The maize pole prefers small mammals. In conditions of captivity with pleasure consumes both small rodents and small birds, there are cases of cannibalism (apparently, it is a coincidence among young animals).
Not all newborns begin to eat themselves and immediately. So feeding young animals can make some difficulties. However, after a certain duration of the hunger strike or several forced feeding (sometimes single, in some cases, multiple), they start themselves. But, fortunately, this does not happen with the whole baby.