4,660 answers about reptiles & amphibians
Keeping reptiles and amphibians well comes down to environment — heat, light, humidity and the right enclosure — plus feeding and health basics that differ by species. This page gathers the reptile and amphibian library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
← All Reptiles & Amphibians topics
387 answers in Feeding & Nutrition — page 2 of 17
Good treats for a tiger salamander are soft, bite-size feeder foods it would hunt in the wild: pieces of earthworm, a small silkworm, a roach nymph, or an occasional waxworm. Offer a treat about once a week as a small part of a feeding, not a separate extra meal, and keep waxworms rarer because this species gains…
A savannah monitor suits whole-prey treats: a quail egg, a small whole quail, large roaches, or a snail, each offered in place of part of a regular feed rather than as an extra. These match the varied animal diet this big African lizard hunts, but treats should be sparse, perhaps one treat item in a week of lean…
A red-eyed tree frog suits soft insect treats offered at night: a silkworm, a small moth-like feeder, or one waxworm, presented on a leaf or by tong just after lights-out when this frog is hunting. Waxworms should stay rare, perhaps one in a treat feed once a week or less, because a red-eyed tree frog will favour…
A Pacman frog suits meaty insect and worm treats: a chunk of nightcrawler, a small hornworm, or a few large roaches offered by tong in place of part of a regular feed. These match the sit-and-wait carnivore diet of this ground-dwelling frog, and a treat item once a week or so is plenty alongside dusted staple insects.…
A milk snake suits treat meals, not snacks: an occasional small quail egg, a day-old quail chick, or a pinky rat in place of its usual mouse, each replacing a scheduled feed rather than following one. Milk snakes are king snake relatives with broad wild tastes, so egg and chick variety is natural for them, but one…
A leopard tortoise suits grazing treats: a hibiscus flower, a spine-free piece of prickly pear pad, a handful of fresh grass and weeds, or a few mulberry leaves, all scattered where it can wander and crop them. These fibre-rich extras can appear most days in small amounts because they resemble the savanna grazing this…
A leopard gecko suits insect treats: a juicy hornworm, a couple of silkworms, or black soldier fly larvae offered by tong make a welcome change from staple crickets and roaches. Waxworms are the one to ration hardest, because a leopard gecko can become hooked on their soft, fatty bodies and start refusing healthier…
A king snake suits treat meals rather than snacks: an occasional quail egg, a day-old quail chick, or a change from its usual mouse to a similar-sized rat weaner, each offered instead of a scheduled feed. Those items match this opportunistic hunter's wide natural menu, and one treat feed in several regular meals is…
A Kenyan sand boa suits no treats between meals, because this ambush hunter eats whole rodents and nothing else, so its only treat is an occasional variation within a scheduled feed, such as a differently sized mouse or a rare small rat pup in place of the usual item. Offer that variation only once in a long while,…
A hog-nosed snake has no treat foods in the usual sense, because it eats whole prey only, so its treat is variety and scent: an occasional feeder mouse carrying a natural amphibian scent, offered in place of a regular meal rather than on top of one. That kind of scented meal suits this toad-hunting species and can…
A Hermann's tortoise treats best on foods from its dry Mediterranean grazing diet: a dandelion flower, a few clover leaves, plantain leaves, or a hibiscus bloom picked from a pesticide-free spot. These weed and flower extras can appear several times a week because they are part of a natural diet, while fruit should…
A giant day gecko does best with treats that match its fruit-and-nectar wild diet: a pea-sized smear of ripe mango, papaya, or banana puree, or a tiny piece of soft fig offered on a fingertip or shallow lid. Offer a fruit treat two or three times a week at most, and keep the main diet as balanced gecko fruit food with…
A fire-bellied toad's treats are alternative live foods: pieces of earthworm, small roaches, black soldier fly larvae and the occasional waxworm, all dusted and sized for a small mouth. Offer them as part of the toad's normal feeds — a couple of treat items two or three times a week — rather than as extra meals on…
A crested gecko's best treats are soft ripe fruit — mashed mango, fig, papaya or banana — and a few small dusted live insects such as crickets or black soldier fly larvae. Offer a pea-sized amount of fruit mash, or three or four insects, once or twice a week at most, alongside the staple powdered diet rather than…
A corn snake's treats are small variations on its rodent diet: a quail egg, a day-old chick, or a different rodent of the right size, offered instead of the usual mouse. Give a treat prey roughly one feed in four or five, never as an extra between feeds, because corn snakes gain weight quietly under a generous keeper.…
A boa constrictor does not take snacks, so its treat is an occasional change of prey: a rabbit or quail of suitable size offered in place of the usual rat or rabbit staple at a normal scheduled feed. Keep that swap rare — a few times a year is ample — and never add prey between feeds, because boas convert food to body…
A blue-tongued skink, as an omnivore, genuinely enjoys treats: a few blueberries or raspberries, a small piece of banana or mango, some plain cooked egg, or a snail make ideal choices. Keep each treat portion small — a teaspoon or two alongside or instead of part of a meal — and offer treats once or twice a week…
A ball python has no real equivalent of a snack treat, because it eats whole prey and nothing else; the treat, in python terms, is variety inside the menu. Keep appropriately sized rats as the staple, and now and then offer a different prey item of similar size, such as a chick or a quail, in place of the usual meal…
Feed a leopard gecko in the evening when you get home, because that is when this dusk hunter is awake, warm and looking for insects. Offer dusted live feeders with tongs or in the enclosure, watch what is eaten, and take out any insects still roaming after the feed so they do not stress the gecko overnight. Adults…
A crested gecko is one of the easiest reptiles to feed around a job, because it wakes and eats after dark. Put a fresh dish of mixed powdered diet in the enclosure in the early evening when you get home, leave it overnight, and take the dish out the next morning before work. Offer fresh food every night or every other…
Put the bearded dragon's lights on a timer so the enclosure is warm well before you leave, then set out a fresh salad in the morning for the dragon to graze on through the day. Do the main insect feed when you get home, while the lights are still on and the dragon is warm enough to digest, and remove any uneaten…
A leopard gecko's food is mostly alive, so store each feeder in the conditions that keep it healthy: mealworms in a lidded tub in the fridge, roaches and crickets in a ventilated, latched bin at room temperature with vegetables to eat. Supplement powders stay in small sealed pots in a dry cupboard, scooped with a dry…
A crested gecko's powdered diet stays fresh in its original resealable pouch or an airtight jar, kept in a cool, dark cupboard and always scooped with a completely dry spoon. Mix only a small amount at a time, refrigerate any mixed leftovers in a covered pot for no more than a few days, and throw away whatever the…
Split a bearded dragon's food by type: live insects live in their own ventilated, latched tub, leafy greens go into the fridge in a dry lined container, and any dry food or supplement powder stays in a sealed jar in a cool cupboard. Keep every container behind a closed door or on a high shelf, because a roaming dog or…
Can't find your question? Ask it here. We answer reader questions in KinsLe Answers — and we'll email you when yours is published.
KinsLe is launching soon — and the waitlist hears the date first. Join for launch updates and first access when the app opens.
We email you about the launch. Unsubscribe anytime.