 Moths compose nearly half of their diet, and they forage primarily on soft-bodied prey  It is believed that the avoidance of hard prey is due to their small, delicate skulls.The Food habits of M. leibii are similar to those of the closely related California ("M. californicus") and western small-footed bats ("M. ciliolabrum"), as well as other North American Myotis (e.g., little brown bat, ("M. lucifugus"), and northern bat, ("M. septentrionalis").The Eastern small-footed bat is most often detected during hibernation, and has been counted at approximately 125 caves and mines.