I can tell you a thing or two about Coronella, but I have no experience keeping them. Where I live, The Netherlands, Coronella austriaca is protected by law. The other species, Coronella girondica, is not available commercially.



I have captured (and released) Coronella austriaca a couple of times, but it is very rare in The Netherlands. It can only be found in protected areas like National Parks. I still remember that it kind of surprised how similar they are to ratsnakes. They don't have any flashy colours, but when you hold them in your hands you must be blind not to see how beautifull these shiny little snakes are.



Coronella primarilly feeds on small lizards and slow worms (Anguis fragilis). Adults can sometimes be tricked into feeding on fuzzy mice, ocassionally that is. Juveniles are way too small to feed in pinky mice even if they liked them, which they don't. Some can be persuaded to take crickets, and I once have seen a picture of a juvenile feeding on a worm. But all in all, if you don't have a steady supply of cheap lizards that you can always count on, then keeping Coronella is not a reasonable option.

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