It is an interesting topic.
Since it came up, I can say that in my journey of life, I have been around humans who know starvation. They reached a point where they will each anything, like grass or coal. Yes, I said that. A snake in the wild would probably do so as well. Considering how my buddy gobbled down his rat just last night, I'm feeling he's not starving!
But I have been wondering if there's anything to offer as an alternate to rats, or mice. I'm sticking with rats. Since I do expect him to livee another 28 years though, I do wonder if rats can be substituted occasionally. I don't want take away from the OP either.