Need advise! Feeding ringneck

[Albert Clark]

All snakes are carnivores and they don't eat insects. Ringnecks feed on nightcrawlers, earthworms, slugs and small fish and toads. It's a good idea to try guppies as the fish and stick with nightcrawlers from a bait store. Also try cut up smelt also from the bait store. If you want to stick to local foods for him the earthworms in your backyard should be ok too.

[Minkness]

Originally Posted by Albert Clark

All snakes are carnivores and they don't eat insects.

Some snakes are insectivores actually. Rough green snakes are a prime example. Also, very young garters will eat small insects until large enough to eat more appropriate prey. Those are just the ones that came to my mind first. I'm sure other snakes out there share a similar diet.

As for the ringneck...while I have no personal experience on then, I have always wanted one since i was a kid and have done alot of research.

They should be kept in soil which will need to be misted regularly. The best diet for them are earth worms/night crawlers. They usually do not eat crickets or other hard bodied insects, so stick to worms. I haven't heard of them eating fish, but I haven't heard it was bad for them either. They also like it cooler, so some keepers do not provide a heat source, but some will just in case. They do not need any over head lighting since they are a burrowing type of snake and too much light can stress them out.

Again, I'm not expert, this is not my experience, just what I have learned while researching in hopes of one day having one.

Also, please note. Ringnecks don't usually do too well in captivity, so don't be surprised if the worst happens. I wish you all the luck and look forward to updates on the little guy =)

[Albert Clark]

Originally Posted by Minkness

Some snakes are insectivores actually. Rough green snakes are a prime example. Also, very young garters will eat small insects until large enough to eat more appropriate prey. Those are just the ones that came to my mind first. I'm sure other snakes out there share a similar diet.

As for the ringneck...while I have no personal experience on then, I have always wanted one since i was a kid and have done alot of research.

They should be kept in soil which will need to be misted regularly. The best diet for them are earth worms/night crawlers. They usually do not eat crickets or other hard bodied insects, so stick to worms. I haven't heard of them eating fish, but I haven't heard it was bad for them either. They also like it cooler, so some keepers do not provide a heat source, but some will just in case. They do not need any over head lighting since they are a burrowing type of snake and too much light can stress them out.

Again, I'm not expert, this is not my experience, just what I have learned while researching in hopes of one day having one.

Also, please note. Ringnecks don't usually do too well in captivity, so don't be surprised if the worst happens. I wish you all the luck and look forward to updates on the little guy =)

The rough green snake is listed as a carnivore in all of the literature. But you are right that they eat insects. Mostly grasshoppers, caterpillars and spiders. Also they feed on moths and crickets.