Snakes are carnivores, and their diet comprises mostly of rodents and other live animals. If you have a pet snake, giving it frozen rather than live rodents is ideal, as it helps it preserve its predator character. However, what happens when you don’t have access to enough rodents to feed your snakes, but you can access insects such as grasshoppers?
So, do snakes really eat grasshoppers? Smaller snake species such as the milk snake, garter snake, and corn snakes eat grasshoppers. Also, smooth green and rough green snakes, which are insectivorous, will feed on grasshoppers, given that insects form a major part of their diet. On the other hand, larger snake species such as ball pythons require substantial food sources to meet their hunger and nutritional demands and will eat insects as an appetizer rather than a complete meal.
Thus, whether a snake will eat grasshoppers or not will depend on their size preference and needs. Either way, you can feed your snake with insects to reduce hunger and not as the primary food.
If you want to know whether snakes eat grasshoppers, this is the ultimate guide for you. We help you know whether snakes eat grasshoppers, if garden snakes eat grasshoppers and whether snakes eat insects. Read through the rest of the sections to find out all the answers you need.
Do Snakes Eat Grasshoppers?
Large snake species usually feed on the whole preys even if the animal is larger than their mouth. This is possible due to their ability to unlock their jaws. However, what do small snakes feed on?
Some snake species, such as the garter snake, will eat grasshoppers. However, when they do, these insects will comprise a part of their diet, and they will eat other foods to satisfy their hunger. Also, while they may stay for long without consuming this delicacy, garter snakes enjoy eating grasshoppers.
Other snake species that eat grasshoppers include smooth green and rough green snakes, given their insectivorous nature. After eating grasshoppers, most snakes will hunt for rodents and other prey such as tadpoles, frogs, fish, and lizards. Other snake varieties that eat insects include the northern ringneck, which feeds on grasshoppers that eat near the Queen Anne’s lace plants.
Smaller snakes prefer feeding on rodents for satisfaction. Unlike grasshoppers, rodents provide them with a more sizeable meal and one rodent is enough to keep them going for days. However, when snakes are young, they will tend to feed on insects more than rodents as they slowly adjust. However, some snake species are also insectivorous and will rely solely on insects for food. Such snakes will also live in areas inhabited by insects.
For larger snakes, this isn’t the case. Some species, such as the king snakes, will also eat other snakes. Instead of chewing their prey, such snakes will swallow them whole since their teeth are not meant to chew them. The ability of a snake to swallow its prey will vary depending on the age and species.
Do Garden Snakes Eat Grasshoppers?
If you are a gardener, you know that insects can wreak havoc on your farm if left uncontrolled. Surprisingly, keeping a few snakes around your farm could relieve the insect control burden by providing a biological control mechanism.
Among the garden-friendly snake species that feed on grasshoppers include the garter snake, smooth, and rough green snakes. Garter snakes, also called gardener snakes, eat grasshoppers, grubs, slugs, and other insects that forage on plants’ leaves. They are most common during the spring and will come out to busk in flat rocks since they are cold-blooded. However, since they are shy, they will slither away when they hear human or pet movement.
The garter snake also produces a weak venom that cannot harm humans unless you are allergic. However, you should avoid stressing them when you find them as they can strike you. If you spot these snakes on your farm, you can ignore their presence and let them freely hide or continue eating the grasshoppers and other insects on your farm.
Rough green snakes also eat grasshoppers and other insects instead of rodents. These snakes are larger and tend to be much more mobile; hence, require a spacious enclosure. They are also calm and rarely bite, making them ideal pets. However, while keeping them, you should avoid handling them often, as they easily get stressed out.
If you have a rough green snake as a pet, you should minimize feeding them with live insects as this too can overwhelm and stress them, causing them to stop eating. Smooth green snakes, which are smaller than the rough green, feed on grasshoppers, worms, spiders, caterpillars, and slugs, among other garden insects.
If you own an insect-eating snake, you will need to supplement their diet occasionally with calcium and multivitamin. This is because your pet may not get all the essential nutrients from the variety of insects you feed them. You may also need to feed your snake more often than you would if you have them caged than if you allow them to roam freely on your farm.
While snakes are useful to your garden, most garden farms are shy and will jump away to escape when they hear your movements. If you want to attract snakes to your farm, you will need to make your farm snake-friendly by making some adjustments. To do this, provide hiding areas in your farm by supplying rocks, logs, and plywood.
You can also imitate nature by allowing diversity in your garden. Finally, you should minimize the use of harsh chemicals on your farm, as this can be harmful to your snakes if they feed on insects that have already ingested the chemical. Alternatively, you can use biological control against pests and insects in your garden.
Do Snakes Eat Insects?
If kept as pets, snakes are low maintenance, regardless of their size, given that they are not heavy feeders. Generally, a snake will feed once or twice a week and stay for months without food during hibernation. This makes it easy for the owner, as they will not need to stick around every time to feed their pet.
Some snake species eat insects, but they will supplement insects with other prey due to their nutritional needs. Also, young snakes will start feeding on insects and gradually adjust to the bigger prey as they age. When feeding on their prey, snakes prefer them whole as one piece. Such preys include rabbits, rodents, birds, and some reptiles. Therefore, if you are looking for a snake that does not feed on rodents, you can opt to keep insect-feeding snake species.
Insect feeding snakes include the garter snake and the rough green snake. The garter snake feeds on insects and is smaller in size; thus, less intimidating for individuals uncomfortable with larger snakes. The rough green snake mostly feeds on arthropods and insects. It can also eat frogs and snails. To feed on its prey, the garter green will grab and swallow them alive.
The garter and smooth green snakes also eat caterpillars. The slow-motion in caterpillars make it easier for these snakes to hunt them down and eat them compared to flying insects. However, garter snakes will only feed on the caterpillars when hungry, unlike the smooth and rough green snakes that will feed on caterpillars anytime.
Blind snakes, usually small in size, non-venomous, and with short tails, eat ants. These snakes typically inhabit trees, mostly with ant and termite nests. In addition to the ants and termites, these snakes also feed on their eggs and larvae.
They feed on the ants and termites by sucking the content of their bodies and dump the exoskeleton. Smooth green and rough green snakes also eat ants found in stream edges, marshes, and open woods. They can also look for ants in anthills and eat them in plentiful supply.
Snakes Eat Grasshoppers
Snakes eat grasshoppers and other insects. The insectivorous species will eat insects as their primary feed, while other species will eat snakes when hungry or as appetizers. Insects can neither satisfy a snake’s hunger nor meet their nutritional requirements. This is why as a snake owner, you will need to supplement their diet with rodents, vitamin, and calcium supplements.
A snake’s diet will vary with species and understanding the species first before settling for their diet is ideal. If you are unsure of your pet’s food requirements, it would be ideal to talk to your vet for recommendations. If the idea of feeding snakes with rodents puts you off, you can opt to keep insect-feeding snakes. This is because feeding snakes with insects is not as messy as with rodents. They are also rich in proteins, an essential requirement for your pet.
Finally, owning insect-feeding snakes rather than rodent feeding snakes has some benefits. First, it will save you the cost of purchasing frozen rodents and the idea of handling rodents.
Secondly, feeding your snake with rodents can be messy, especially if the rodent ruptures or leaks when your snake eats it. Lastly, if you feed your snake on live rodents, the rodents can harm them by biting them before the snake kills them. Thus, owning insect-feeding snakes is not only affordable but convenient for most snake owners.
