Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In a thread a little while ago, I made a statement that no brown snakes in the U.S. are native to an area where ringneck snakes would eat them. In the brown snake's range, there are northern ringneck snakes, southern ringnecks, prairie ringnecks, mississippi ringnecks, regal ringnecks and even key ringnecks.

I was wrong, number 1, because regal ringneck snakes are notorious snake eaters, and texas brown snakes must fall victim to them at one point.

But... Like I said in other posts, I have kept northern ringneck snakes with brown snakes, southern ringneck snakes with brown snakes, and prairie ringneck snakes as well. I have done hundreds of feeding trials combined over 7 sub-species, and only had 2 sub-species take brown snakes... the NorthWestern Ringneck snake and the Regal Ringneck snake.

I have had Northern Ringneck Snakes that would eat 2-4 snakes a week, but would not touch a brown snake. I have never had Prairie ringnecks or Southern Ringnecks eat them as well. I have yet to have any southern ringneck snake eat any kind of snake.

Today was feeding day for an adult female Southern ringneck snake I have. I offered her a worm... I'm in the process of switching her over to pinkies... And she wouldn't take it because it didn't move enough. So, I took it out, and put in a neonate Northern brown snake.

The Northern brown snake moved right towards the ringneck and they went head to head, with the ringneck flicking it's tongue the same way as my regal flicks it's tongue at live prey. It grabbed the brown snake on the neck, and started swallowing it. The whole process took less than 2 minutes, from introduction into the cage to fully swallowed.

Over the past half a year or so that I had this particular southern ringneck, she lived with a couple rough earth snakes, some as small as 6 inches long, a 10" night snake, a bunch of other southern ringneck snakes and garter snakes. She never once ate any snakes.

Interesting indeed...

And that is why, number 2, I am wrong. Southern ringneck snakes will eat brown snakes as well...

So, Snake_Master, I apologize, I was wrong.

Mike

Michael's Place

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Michael's Place has updated, better caresheets
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

apology accepted,, and im sorry for saying I didnt believe you on anything, and I do and of course you have pictures, i was just angry noone believed me... the ringneck snakes in my range are miss.x northerns and i found them under a peice of tin like that lol...But like you have said I have housed them together plenty of times and they never tried to eat the brown snakes as well as worm snakes I have housed with them..And by the way nice web site...

zach

More studies are to come...

With northern ringneck snakes, I've only had a few that would take snakes. The ones that did, were found in years where there was little rain, so there were few salamanders, few worms, but snakes in the plenty. Although, only 1 of the snake eating northerns I had would take "larger" prey. She preferred snakes in the 15"-20" range. Which is unusual. Most of the northerns I had that ate snakes, were young females found in their 1 year before sexual maturity, and I think that has something to do with them eating snakes...

They also seem to be afraid to eat snakes, because of the fight the little prey items put up. Northern ringneck venom is very weak against everything, and it will grab the prey, which is usually 3 times smaller than the ringneck itself, and flail around the enclosure until it starts swallowing it. Like I said, all except 1 would take larger snakes, all of the others refused everything that was older than a month old. Seems baby garter snakes and brown snakes have a certain scent to them, but once they get a month of life on them the ringnecks show no interest in them anymore.

Mike

Michael's Place

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Michael's Place has updated, better caresheets
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Well where I live in Alabama there is northern, mississippi, and southern. So no telling what sub species but im sure it was an intergrade...I have never really saw a ringneck over 13 inches in the wild...but rings are one of the rarer snakes in my range also..and the slimy and redbacked salamanders population has decreased in the years.. and so has snake. the only common snakes are black rats,black racers,midland brown snakes,midland water snakes, eastern garters , worm snakes, and copperheads, in which i can find them on every outing..there use to be alot of rings in my area, but in the past years i barely find and and just find eastern worm snakes...