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Connecting Reptile Nutrition and Health: Why What You Feed Your Reptiles Matters

Connecting Reptile Nutrition and Health: Why What You Feed Your Reptiles Matters

By: Jeffrey Hess, DVM

Reptiles have become one of the more popular classes of family pet in recent years. This rise in scaly family members comes with the need for education on appropriate care.

While reptiles have been kept as pets for years, research is constantly improving our understanding of their husbandry. Nutrition is one of the most important aspects to caring for our pet reptiles. Some of the most common health problems seen in reptiles stem from dietary deficiencies. Some of these health problems include:

- Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism (NSHP): This condition stems from inadequate calcium, commonly referred to as metabolic bone disease. While NSHP is the most common cause of metabolic bone disease, it is not the only cause. Symptoms of NSHP include stunted growth, weakness and lethargy, soft/flexible bones, constipation and bloating. Animals impacted by NSHP often are immunosuppressed as well and more prone to infection (Divers & Stahl, 2019).

- Hypovitaminosis A: Low vitamin A is common in turtles, tortoises, chameleons, and some species of gecko. This deficiency causes squamous metaplasia; a change to glandular/specialized cells. It is often seen in leopard geckos that develop crusting or discharge buildup in their eyes or in turtles that develop abscesses within their ears (Divers & Stahl, 2019).

As our understanding of nutrition and reptile health has improved, some of our care recommendations become outdated. So, what are some of these misconceptions?

Misconception 1: One type of feeder is sufficient.
The reality: To best meet the nutritional needs of reptiles, we need to offer a variety of prey items to avoid nutritional deficiencies. We cannot perfectly replicate wild diets and the variety it provides our reptiles, but we can get closer by offering a variety of prey.

Research shows that wild insectivores will select prey items based on nutritional needs (Warwick et al., 2022). Furthermore, there is a variation in nutrient profiles of wild prey versus farmed prey (Dierenfeld et al., 2015). This thinking applies to some animals eating whole prey items as well. Different life stages of prey have different nutrient composition. Reptiles on whole prey can do well but run the risk of low calcium levels if fed exclusively younger prey items such as young chicks and pinkies (Boyer, 2017). Without a well-rounded nutrient profile our reptiles run the risk of developing chronic health issues that can have long term debilitating effects.

Misconception 2: Not all reptiles need UVB lighting.
The reality: We know herbivorous reptiles require appropriate UVB lighting to produce vitamin D3 via cutaneous biosynthesis (Divers & Stahl, 2019). Vitamin D3 is a factor in NSHP due to its importance in calcium absorption. In reptiles like snakes that eat a whole prey diet, a majority of their vitamin D3 comes from diet. However, studies have shown that some species of snakes have increased vitamin D3 levels with UVB exposure showing an improvement in nutritional health changes associated with lighting (Acierno et al., 2008). We are still limited on what appropriate exposure levels and time frames are for most species.

Misconception 3: Commercial diets shouldn’t be used for reptiles.
The reality: As research into the natural diets of reptiles progressed, we identified more accurate nutrient profiles eaten by some species. This means that we can formulate diets to better replicate a species’ natural diet. There are limitations to commercial diets because we do not have comprehensive nutrient profiles for all species of reptiles. Not all commercial diets are created equal with a large variation in the nutrient composition of foods from different manufacturers. While these diets are not perfect, they can be a good way to prevent dietary deficiencies (Boyer, 2017). Pelleted diets are well established in aquatic turtle species and can be a major component to avoid ear abscesses related to low vitamin A.

Preventing health issues related to nutritional deficiencies is always easier than treating the health problems they cause. Keeping up on the most recent research on nutrition allows keepers to better feed their reptiles and prevent these issues.

References

  • Acierno, M. J., Mitchell, M. A., Zachariah, T. T., Roundtree, M. K., Kirchgessner, M. S., & Sanchez-Migallon Guzman, D. (2008). Effects of ultraviolet radiation on plasma 25- hydroxyvitamin D3concentrations in corn snakes (Elaphe guttata). American Journal of Veterinary Research, 69(2), 294–297. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.69.2.294

  • Boyer, T. H. (2017). Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition and Disease. Wild West Veterinary Conference.

  • Dierenfeld, E. S., Norton, T. M., Hyslop, N. L., & Stevenson, D. J. (2015). Nutrient

  • Composition of Prey Items Consumed by Free-RangingDrymarchon couperi(Eastern Indigo Snakes). Southeastern Naturalist, 14(3), 551–560. https://doi.org/10.1656/058.014.0311

  • Divers, S. J., & Stahl, S. J. (2019). Mader’s Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery.

  • Saunders. Warwick, C., Arena, P. C., & Burghardt, G. M. (2022). Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles. Springer.

 

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