pdf - Arcadia Reptile

THE ARCADIA GUIDE TO
REPTILE &
AMPHIBIAN
NUTRITION
JOHN COURTENEY-SMITH
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
Contents
Foreword by Dr Mike Leahy
9
Introduction11
Science Found for Yourself is Better than Science
Dictated!17
A Vet’s Perspective
21
Vitamins and Minerals
25
The Vitamin Groups
29
Vitamin A
32
Vitamin B Group
41
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): 53
Vitamin D Group 56
D2 (Ergocalciferol): 61
Vitamin E 62
Vitamin K
64
Calcium 66
Copper72
Iodine 73
Iron74
Magnesium75
Phosphorus76
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
Potassium79
Selenium 81
Sodium82
Zinc 84
The Food Groups
Carbohydrates Protein Fibre Fats Amino Acids Sugars 87
88
88
89
90
91
94
Self-supplementation and Earth Mineral Content
97
Food Sources and Limitations
103
Good Gut Flora and Parasites/ Verm-X and Constipation 111
Phytic Acid
123
Gut-loading125
Alfalfa 134
Insect/live-food safety
141
Live-food Nutrition and Variety
147
Live-food Species
149
Locusts149
Crickets151
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
Mealworms152
Waxworms153
Fruit Flies 154
Fruit Beetle Larvae (Pachnoda)
155
Calci/Phoenix Worms
156
Cockroaches157
Turkistan Roaches (Blatta lateralis) 158
Silkworms159
Butterworms160
Bean Weevils (callosobruchus maculatus) 161
Earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) 161
Snails 162
River Shrimp 165
Indian Stick Insects (Carausius morosus) 165
Bluebottles167
Springtails (Seira sp, Folsomia candida) 168
Tropical Woodlice (Trichorina tomentosa) 169
White Worms (Enchytraeus albidus) 169
Bloodworms170
Daphnia (Daphnia magna) 172
Aphids 172
The Application of Supplements
175
Obesity and Captive Animals
183
Hydration189
Wild Hydration
197
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
Brumation 201
Cleanliness209
Special Reference to Inverts
215
Special Reference to Amphibians
219
Safe-to-feed Plants
Common Name
Dandelions verses Carrots
Blueberries-a useful treat
Hibiscus Flowers
Nasturtium Flowers
Bee Pollen
Manuka Honey
227
229
230
233
237
239
240
242
Variety Feeding from an Iguana Expert’s Perspective
245
Conclusion247
Thanks251
Glossary of Terms
253
Further Reading and Scientific Study
261
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
Foreword by
Dr Mike Leahy
N
obody I know has put as much thought into how we can
learn from nature, using research and common sense, to
improve the environments we provide to captive reptiles,
amphibians and invertebrates. In this respect, John has been an
inspiration to me, particularly when I was creating the Zoo-bus,
where the depth of his knowledge and his willingness to dispense
it were invaluable—qualities that will become very evident as you
read this book.
Having studied ecology at university, later specialising in
microscopic organisms, and more recently having the privilege
of filming some of the world’s most fascinating animals for
the National Geographic Channels, it is very clear to me that
one of the most fundamental requirements for any organism
is nutrition. I well remember spending days changing the
composition of growth media in the lab simply to get bacteria to
grow successfully, so it is therefore not surprising that far more
complex animals, from very diverse and sometimes extreme
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
environments, have specific dietary requirements for good
health, and that a balanced diet is essential.
It is all too easy to fall into the trap of anthropomorphising when
considering both animal welfare, and the diets non-human animals
may require. However tempting it is to assume that other animals’
needs may be similar to our own, this may prove to be a big mistake.
Very few reptiles—or any other animal, for that matter—exist by eating
just one food source, and some food sources that humans enjoy
eating can actually be toxic to other animals. As such, John set himself
the task of determining what reptiles actually eat in the wild, what
nutrients this diet may contain, and finally, how we can replicate this
in our collections. Of course, this makes sense, but the work certainly
wasn’t easy. I can only imagine the magnitude of the task.
In John’s latest book you are guaranteed to discover many aspects
of nutrition that have not been known or widely accepted before,
as well as suggestions that may result in your own pet enjoying
a longer and more comfortable life. As John says, ‘We should be
seeking to see captive animals thrive in captivity and not just live
a sterile life in a box’. By taking the time to read this book, you
may become one step closer to achieving this.
Dr Mike Leahy
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
Introduction
R
eptiles and amphibians to me are simply both amazing and awe
inspiring. In evolutionary terms, it is thought that the animal
group known to us as amphibians and then reptiles occurred
pretty early on, with birds following on shortly after. Certainly, there
is an array of similarities between birds and reptiles even today, with
most of the advice we are now given about forward-thinking reptile
and amphibian care also able to be applied to captive bird care. Reptiles
rather than being a backward group of ‘underworld’ animals with no
real thought patterns, social hierarchy or feelings—or even any spacial
awareness—are proving, at every level, to be massively advanced, and
have been able to go on to thrive in most environments.
