Anonymous

What Do Black Racer Snakes Eat?

21

21 Answers

Luke Wilcox Profile
Luke Wilcox answered
Black Racer snakes are predators and eat rats, mice, lizards, moles, insects, salamanders, birds, eggs, small snakes (even the young of their own species), rodents and frogs.

Despite its Latin name, Coluber constrictor, the Black Racer snake is more likely to crush its victim into the ground or suffocate it rather than coiling around it in typical constrictor fashion.
Black Racer snakes travel rapidly, hence their name. They can travel at speeds of up to 10 miles per hour and use their speed to chase their victims, grab them with their strong jaws and swallow them alive.

Black Racer snakes can climb small trees and bushes to feed on birds and their eggs. They can also swim. They utilise a variety of habitats including dry or moist woodlands, rocky ledges, pastures, overgrown fields and the edges of wetlands. They are diurnal, meaning that they are active primarily during the day, and can tolerate high temperatures that see other snakes seeking shade. They can often be seen hunting and foraging, seeking shelter at night and in cooler weather.

Black Racer snakes mate in spring. The females lay up to 36 eggs in early summer, which are coated with small nodules like grains of sand. They hatch in late summer or early autumn. The hatchling Black Racers are up to 14 inches long.

The Black Racer snake was nominated as the official state reptile of Ohio in 1995. It is beneficial to the state farmers as it eats the rodents.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Okay to all who said feed it mice when its a baby you're so wrong so you should feel extremely stupid right now. I just caught a wild baby bull snake and I know what they eat. Yes you only feed it crickets and small worms because they are too tiny to fit a baby mouse in it's mouth. Its head is smaller than my pinkie nail right now. When they get older yes they eat small baby mice you can buy at the pet store but that's not the question here is it?
Suesbooks Profile
Suesbooks answered
When they are young, they eat mealworms or ground turkey or chicken. Feed them with tweezers. Then you can give them crickets as it grows. You can give it small pieces of raw lean meat, chopped up rat. Then as they grow, feed it live baby mice, spiders, grubs and crickets. They will eat live things. They will eat frogs.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
While they are small, insects and worms.  Pet stores usually have meal crickets for small snakes and lizards, very cheap.  When they get bigger, meal mice available at a pet store will suffice.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
I've kept Black Racers(Coluber constrictor) snakes, and the related Coachwhips, for many years. Black Racers DO NOT eat fish, or any invertebrate animals, and will not even recognize those as food sources. They DO eat small rodents, primarily mice, but will also eat lizards and occasionally, smaller snakes. They will also eat small birds or bird eggs. In captivity most will eat mice. Hatchling Racers will eat small lizards or "pinkie"(newborn)mice.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Southern black racer snakes in Arkansas eat any animal that will fit in their mouths. The ones around our house seem particularly fond of eating entire nests full of baby birds.
Akshay Kalbag Profile
Akshay Kalbag answered
Black racer snakes are an important link in the food chain in the natural ecosystems of the world. The typical prey of the black racer snake depends on the size of the black racer snake. It usually includes small varieties of invertebrates, such as slugs, worms and insects. They also eat fish, some varieties of amphibians, other snakes, birds, the eggs which are laid by birds, and some species of small mammals.

Some species, including the black racer snake, the black rat snake and the milk snake also consume a large number of rodents. They can be seen around barns and it is because of the fact that they eat rodents and other farm pests that they are of great help to farmers. They frequently enter the burrows of mice and rats and eat their young, and they also like slugs and other species of insects that have soft bodies.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
You can feed it baby mice. Depending on the size you'll be able to feed it pinkies (baby mice without fur) or fuzzies (baby mice with some fur). As it gets bigger it will need bigger mice. These snakes can grow up to 60 inches so make sure you are willing to look after it when it gets that long. It is not recommended to release a snake after its been in captivity for more than 3 months. After that time period it has adjusted to life as a captive animal and will not be able to survive in the wild.

To be honest, blue racers do not make good pets as they tend to be aggressive. They also fall prey to parasites and disease easier than other snakes. A better starter snake would be a garter as they only grow to approximately 3 ft, are easier to feed, and tend to be much more friendly (just a suggestion).
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
I would put it in a 10 -20 gallon aquarium with a screen lid and clamps for now, but later it will need a larger aquarium a 55 gallon or so with a screen lid and clamps so that he won't get out. He will eat insects, spiders, small frogs, small reptiles, small rodents and shrews. You will need appropriate lighting for warmpth ect..  a good sized water dish big enough for it to lay in and 3-4 hiding places. I would use newspaper as bedding because it is easy to change and cheap to replace when soiled.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
A blue racer is another name for black racer. They have a bluish color to the black
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Wrong! The blue racer is similar to the blak racer, but is more northern than the black racer and their pathes intersect some times. The blue racers base is in michigan, while the black racers base is more south of that.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Black Racer snakes have fangs in the back of their mouths that has a very powerful toxin. This toxin cannot be injected if the snake bites you, but the bite is very painful.

Answer Question

Anonymous