Herp Nutrition Article -

Herp Nutrition – A guide to feeding livefoods

The old saying 'you are what you eat' applies just as much to our reptile and amphibian friends as it does to us. Knowing what and when to feed, and ensuring your pet herp has a healthy and varied diet will have a positive impact on your pets well-being. It will strengthen their health, physical structure and development, increase energy and vitality, can prevent or even reverse certain illnesses, help recover from stress, increase clutch size and vitality and also stimulate your pets mind and hunting instincts.

This brief article of livefood nutrition is primarily aimed at insectivorous reptiles. I must firstly state the importance of understanding that no 2 specimens or species have the exact same nutritional requirements and/or dietary needs. It is advisable to research the individual dietary needs of your specific pets by reading literature, reliable websites and asking experienced breeders/keepers or veterinarians their advice on the nutritional aspect your pets lifestyle.

Having stated the importance of a healthy livefood diet for your pets quality of life, there is still a lack of easy to understand information on when and what to feed your herps. In this article and nutrition section of our site, we will explain various livefoods and their benefits, handling and storing livefood, livefood nutritional values and loads more info so you have the necessary know how to ensure your confident in providing your pets with a great diet and a happy, healthy life.

As far as insectivorous herps are concerned, we feed our reptiles on a daily basis as they would come across bugs and eat daily in their natural environment, so it makes sense to replicate this in captivity, we feed just enough for our pets to eat in one sitting, so as to prevent over feeding.

In order to properly determine the frequency of feeding for a given species of reptile, you need to determine the energy requirements of that particular species and the specie’s metabolic rate. As a general rule the smaller of a species will have a higher metabolism than the larger of species.
The nutritional values of the foods being offered also play a big part in the required frequency of feeding. Less nutritious foods will need to be fed more frequently and in greater volumes, so it is a good idea to be in the know on which livefoods have higher levels of nutrition, and what the nutritional contents of the livefoods that you feed are and how they benefit your species of herp so that your pets receive the healthiest, varied diet possible.

A very important factor to understand and take into account with providing proper nutrition is an understanding that a reptile’s nutritional needs are greatly affected by its metabolism and its metabolism is greatly affected by its diet and environment. It is very important to understand the link between these two factors. Each species of reptile has its own distinct metabolism, some species of lizard for example may act and appear very similar, but have evolved on opposite sides of the earth, each offering varied environments of heating and available food sources. As a result, two similarly looking species of lizards may exhibit opposite dietary needs, one may be carnivorous while the other may be herbivorous.

It is essential to keep your reptiles at optimum temperatures, as sub-optimal temperatures and a poor diet can cause many problems. For example, anorexia can be caused if a reptile lives among cooler temperatures than required, which would lower the metabolic rate. This would cause improper digestion while being maintained on a constant diet. The opposite is also true for reptiles that are kept under conditions that are too warm and under fed. The warm temperatures would continue to increase the reptiles movement as their metabolic rate increases, burning energy faster than it is being supplied. Many aspects of their health can be greatly affected by improper nutrition, such as their growth, reproduction and possibility of illness.

Gutloading Livefood

As mentioned earlier ‘you are what you eat’, this also goes for the insects that you will be feeding to your herps. By feeding your livefood before you use them as food you are greatly increasing their nutritional value and thereby greatly benefiting your pets. This is particularly a good idea when using livefood with low to medium nutritional value.

Insects like locusts, mealworms and crickets are invertebrates with an exoskeleton, this exoskeleton (hard shell consisting of chitin) is a type of fibre and in small amounts can be used as a form of roughage in their diet. However the main nutrition comes from the insect’s gut, which is dictated by the diet consumed by the insect. In the wild, insects would eat a varied diet ,much like your pets, so its best to feed a variety of different feeder insects and ensure they have the highest level of nutrition you can give to your livefood as all the goodness is passed onto your pets!

Below is a simple method that can be used to gutload many livefoods such as crickets, locusts, mealworms etc.

1. Empty your livefood into a plastic container (such as a plastic tupperware tub) that is high enough so they cannot jump climb or otherwise escape from.

Barring mealworms and morioworms, the above insects like to hide and perch on things, so add some cardboard egg pack (as used in livefood tubs).

2. A small amount of heat can boost the bugs metabolic rate (explained above) and help digest their food but be sure not to overheat and kill the insects, check online for the desired temperatures that you can keep these livefoods at. This stage of the process is optional.

There are many gutload food sources available for purchase, some offer a great boost of nutrition for your livefood so be sure to look around for the right food for your specific livefood, which can be easily found either online or at exotics stores and most pet shops.

