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The Complete Handbook of Reptile & Amphibian Food
A practical field reference for veterinarians, breeders, retailers, and serious keepers on selecting, feeding, and sourcing reptile and amphibian diets.
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: Understanding Reptile & Amphibian Food
What We Mean When We Say "Reptile & Amphibian Food"
Open the average pet store catalog and you will see "Reptile & Amphibian Food" as a single scannable category. Do not let that simplify the reality for you. That one shelf holds objects as different as a plastic cup of live crickets, a sealed bag of freeze-dried mealworms, a can of pinky mice, a jar of powdered crested gecko diet, and a tub of calcium-dusted black soldier fly larvae. Each one solves a different problem, is processed in a completely different way, and is metabolized by the animal in a completely different manner. When a veterinarian or a serious breeder asks, "What are you feeding?" they are asking a dangerous and complex question, because the answer reveals almost everything about the animal's likely health trajectory.
In this handbook, we define reptile and amphibian food not by its packaging, but by its composition and its biological role. There are four functional categories that cover the entire market. The first is live prey: crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms, earthworms, waxworms, and the occasional swarm of feeder flies for dart frogs. The second is frozen-thawed vertebrate prey: mice, rats, chicks, quail, and even rabbits, sold frozen and intended to be warmed before offering. The third is processed invertebrate products: freeze-dried insects, canned snails, and insect-based powders or patties. The fourth is formulated diets: the powdered or pelleted mixtures meant to serve as a