One example of purposeful teamwork in reptiles can be seen in
the Steppes runner (Eremias arguta), which appears to be a very
social species that will work as a team to locate, corner, capture and
dismember large prey sources, and which will then settle to eat in
order of the social hierarchy. This is a brand new observation that has
been made by captive breeders of this emerging species and has been
reported directly to me.
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
Mankind has caused colossal damage to the earth in an obsessive
search of its resources of one kind or another, and this is/will
continue to have a profound effect upon all wildlife, including
reptiles and amphibians. We can expect to see whole populations
of species disappear and avoidable diseases ravage whole
continents. Much of this loss will be caused by climate change,
pesticides, habitat destruction and the introduction of non-native
species. The fire ant (Wassmania auropunctata), as an example,
is responsible for an unswerving attack upon many life forms,
including some of the rarest reptiles and amphibians on our
planet. Rats and introduced cats are also responsible for the early
deaths of hundreds of millions of animals each year. The odds
are against the sheer diversity that we now enjoy unless large
scale change can be introduced and the ongoing invasion of man
stopped. As with all things, there will always be the exception
to the rule: we can truly marvel at the adaptability and number
explosion of some species. We only have to look at the tree snake
populations on Guam or any of the other invasive reptiles that
have colonised areas of the world and increased their populations
very quickly. The fact that reptiles have been kept in captivity for
so long and have bred so well to date with a limited amount of
keeper knowledge is another testament to the determination of
the group to replicate as a whole.
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
The fact that reptiles have been kept
in captivity for so long and have bred
so well to date with a limited amount
of keeper knowledge is another
testament to the determination of
the group to replicate as a whole.”
This group of animals is commonly known as being Exo-Thermic
or ‘cold blooded’. This is another expression that humans use to
malign one another and is derived from the apparent sinister
nature of reptiles. In simple terms, these species do not use
food to generate heat and energy inside of their own bodies;
rather, they rely upon solar energy in the form of infrared light
(heat) to regulate their body temperatures. They, like almost
all other living things, are able to use the wavelengths of light,
known to us as UVB, directly from the sun in order to initiate and
maintain the production of vitamins and hormones, including the
extremely important vitamin D3, inside of the body (referred to
as the D3 cycle). This lifesaving vitamin allows, amongst many
other things, the effective absorption of calcium (Ca) back into
the animal’s bones where it is stored to be finally released into
the bloodstream. Reptiles, amphibians and birds also use a longer
series of wavelengths of light that we refer to as UVA to view the
world in a spectacular array of colours as yet invisible to humans.
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
They are thought to be able to use this ability to effectively selfregulate their own exposure throughout their ecosystem. This
form of sight is known as Tetrachromacy (four cone cells inside of
the eye). Tetrachromats (those with this capability) are thought
to be able to see, and seem to make use of 100 million colours, 99
million of which are thought to be invisible to Trichromats (three
rod cells inside of the eye), including humans. To tetrachromats,
this would indeed present the world as a very different place to
the world viewed by humans.
Reptiles are a very advanced group of animals as we can now
see, although I believe that we are only just starting to scratch
the surface of biological discovery and its eventual surprises.
This incredible group of animals has evolved in-situ over millions
of years to hunt down and forage food sources in the wild that
will not only keep them alive but will also cause them to thrive
in these habitats and to perpetuate the blood lines and whole
species going forward. But how do they do this? How do they
seemingly select food sources? And is it even possible that
reptiles and amphibians can self-supplement their own diets with
natural minerals when in the wild?
One thing is for sure: as humans, we will always struggle to
truly understand nature, and as part of this nature, reptiles and
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The Arcadia Guide to Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition
amphibians are just another mystery waiting to be unlocked.
As time passes, we will become more and more aware of the
amazing abilities they have, as well as just how they exploit the
eco-systems in which they live and thrive. We will never know all
that there is to know about every species; however, if we keep
an open mind and are happy to stand in the gap and push the
boundaries of captive care, we will eventually begin to uncover
some of these mysteries and will be able to incorporate these
things into our everyday captive care regimes.
The purpose of this book is to start to uncover some of the food
sources, key vitamins and minerals available to reptiles in the wild,
and to find out how, why and whether or not we should provide
them to our captive animals, as well as their ultimate relationship
to one another. We will seek to push the boundaries of care and
push into the mainstream a whole series of new husbandry
techniques with the aim of seeing captive reptile thrive rather
than merely surviving in captivity.
The purpose of this book is to start
to uncover some of the food sources,
key vitamins and minerals available
to reptiles in the wild.”
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