The steppe polecat hunts large, mammals that live in the steppe such as ground squirrels, hamsters, pikas and young or injured adult marmots. Ground squirrels are the most abundant prey of the steppe polecat throughout the year. In warm seasons, they are hunted on the top of the ground. In autumn, they are dug from their burrows. Male polecats usually have to make the burrows of the ground squirrel to enter them. But, young or female polecats can easily enter them. In places where there are no ground squirrels, the steppe polecat mainly feeds on hamsters and pikas, or water voles on the banks of water bodies. Along the shores of rivers and lakes, fish, chickens and carrion may be eaten. Birds are sometimes killed by the steppe polecat. Amphibians and reptiles are rarely eaten.