It is also important that your livefood is hydrated as much as possible as water makes up a large proportion of an insects diet, so for this reason offer some slices of potato or orange to provide liquid and change them over every couple of days, alternatively you can use water gel for their hydration which again, can be found either online or in exotics shops.

3. Add some ‘bug grub’ or other gut loading formula to the floor of the container, this is easily found either online, or at exotics stores and most pet shops.

4. It is also important that your livefood is hydrated as much as possible so for this reason add some slices of potato and or orange , alternatively you can use water gel which can be found at your local reptile shop.

Reptile supplements ensure your reptiles and amphibians are getting a balanced diet and make it easy to include the full range of vitamins and minerals found in the reptile’s natural diet. The correct type and amount of supplements supplied are an essential part of good reptile care. In particular calcium is very important in the diet of many reptiles and calcium deficiency can lead to many major problems such as bone disorders.
There are a variety of different supplements available depending on your pets species and specific requirements. Supplements generally come in powder or liquid form and are either calcium, multi vitamin, multi mineral or various combinations of these, there are also calcium and phosphorus supplements and calcium rich substrates available.
Each supplement should come with instructions on the packet, and the amount and frequency that you should use will vary from product to product so make sure you read these before using.

We tend to make a generalisation as people when it comes to taking and giving vitamins that more is better. This is a misconception that can cause complications and related illnesses in captive reptiles, many reptiles and their food require supplementation of vitamins and minerals but it is vital to monitor the amounts given. Many species of Herps that are maintained on a well balanced nutritious, varied diet do not require any supplementation at all and when adding supplements to a well balanced diet, the owner is running the risk of overdosing the reptile on vitamins! Supplementation has its place and rightly so, in reptile husbandry,

but overdosing can lead to toxicity and many related illnesses and disorders. Provinding too much or the wrong type of protein supplements for example, may serve to increase growth, however with the possible consequence especially in older reptiles, of kidney and liver problems. Correct Supplementation is therefore best attained by knowing the nutritional needs and diet specifics of your species.

It is of great importance that the livefood you feed is in good health and of premium quality, always check the contents of the food before you purchase it, avoid tubs that contain lots of dead and/or lifeless looking insects and check for signs of mold. It is a good sign if the store owners have added potato slices or similar to their livefood tubs as it indicates that they care about the health and quality of their products. Also it is easy to purchase direct from livefood breeders online and this is recommended as the items come straight to you and you cut out the middle men, this ensures your livefood hasn’t been sitting on a shelf for weeks and is in the best nutritional state possible

Certain livefoods have the ability to chew and nibble and therefore can pose a threat if they are fed to your pets in excessive amounts. Thankfully this isn’t a major problem as it is easily preventable by feeding your pet(s) the amount that they can eat in one sitting. This way you can be sure that there aren’t loads of excess bugs in the enclosure which could potentially bite at your reptiles while they sleep! The common livefoods that have the ability to chew are on the right hand side.
Another issue with feeding the above livefoods is the risk of impaction, this again is a small risk that is easily preventable, but should not be ignored. Impaction occurs due to the chitin content in these bugs’ exoskeletons, chitin is a hard to digest fiber that can often be seen in their faeces undigested, as it is hard to digest feeding continuous large amounts of these livefoods and can effectively block your pets digestive system. To prevent this be sure to include soft bodied livefoods as the bulk of your pets diet and do not feed excessive amounts of livefoods with high chitin content.

Feeders that can bite:
-black crickets
-brown crickets
-silent crickets
-locusts
-morio worms
-meal worms

Not so long ago the only place livefood could be purchased for your pets was from specialist reptile shops, thankfully though it has never been easier to find quality livefood than it is now and there is a bigger range of items available than ever before. Nowadays most run of the mill pet shops and pet superstores also sell basic livefoods such as cricket, locusts, mealworms, waxworms.
As more herp enthusiasts have become aware of the importance of variety, and the nutritional benefits of less common livefoods most specialist reptile and exotic shops have huge ranges of different types of livefoods now.

Livefoods can also be purchased online, direct from the breeder for the very best quality! Online is also the best way of finding rarer livefoods if you can’t locate them at your local specialist shop.

Below we have listed the macro and micro nutrients and briefly summarised how these nutrients affect your pets. It is essential to offer a varied diet to your pets, this way you can be sure that they are receiving good nutrients to sustain a healthy life.

Macro nutrients

Macronutrients make up the bulk of the food you present to your pets. The macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Proteins – Proteins, which are made up of amino acids are used by the your pets’ bodies primarily for growth and repair, and are essential for the health of any living creature. Inadequate protein levels can result in weight loss, muscle wasting, increased susceptibility to secondary infections, failure to reproduce, and slower healing after injury. A nonresponsive infection can be the result of a primary nutritional deficiency.

