Hobbies And Interests
Diet
A copperhead's diet consists mainly of mice, rats, voles, frogs, salamanders, toads, a variety of insects and arthropods, shrews and birds. Even animals as odd in shape as box turtles have been found inside copperhead stomachs. In captive settings, however, feeders tend to offer their copperheads rats or mice, which can be easily purchased at pet stores.
Meal Times
Like many reptiles, copperheads digest their food slowly. As such, these snakes can go for long stretches of time without eating. During the summer months, copperheads can survive on a single meal every three weeks and can sustain themselves on as few as eight meals during warmer, active seasons. During the winter, copperheads survive without eating anything at all.
Ambush Predators
Copperheads are ambush predators, which means they eat whatever animal happens to wander nearby. The snakes coil up, remain still and, with the use of their patterned camouflage, make themselves nearly invisible to their unsuspecting prey. When an animal is within range, the copperhead will strike out, taking the creature in its mouth and injecting it with a powerful venom, quickly rendering the animal helpless.
Young Copperheads
Initially, adult copperheads kill and offer small animals like mice to their growing young. As these young snakes age, their diet increasingly consists of smaller creatures like caterpillars, tadpoles and small frogs. Young snakes sometimes entice frogs and toads with the allure of their yellow tales, bringing the animals within the youngsters' limited striking range.