A healthy diet for your pet reptile is essential for their growth and general health. Generally, reptile food can be found in various formats and formulas. To discover the best Food for your Pet, you need to understand its nutritional values. i.e., smaller lizards consume insects that are high in calcium and vitamins. While for the large reptiles, such as monitor lizards and snakes, rats provide a portion of suitable Food.
Live Reptile food:
Many snakes and lizards need a live meal as part of a balanced diet. It will assist in promoting their natural behavior. It also supplies them with the minerals and proteins required to keep healthy.
Live reptile food includes the following:
- mealworms
- locusts
- silent crickets
- brown crickets
- waxworms
- cockroaches
Freeze & Dried Reptile Food:
Some reptiles require live Food while others do not. In such cases, the pet reptile owners can use freeze-dried Food. This type of Food mainly includes dried insects of all types, beetles, and frozen rodents.
Popular Pet Reptiles and Their Favorite Food:
California kingsnake: They enjoy eating mice. These snakes thrive and can survive into their twenties if the mice are fed a balanced diet.
Ball pythons: several gorgeous variations in these snakes are available. In recent years, there has been an upsurge in their popularity. Ball pythons thrive on rodents. Adults eat rats, whereas young animals eat mice.
Leopard geckos: Insectivorous diets such as crickets and king mealworms are important for leopard geckos. Before feeding foods to the geckos, “supercharge” them by dusting them with calcium.
Bearded dragons: These omnivorous lizards eat vegetables, including red leaf lettuce. Crickets and king mealworms can be added to their diet. These creatures also love to eat pinky mice.
Eastern box turtles: These turtles make excellent pets if fed a varied diet of worms and insects. It’s best to purchase one that has been bred in captivity. Since it will be easy to feed, these turtles may survive in captivity for up to 30 years, so be prepared to make that commitment.
Crested geckos: They love to eat insects and soft fruits, including peaches and bananas. Keep in mind that their jaws are not very strong, so larger, more robust insects may not be suitable for them. Sprinkle calcium on crickets so they receive the nutrition they need.
Common Feeding Problems:
Feeding is one of the most difficult and time-consuming aspects of raising a healthy pet reptile. Even if you have the proper Food for your captive reptile. But sometimes, animals s refuse to eat in captivity. Although it may seem clear, several species do not consume bugs or silkworms in the wild. And they may refuse to consume these insects in captivity.
Important tips for feeding your Pet Reptile:
It would be best if you studied or examined the animal you intend to keep.
Discover what time of day it usually eats.
A nocturnal animal is unlikely to eat if fed in the morning. You are unlikely to get a response from a diurnal lizard if you feed it at night. Perhaps a hiding area is required to provide the animals with a sense of security.
You may sometimes attract animals to eat by making their food smell like prey.
Advancement in Reptile Nutritional Food:
Many innovations in reptile feeding have occurred in recent years. Several novel feeder insects have entered the hobby. We have new dietary supplements. Herpkeepers have a better grasp of vitamin D production and calcium metabolism. We expect that the field of reptile nutrition will continue to progress. And, it will be easy for reptiles to gain better health in their captives.
