Different species of snake eat different types of prey. Sometimes juvenile snakes will eat different food than adults of the same species e.g Baby White Lipped Tree Vipers eat mainly lizards and frogs, while adults will eat birds and small mammals as well as frogs and lizards. There are many more species of snake that do the same.
This is a list of food items that snakes eat
- Rodents
- Birds
- Frogs
- Lizards
- Other Snakes
- Worms
- Slugs
- Snails
- Centipedes
- Invertebrates
- Antelope ( Large Pythons and Boas)
- Crocodiles ( Large Pythons and Boas)
- Fish
- Eggs
Some snakes will eat a variety of prey for instance Rat Snakes will eat rodents and birds. King Snakes and Milk Snakes eat almost any vertebrate prey including other snakes. Garter Snakes eat fish, frogs and earthworms. Large species of Python such as African Rock Pythons, Burmese Pythons and Reticulated Pythons and large boa species such as Green Anacondas will start off eating smaller prey and end up eating antelope and other large mammals and even crocodiles. Large pythons and boas will however eat smaller birds and rodents if larger prey is unavailable. Specialized eater such as the Black Headed Centipede Eater will only feed on centipedes and nothing else. Common Slug Eaters will only eat snails and slugs. Egg Eaters will only eat birds eggs. There are some snakes which only feed on lizards and frogs. Several species of snake specialise in eating fish.
Now which species do you choose when it comes to food. Generally the easiest snakes to keep are those which feed on Rodents. Rodents are readily available from reptile pet shops. You will have to catch your own frogs and lizards which can be difficult if you live in an urban area. Egg eaters are capable of eating hens eggs, however hatchlings will need to be fed finch eggs which are not easy to find. Most breeders tube feed hatchling Egg Eaters until they are large enough to take hens eggs. You can buy goldfish or guppies from your local pet shop. Slugs and snails will have to be collected from your garden, just make sure you do not use insecticide. Large Pythons and Boas can be fed rabbits or chickens, feed several at a time. Do not try and keep Centiped Eaters as it is impossible to find centipedes and if you do you will never be able to find enough to satisfy the snakes appetite. Feeder insects can be purchased from reptile pet shops or you can breed your own. Note that snakes which eat insects are rare in the reptile market.