Rough green snakes eat almost entirely insects and other arthropods, such as crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and spiders, and they prefer live prey. They do not eat mice.
What Rough Green Snakes Eat
Rough green snakes live in shrubs and trees, often near water, in the southeastern and central United States. They are diet specialists. About 98 percent of their diet is arthropods:
- Crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids
- Caterpillars and moths
- Spiders
- Occasionally snails and small tree frogs
They are not constrictors. They grab prey with their jaws and rely heavily on eyesight.
Keeping a Rough Green Snake
These snakes are slender, shy, and stressed by handling. They need a tall, planted enclosure with branches and misting, because they often drink dew from leaves. Feeding is the biggest challenge, since they need live, gut-loaded insects offered often. Wild-caught snakes are frequently stressed and may carry parasites, so many experts advise against keeping them. If you want one, choose a captive-bred animal.
If You Find One Outside
Enjoy it and leave it alone. A rough green snake eats pests in your garden and harms nothing. Avoid pesticides, which cut down the insects it relies on.
Bottom Line
Rough green snakes are insect eaters that thrive in leafy vegetation and do best when left in the wild. Related reading: what smooth green snakes eat, do snakes eat crickets, and do snakes eat grasshoppers.
For a sick or non-eating pet snake, see a reptile veterinarian.