Carbohydrates – Carbohydrates are made up of sugar or starches. They are the main energy providers for your pets. Excess carbohydrates are converted into fat and stored in their body. All livefoods have carbohydrates in some measure.

Fats – Fats are substances that your pets body stores for future use. Reptiles do not use body fat to generate heat, but they do store fat which is used as energy when food source is low, or with gravid females to provide nutritive substances for their eggs in breeding season.

Proteins, carbohydrates and fats are to be eaten in proper proportion. So a varied diet is essential to attain optimum health of your reptiles.

Micro nutrients

Micronutrients provide improved resistance to bacterial and viral diseases, helping reptiles enjoy healthier and longer lives.
Here’s a list of micro nutrients

Vitamins – Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K and Carotenoids.

Minerals – Boron, Calcium, Chloride, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Fluoride, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Phosphorous, Potassium, Selenium, Sodium and Zinc.

Here is a list of some of the more popular staple livefoods sold in the UK, listed are some of their key benefits as a feeder, why they are good for your pets and some other key facts about these popular staple feeders.

*Great staple food item*
*Super nutritious*
*Easy to digest*
*Easy to handle*
*Very enticing to your herps*
*Soft bodied (no exoskeleton, so easy digestion)*
*High Ca:p ratio*
*No noise or smell*
*Known to end hunger strikes*
Silkworms contain an enzyme called serrapeptase which has many beneficial properties such as being an excellent anti-inflamatory and pain reliever, aids with calcium absorption and also fights arterial plaque!!

*Amazing Ca:p ratio*
*Long shelf life*
*Super nutritious*
*Easy to digest*
*Easy to handle*
*Very enticing to your herps*
The almost perfect Calcium to Phosphorus ratio brings with it tales of halting and even reversing MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) in herps!

*Classic staple livefood*
*Great nutritional value*
*Easily sourced*
Great for stimulating predatory instincts in arboreal herps as locusts can jump, climb and also fly once at the adult stage

*Another classic staple livefood*
*Easily sourced*
*good nutritional value ( but better when gutloaded and dusted with calcium)*
*stimulate your pets as they chase and eat them*

*Genetically bred to be flightless so no escapees*
*Great for small herps and hatchlings due to their small size!*
*High in protein*
*Easily sourced*
*No noise*

*Great staple food*
*Highly nutritious*
*Not able to climb*
*Easy to breed*
*No noise or smell*
Although Roaches have hard shells, Dubia Roaches have the softest bodies of available feeder roaches which contain a much higher ratio of protein to indigestible chitin compared to crickets.

Here are some super-facts about some of the popular livefood feeders. There are some interesting points here that may benefit the enthusiast!

-Feeding your herp a variety of livefoods, as they would eat in the wild, will ensure they have a balanced diet and help prevent hunger strikes by keeping them interested.

-Crickets can be chilled for 5-10 mins in your refrigerator to make dusting/handling/feeding easier for people who aren’t keen on them. This slows down their metabolism and the insects will be completely still (seeming dead) for a few minutes until they warm up again, then all of a sudden snap back to life!

-Calci worms that have been packed in a moist bedding can shimmy up smooth surfaces, to prevent this and escape from feeding bowls, place the worms in powdered bran before feeding to dry them out so that are unable to climb and escape!

-Silkworms have great grip and often times can be ‘stuck’ to cage furniture and walls (particularly mesh cages).place them at various positions over the enclosure to give your pet a fun adventure catching their prey!

-Another great thing about silkworms, they contain high levels of e.f.a’s (essential fatty acids) which have been shown to have amazing health benefits on people and various animals, super nutritous silkworms truly are an amazing livefood!!!

-Gutload and supplement your livefoods to ensure your pets meal is as healthy as can be!

-Breeders have reported that hatchlings fed calci worms are more than 30% larger than their clutch mates after just a few weeks, they have higher activity levels and brighter colours! Calci worms are also a natural weapon against coccidian no wonder they are being called a ‘miracle food’!!

-Many report very large and healthy clutches of eggs when feeding silkworms and calci worms, this is believed to be due to the excellent Ca:p ratio of these insects!

-Calciworms have been reported as being able to prevent or even reverse metabolic bone disease!! This is also thought to be due to their amazing Ca:p ratio!!

-Silkworms contain an enzyme called serrapeptase which has many beneficial properties such as being an excellent anti-inflammatory and pain reliever, aids with calcium absorption and also fights arterial plaque!!

-livefoods are a great way of keeping your pets active and stimulated, its great fun for you to watch the chase too!