Reptile Food & Health

If you have a reptile, tarantula, millipede, scorpion, or any other exotic pet, you know the importance of getting the right food for them. There are a lot of lizards that will eat mostly crickets, and maybe mealworms. If you feed crickets, mealworms, or fresh veggies to your lizards, it is a good idea to dust them with a nutritional supplement that includes calcium and vitamin D3. Reptocal, made by Tetra is a good product for this. You can just put your crickets, or mealworms in a bag with some reptocal powder, and gently shake, and this will coat the food with extra nutrients that will help your lizard stay healthy. For veggies, just shake some powder right on them.

There are also many prepared foods that are made for reptiles. These can work well, you will just want to make sure that they are eating enough of it to stay healthy. It is always a good idea to vary the diet to make sure that they are eating well.

Some lizards will eat large amounts of food, like the bearded dragon. So make sure that you are feeding your reptiles enough to stay healthy. Your reptile should have a solid look to him, but does not have to be bulging at the sides. If you put crickets in, and your lizard does not eat them all, you may be putting too many in, or he may have a problem. If you are adding fresh veggies, fruit , or other prepared canned food, be sure to remove it after a couple of hours if it has not been eaten. Keep the food fresh, and your reptile will appreciate it.

If any of your reptiles appear to have mites, or other parasites, there is a parasite spray that you can spray on them and in the tank too. This will help to keep your reptiles mite free. If you see a tick, or larger parasite, these will probably have to be pulled off. Use a disinfectant, or antibiotic to put on, if there is an open wound.