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.
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387 answers in Feeding & Nutrition — page 4 of 17
Feed a cherry head tortoise a main everyday diet of dark leafy greens and safe weeds — collards, turnip and dandelion greens, endive, and hibiscus — served as a fresh daily pile. Layer in chopped vegetables like squash and bell pepper, a small portion of fruit such as papaya or melon several times a week, and a modest…
A Sulcata tortoise needs grass — effectively unlimited grazing or a daily pile of grass and grass hay at least the size of its shell, and for a big adult, considerably more. Grasses and their hays should make up the great majority of the day, with a modest share of leafy greens and weeds and almost no fruit. A…
A Senegal chameleon eats daily while young — around eight to twelve small insects a day — and as an adult settles to four to six feeders every day or every other day. Keep the insects small and varied: crickets, black soldier fly larvae, small roaches, and flies suit this modest-sized chameleon better than large prey.…
A savannah monitor's daily amount depends sharply on age: a juvenile eats a full serving of insects every day — as many dusted crickets and roaches as it will take in ten to fifteen minutes — while an adult should be fed every two to three days, not daily. Adult portions lean on whole prey: a modest pile of large…
A sailfin dragon does eat daily, in two parts: a juvenile gets a generous serving of insects each day alongside a bowl of leafy greens, while an adult's day is mostly greens and vegetables with insects offered several times a week. A young sailfin can take ten to twenty appropriately sized crickets or roaches in a day…
A rosy boa needs no daily food at all — one small mouse every seven to ten days is plenty for an adult, and juveniles do well on a pinky or fuzzy every five to seven days. Rosy boas are slow-growing desert snakes with modest appetites, and their prey should be no wider than the snake's widest point. This species is…
A reticulated python needs nothing daily — this giant grows best on one large prey item at long intervals: every seven to ten days for a juvenile, stretching to every two to four weeks for an adult eating rabbits or similar big meals. The prey should be about as wide as the snake's widest point, producing a visible…
A red-footed tortoise needs a fresh pile of food every day, roughly the size of its own shell: mostly dark leafy greens and edible weeds, a smaller share of vegetables, a little fruit, and a modest protein portion a couple of times a week. Juveniles should get that daily pile without fail while they grow; adults can…
A Kenyan sand boa needs nothing on a daily basis — one appropriately sized mouse every seven to ten days keeps an adult in condition, with juveniles fed every five to seven days. This small burrowing boa has a slow metabolism and gains weight easily, so a single pinky, fuzzy, or small adult mouse matched to the…
A Jackson's chameleon is one of the few reptiles on a genuinely daily menu: a juvenile eats roughly ten to fifteen small gut-loaded insects a day, while an adult does well on four to six larger feeders every day or every other day. Crickets, black soldier fly larvae, and small roaches form the rotation, dusted lightly…
A hog-nosed snake does not eat every day at all — a healthy adult does well on one appropriately sized mouse every seven to ten days, and a growing juvenile on a smaller mouse every four to five days. Size the prey to roughly the widest part of the snake's body, no wider, because hognoses have modest appetites…
A green tree python needs no food on a daily basis: this arboreal python eats one whole prey item at intervals, roughly every week or so for a growing youngster and every two to three weeks for an adult, with the prey about as wide as the snake's body at its thickest point. Daily feeding would seriously overfeed it.…
A gopher tortoise needs grazing food available through the whole day rather than one measured meal: grasses and edible weeds it can crop continuously outdoors, supplemented with a fresh pile of leafy greens and hay about the size of its shell each day. This is a fibre-driven grazer, so fruit and rich vegetables should…
A garter snake is the exception among pet snakes: its fast metabolism means it does best on small meals offered frequently rather than one large weekly feed, though even garters should not necessarily eat a full meal every single day. Growing youngsters thrive on small portions of earthworm pieces, fish, or similar…
A frilled dragon's daily amount depends heavily on age: a juvenile eats insects eagerly every day, taking as many appropriately sized insects as it will chase in a short feeding session, often across two sittings, while an adult eats a smaller insect portion once a day or every other day alongside leafy greens and…
A children's python does not need food each day at all: like other pythons, it eats single whole prey items spaced well apart, and daily feeding would quickly make this small python overweight. A youngster typically takes one appropriately sized prey item about once a week, and an adult closer to every ten days to two…
A cherry head tortoise needs a daily pile of leafy greens and weeds roughly the size of its own shell, offered fresh each morning and refreshed if it wilts. Unlike strictly grass-eating tortoises, this forest species also takes a small portion of fruit and an occasional protein item, but those extras should stay minor…
Hand-feed a veiled chameleon slowly and from the front, because this species is shy and quick to feel threatened by a looming hand. Hold the feeder in tongs at branch height, far enough away for the tongue to extend fully, and wait motionless while the chameleon decides; many veiled chameleons accept food more readily…
Hand-feed a Russian tortoise by offering leafy greens from a flat, open palm held below the food, or pinched in tongs, so the tortoise's beak closes on the leaves and not on skin. This small tortoise lunges eagerly at bright colours, including polished nails, so keep fingertips tucked behind the greens and let the…
Tong-feed a red-eared slider at the water's surface, never from your fingers: this turtle lunges fast, bites hard for its size, and cannot tell food from fingertips once it commits. Hold a pellet, worm, or strip of leafy green in long tongs just at the surface where the slider can see it move, let the turtle come to…
Hand-feed a panther chameleon by giving its tongue room to work: hold a feeder insect in tongs or between fingers at branch level, roughly a tongue's length away from the chameleon, and stay perfectly still while it aims and fires. Never hold the insect close to its face, because a tongue fired at point-blank range…
A pacman frog should only ever be tong-fed, never finger-fed: this ambush frog lunges at anything moving near its mouth and has a strong bite with small teeth. Hold a worm or other feeder in long, rounded tongs and move it slowly across the ground just in front of the frog's face, low and at ground level, then release…
Tong-feeding is the safe way to hand-feed a leopard gecko: grip one live insect in soft-tipped tongs, hold it low at floor level a short distance in front of the gecko, and let the gecko stalk forward and strike on its own. Present one insect at a time, keep your fingers well behind the tongs, and never dangle food…
Tong-feed a king snake with long tongs and extra respect for its powerful feeding response, offering a fully thawed rodent presented low in front of the snake and released the instant it strikes and coils. King snakes feed enthusiastically and may continue striking at movement after the first item, so keep hands out…
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