Vitamins

[cas0001]

I was just wondering what everyone thought about reptile vitamins. It seems like it's just a way to squeeze a couple extra dollars out of all of these reptile fanatics.

http://www.reptiledirect.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=232

[ghosthousecorns]

I definitely feel it is a waste of money, at least when it comes to corn snakes. They should get all the nutrients they need from the rodents they eat. I do not keep any other reptiles besides snakes, so I can't really say if their dietary needs are that much different but it seems to me that if you are providing the correct diet that they would be eating in the wild, these supplements shouldn't be necessary.

[Sanebedlam]

I have heard that with beardies you often put calcium powder on the crickets they eat but with corns mice will give them all the goodness they need.

[wade]

In the wild lizards eat all kinds of insects, anything that moves and is smaller than them. They get a big variety. In captivity, lizards get crickets. If they have a real enthusiastic owner the may get an occasional silk moth larva, but basically crickets. They are for the most part diurnal and require UV to produce the vitamin D so they can metabolize the calcium they need. Bottom line lizards need supplements to thrive in captivity.

In the wild snakes (talking about corn snakes here) eat rodents. Other forms of food would be very rare for them. They avoid the intense rays of the sun and if they are out at mid day they will be in leaf litter or some other kind of cover. They do not rely on the sun much. In captivity snakes eat RODENTS. They get all they need from the food they eat. Keep in mind that you need to be feeding healthy well-fed rodents in order for your snakes to be healthy and well fed.