Live food

Live food is living food for carnivorous or omnivorous animals kept in captivity;

Variety of live food

Live foods commonly available are crickets (both Gryllus bimaculatus and Acheta domesticus commonly), waxworms (Galleria mellonella), mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), Superworms (Zophobas morio) and locusts (a number of species are seen commonly). There are however many more species used such as butter worms, phoenix worms, a variety of cockroach species, silkworms and more. Insect species are most commonly used to feed small reptiles and amphibians.

Another common form of live food, most commonly used to feed snakes, is small rodents. The most commonly known small rodent used for live food is likely the mouse; many pet stores which carry snakes or cater to snake owners also carry "feeder mice" for this reason (see Fancy mouse). It is also common to feed reptiles freshly killed or frozen/thawed rodents as most reptiles will readily accept them.

Creatures that are the most common choices for live foods, ranging from feeder mice to crickets and mealworms, generally are bred and raised in captivity themselves, and can often be found both through local pet stores and from wholesalers or "farms" that breed them specifically for live food sales.

Animals commonly fed live food

Animals that are commonly fed live food include bearded dragons and other lizards, various types of snake, turtles, and carnivorous fish, though other animals, such as skunks (which are sometimes kept as pets), being omnivorous, can also eat some live food, though it is unknown how common this is in practice.