calcium and mineral supplements

[roastedspleen]

if a reptile has a diet that is like the diet it has in the wild does it need supplements?
how would this work with any herbivorous reptiles?

---

im confused with it because so far. if you feed tegus whole food they don't need supplements

 

[james.w]

If you feed a diet like in the wild and they have constant access to natural sun (not through glass) than I would say you are correct.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

There aren't that many strictly herbivorous reptiles other than tortoises. Lizards initially evolved as insect predators so most of them are insectivores. Omnivory is more common in lizards than herbivory and the only totally vegetarian species I know of are iguanas, uromastyx, and chuckwallas.

---

Wait, is this question in regards to your python? In 20 years of owning snakes I have never used vitamins or calcium supplements with feeder rodents and have had zero issues, so I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[roastedspleen]

not at all im going to get a cylura

 

[laurarfl]

Well, the diet of captive reptiles is usually different than the wild. If omnivorous lizards eat insects, the insects are feeding on high calcium grasses and are constantly gut loaded. Plus, they are likely feeding on arthropods larger than crickets. I don't know anyone who recommends feeding tegus a 100% rodent diet.

Carnivorous reptiles have the benefit of consuming bones, stomach contents, and fecal matter of whole prey eating a natural diet. They get minerals and vitamins plus probiotics the natural way. Even nocturnal reptiles can absorb D through liver consumption.

Herbivorous lizards such as green iguanas have been shown in studies to be poor absorbers of oral D. In the wild, they eat greens that provide calcium, protein, and have access to sunlight to manufacture vit D.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

Well said, Laura!

 

[Lynda]

I have a Gu that doesn't like whole prey...she will eat turkey, chicken necks,fish, eggs...should I be concerned about getting a probiotic in her along with the calcium and vitamin suppliments?

 

[laurarfl]

I've thought about that as well. A lot of probiotics that you see are only Acidopholus. Reptiles don't normally have a lot of Acidophilus so that is not too beneficial. I have given mine some probiotics, but I use Suprema Dophilus and another that is comprosed of soil bacteria. I had a terrible intenstinal infection after a antibitoic killed off my normal gut flora and had to take probiotics for a while. I learned about good ones and not so good ones. I will tell you that I was paying dearly for the good ones! But I will break open a capsule and sprinkle it on my reptile's food now and again.

 

[Lynda]

Great info, Laura, thanks so much!

 

[jaydsr2887]

with my iguana I feed her a lot of dandelion greens collards mustards with butternut squash green beans snow peas and other and every few days ill dust them with a calcium supplement but every other day ill dust with citrical multivitamins

 

[jaydsr2887]

as long as they get a good bit of calcium in their diets and a lot of uvb then they should be good but just make their diet as verietied as possible.....

 

[Roadkill]

Thing is, while many people think they are replicating what an animal gets in the wild, 99 times out of 100, they are not. For herbivores, they aren't lining up at Safeway to get their eats, they're eating stuff you wouldn't consider putting on your plate. Same goes for many of the carnivores: they aren't eating well groomed mice, they're eating whatever they can sink their teeth in, and that has other nutritional contents in its guts that go beyond "mouse kibble". I think one of the best examples I can give for how captive diet doesn't equal wild diet would be poison dart frogs. In the wild, they're eating bugs and can be highly poisonous. In captivity, they're eating bugs and are non-poisonous. They lose their toxicity because they aren't eating the same type of bugs. This isn't to say we're killing our pets because we aren't feeding them well (well, some people are, but that's another argument), we're just not supplying what they would naturally be going for, and as such, a lot of what we offer is more palatable than it is nutritious, and so we utilize supplements in an effort to ensure the nutrition.

 

[jaydsr2887]

I never knew that bout poison dart frogs...... very interesting.... I always wanted some because I always thought they were a very decorative vivarium frog and are very beautiful to look at......