That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

Like sowbugs (isopods, pillbugs), Amphipods are crustaceans that feature prominently in natural diets of many reptiles and amphibians.  They contain nutrients not found in insects, and are likely a rich source of calcium.  Several species are easy to collect and breed in captivity, but, unlike sowbugs, they rarely attract much attention from hobbyists (please see the article below for information on breeding sowbugs).  Whether you know them as Rock-Hoppers, Sand-Hoppers, Lawn Shrimp or any of the names above, one Amphipod or another likely makes its home near yours, and may be worth investigating as a food source for your pets.

Natural History

Amphipod diversity is astounding…over 7,000 species have been identified, and experts concede that they have no idea of the actual number in existence.

Found from pole to pole, Amphipods reach their greatest abundance in colder oceans.  Most live in marine environments, but a number have colonized fresh water and land; of the known terrestrial species, 45% dwell in caves or other subterranean environments.  They range in size from 0.8 to 1.6 inches long, and may be omnivorous, carnivorous or herbivorous. Read More »

Today I’d like to highlight a question that was recently posed on this blog concerning the use of wild-caught invertebrates as pet food.  The writer expressed the well-founded concern that fertilizers might render such invertebrates toxic, and also asked about the possibility of parasite transmission. 

Fertilizers

Fertilizers might be a concern for invertebrates collected in high use situations, such as insects seined from farm ponds or earthworms taken from golf courses.  Frogs in farm ponds are being affected by fertilizers, but likely directly, through water absorption, rather than via diet.  I always play it safe and avoid such areas, and I do not collect insects, such as roaches or Japanese Beetles, that are the focus of pest-control campaigns. Read More »

Please see Part I of this article for a general discussion regarding the collection of insects and other invertebrates and their use in the diets of captive reptiles, amphibians, birds, invertebrates and fishes. Today I’d like to focus on some areas of special concern.

Toxic and Biting/Stinging Invertebrates

While not involving pesticides per se, for your own safety and that of your collection it is imperative that you learn to identify the toxic or otherwise dangerous invertebrates that you may encounter while collecting. A good field guide (i.e. Audubon, Golden Guide or Peterson series) is indispensable in this regard. Be sure to handle unfamiliar species with plastic tongs.

Please bear in mind that even relatively mild bee venom can cause fatalities in allergic people. And while less than 1% of the world’s 40,000+ species of spiders are considered dangerously venomous to us, a number readily bite both people and animals in self defense. It is best, therefore, to avoid them…the Thin-legged Harvestman or “daddy long-legs”, which are not spiders, are safe to use. Steer clear also of bees, wasps, large ants, stag beetles and others well-equipped to defend themselves.

Bright colors often indicate that an animal is toxic or bad-tasting; ladybugs, fireflies, milkweed bugs and a great many others fall into this category. Unless you are sure of an insect’s identity, the safest course of action is to avoid brightly-colored species.

Native vs. Non-Native Prey Species

In many cases, predators avoid dangerous prey animals that occur naturally within their ranges; this can spare both pet and pet-keeper a good deal of grief!  However, dangerous non-native prey animals may be attacked with abandon if the hunter has no “frame of reference”, so use extra caution in such cases.

I have, for example, housed highly-toxic Marine Toads with Green Anacondas for decades without incident, despite the fact that anacondas consume non-toxic frogs readily. However, Australian monitors and snakes, which have no instinctive or learned toad avoidance behavior, eagerly consume the Marine Toads that have been introduced there, often with fatal results.

Earthworms

Earthworms are one of the most nutritious live foods available. There are, however, situations that warrant precautions.

Earthworms are unique in consuming dirt as they tunnel, and in doing so may concentrate toxins present there. To my knowledge, the only problem that has arisen thus far has involved worms that dwell along golf courses, which are subjected to unusually high degrees of pesticide application. Please see my article Raising Earthworms for details concerning striped skunks and earthworms in NY.

West Nile Control and Related Programs

Avoid collecting invertebrates for 1 week after an area has been sprayed as part of West Nile eradication efforts, and steer clear of farms where pesticides are known to be applied regularly. Avoid also local insects that are considered to be agricultural pests, as they are likely the subject of control measures (this may apply to aphids, caterpillars, Japanese Beetles, etc.).

Enjoy

Despite the precautions that must be taken, invertebrate collecting is a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable endeavor. Don’t forget to examine your catch closely…several years ago a new species of centipede was uncovered in NYC’s Central Park, on ground trod daily by thousands of people. Like me, you just may wind up keeping some of your discoveries in captivity for their own sake!

Further Reading

For a very interesting account of how toads learn to avoid stinging insects, please see my article Amphibian Learning Abilities.

Please write in with your questions and comments.

Black Widow image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Trachemys.

Milkweed Bugs image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Greg5030.

The diets that you provide your reptile and amphibian pets are of critical importance in maintaining their good health and longevity. Providing a balanced diet can be a quite simple matter for some species and, unfortunately, nearly impossible to achieve with others. Proper nutrition plays an important role in every aspect of your pet’s life, from its ability to grow normally and reproduce to less obvious areas, such as the functioning of its immune system. Reptile and amphibian hobbyists today have a wide variety of both prepared and live foods from which to choose when formulating a diet. In most cases, this is a very good state of affairs. However, sometimes it has a tendency to make us a bit lazy — for example, is very easy to provide an insectivorous lizard with a diet based on one or two readily available food items when, in actuality, the animal may need a great deal more variety to maintain optimum health.

What I would like to do in this article is to present some general principles and ideas for your consideration. Please bear in mind that actual feeding techniques – how to present the food — will also affect the ultimate value of the diet that you provide. For example, the length of time between a food animal’s introduction into the terrarium and when it is actually eaten will affect how much of its vitamin/mineral supplement coating will be passed along to your pet. Whether food insects will live or die within the terrarium, and how to keep track of the food intake of secretive or nocturnal pets will also affect the manner in which you must present the food. All of these factors, and many more, will be addressed in future articles. Until then, please contact me with your questions and observations on this subject.

There are two basic approaches to feeding reptiles and amphibians in captivity. One method is to identify one or two commercially prepared diets that provide all of the nutrition that your pet needs for a long and healthy life. This option is available to those who keep animals, such as tortoises and newts, that normally consume, or will accept, non-living food items. Animals that consume live prey in the wild will generally need a varied diet in captivity (one notable exception is most of the commonly kept snakes, all of which do quite well on a diet composed entirely of rats and mice.

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