Corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) are a North American species of rat snake that primarily consume small vertebrates such as mice and birds.

Corn snakes can not be sustained on an insect-based diet, including crickets, due to their specialized digestive system and nutritional needs.

Can Corn Snakes Eat Crickets? (Will they?)

Corn snakes should not (and typically will not) eat crickets and other bugs and insects. Maybe out of desperation/starvation only.

Things like crickets are insufficient for their dietary needs, and their digestive system is not designed for it. They can actually be bad for them.

If offered crickets, your corn snake might not even eat it anyways. The babies might, but they are not good for them either.

When I was younger and much earlier in my corn snake knowledge, I put crickets in the tank with my snakes. I had crickets to feed my chameleon I used to have at the time (R.I.P Ziggy).

I didn’t know any better at the time, but thankfully they were not interested in the crickets anyway. Those crickets have no idea how lucky they were.

Both the adults and the babies showed a total lack of interest in the crickets.

Corn Snake Nutritional Needs

Corn snakes require a diet rich in protein, fats, and essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus for optimal growth and health.

They get most of that from vertebrates like mice, which offer a balanced nutrient profile.

In contrast, insects such as crickets are deficient in several key nutrients. They provide an incomplete range of essential amino acids and are low in fats and calcium, making them an inadequate primary food source for corn snakes.

Nutritional Requirements of Corn Snakes vs Crickets

Nutrient	Importance for Corn Snakes	Availability in Mice	Availability in Crickets
Protein	Essential for growth and tissue repair	High	Low to Moderate
Fats	Needed for energy storage and cellular functions	High	Low
Calcium	Crucial for bone health	High (from bones)	Low
Vitamins and Minerals	Necessary for various metabolic processes	High	Low to Moderate

The digestive enzymes in corn snakes are specialized for breaking down vertebrate tissues such as muscle, bone, and organs.

These enzymes are not optimized for digesting the chitinous exoskeletons of insects like crickets.

The snake’s digestive system is less efficient at extracting essential nutrients from insects compared to vertebrate prey.

In Summary

• Corn snakes cannot be sustained on a diet of insects such as crickets due to nutritional deficiencies.
• Vertebrate prey like mice provide essential nutrients including proteins, fats, and calcium, necessary for the snake’s growth and health.
• Insects lack a balanced nutritional profile, missing key elements like adequate fats and calcium.
• The digestive system of corn snakes is specialized for vertebrate prey, making insects a less suitable food source.
• Understanding these nutritional needs is crucial for the long-term well-being of corn snakes.