The best captive diets reflect what the free-living animal feeds on in their natural environment. However the natural prey may not be available. The following is a guide for the diet of some types of snakes.
- For information on reptile diets and food composition, see here.
| Family
|
Species
|
Adults
|
Juvenile
|
| Acrochordidae
|
Elephant trunk snake
|
fish
|
-
|
| Anomalepididae
|
Blind snakes
|
arthropods
|
-
|
| Boidae
|
Burmese python
|
mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Carpet python
|
mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Diamond python
|
mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Reticulated python
|
mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Royal python
|
mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Blood python
|
mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Rock python
|
mammals, birds
|
lizards
|
|
|
Green tree python
|
mammals, birds
|
lizards
|
|
|
Anaconda
|
fish, mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Boa constrictor
|
mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Dumeril's boa
|
mammals, birds
|
|
|
|
Tree boa
|
mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Solomon Island boa
|
lizards, mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Rubber boa
|
lizards, mammals
|
-
|
|
|
Amazon boa
|
mammals, birds
|
lizards
|
|
|
Emerald boa
|
mammals, birds
|
lizards
|
|
|
Annulated tree boa
|
mammals, birds
|
lizards
|
|
|
Rainbow boa
|
mammals, birds
|
fish, amphibians
|
|
|
Sand Boas
|
mammals
|
lizards
|
|
|
Rosy Boas
|
mammals
|
-
|
| Colubridae
|
Ribbon Garter
|
fish, amphibians, mammals
|
-
|
|
|
Glossy
|
lizards, mammals
|
-
|
|
|
Hognose
|
amphibians, mammals
|
-
|
|
|
Indigo
|
fish, mammals, birds
|
amphibians, lizards
|
|
|
Long-nosed
|
lizards, mammals
|
-
|
|
|
Madagascan hognose
|
mammals, birds
|
-
|
|
|
Milksnakes
|
mammals
|
lizards
|
|
|
Racers
|
mammals, birds
|
lizards
|
|
|
Ratsnakes
|
mammals, birds
|
amphibians, lizards
|
| Elapidae
|
Most cobras
|
mammals, birds
|
|
|
|
King cobra
|
snakes, mammals
|
|
|
|
Kraits
|
mammals, birds
|
|
| Loxocemidae
|
Mexican burrowing python
|
mammals
|
amphibians, lizards
|
| Uropeltidae
|
Short-tail snakes
|
arthropods
|
|
| Viperidae
|
Cottonmouth
|
fish, mammals, birds
|
amphibians
|
|
|
Rattlesnakes
|
mammals, birds
|
lizards
|
|
|
Calloselasma spp.
|
mammals, birds
|
amphibians, lizards
|
|
|
Bolthriechis spp.
|
mammals, birds
|
amphibians, lizards
|
|
|
Bothriopis spp.
|
mammals, birds
|
amphibians, lizards
|
|
|
Sawscale vipers
|
arthropods, mammals
|
-
|
|
|
Horned vipers
|
lizards, mammals
|
-
|
|
|
Sand vipers
|
lizards, mammals
|
-
|
|
|
Atheris spp.
|
mammals, birds
|
lizards
|
|
|
Bitis spp.
|
Vipera spp,
|
lizards
|
