Reptiles & Amphibians

These are resources that relate to amphibians and reptiles.

DIET SUPPLEMENTS FOR REPTILES

Nutritonal problems are the one of the most common reason pet reptiles become sick. Captive reptile diets are notorious for being imbalanced in many vitamins and minerals. This is mostly just due to the fact that it's still very hard to completely simulate their natural food sources using what is available to us in stores. Supplements give us a helpful and necessary tool to make up for these gaps. This short article will discuss our recommendations for providing supplements to pet reptiles. 

Shedding in Reptiles

Shedding (ecdysis) is a natural process in reptile species by which they replace old skin and scales. This process helps them maintain proper skin health and allows their hard, scaly skin to grow with the rest of their body. Healthy animals will shed regularly and owners will often find long sheets of discarded scales in their pet’s enclosure. Some species, such as the leopard gecko, will eat their discarded shed as a method of preventing predators from tracking them.

Quarantine Guidelines for Reptile Owners

Introducing a new reptile to your home? Implementing a well-considered quarantine is not just a good practice - it's essential. This process involves isolating your new companion to observe, conduct disease testing, and assist in their acclimatization to the new environment. The inadvertent introduction of diseases can not only lead to frustration but also to significant financial burdens while  underscoring the critical role of a meticulous quarantine process.

Soaking for Reptiles

*This video contains copyrighted material from the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic of Indianapolis. Complete videos are made available for educational purposes only.  No videos or portions of videos may be captured, modified or displayed without written permission.

Cloacal Prolapse

What is the cloaca?

In our reptile patients, there is one opening to the outside world, called the cloaca (or vent). There are three body systems that feed into the cloaca- the gastrointestinal tract (coprodeum), urinary tract (urodeum), and genital tract (proctodeum). This means that this one opening excretes products from each of these body systems (eg. fecal matter, urine).

Enrichment for Exotic Companion Pets

Enrichment is a continuously growing and evolving concept in animal care which centers around the idea of keeping captive animals stimulated in their environments by allowing them to engage in as many natural behaviors as possible and giving options on how to interact with their environment (essentially giving them choices). Enrichment is widely utilized in zoos and most commonly with large mammals; however, many other species including birds, reptiles, and small mammals are often overlooked.

Gut Loading

“Gut loading” refers to the practice of feeding insects a nutritious diet before they are eaten by your pet.  Most commercially-available prey insects are deficient in many nutrients that our insectivorous pets require.  Gut loading enhances our pets’ nutrition in two ways:

Greens and Vegetables for Herbivorous Reptiles

Here are recommended vegetables and greens for reptile diets. 
 
Choose a variety of the follow to feed daily -
Spring Mix, Field greens,  Dandelion greens, Collard greens, Endive, Escarole, Mustard Greens, Squash (acorn, butternut, hubbard, scallop, spaghetti, summer), and Turnip greens. Also  Shrubs/Cultivated plants (hibiscus, cape honeysuckle, mulberry, strawberry bush, grape leaves, viola, violet, pansies, poppy, petunia, geraniums, etc.), Alfalfa (plants), Cactus pad/leaf (prickly pear), and Lettuce (red leaf, romaine)
 

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