- heating, diet care, fair sized encolosures. "Small mammals, other snakes and insects are preferred food items, although racers take a wide variety of prey. They will even feed on young of their own species." Well, there you have their diet. How small is it exactly? You should be feeding it mice that are the same thickness as your snakes girth (thickest part). I don't know how big your snake is exactly-- feed him insects or pinkie mice if he can.

Answer 4

have you tried feeding it minows or medium or large feeder goldfish (depending on snakes size). just place a couple in its water dish.

Answer 5

baby mice, lizards, insects, but is best to let him go to fend for himself.