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 6 of 17
The main everyday diet for a common house gecko should be small live insects, with small crickets and tiny roaches as the staples, backed by fruit flies, small black soldier fly larvae, and other prey no wider than the gecko's head. This little nocturnal wall-climber hunts insects drawn to lights in the wild, so…
A White's tree frog in captivity eats sizeable live insects, led by crickets and roaches, with locusts, earthworms, black soldier fly larvae, and moths rounding out the rotation. This big Australian frog takes prey that would overwhelm smaller tree frogs, and it will also accept an occasional pinky mouse, though such…
A tegu in captivity eats a broad omnivore diet: whole prey such as rodents, chicks, and fish, plus eggs, lean meats, insects, and, increasingly with age, fruits and vegetables including berries, melon, squash, and leafy greens. Hatchlings need animal protein at nearly every meal to fuel rapid growth, while adults do…
A savannah monitor in captivity eats whole prey built around invertebrates: large roaches, crickets, locusts, snails, earthworms, and eggs, with whole rodents, chicks, and other vertebrate prey kept as occasional items rather than the staple. This African monitor evolved digging insects and snails out of dry…
A red-footed tortoise in captivity eats a forest-floor mix of leafy greens and weeds as the base, a meaningful share of fruit such as papaya, mango, melon, and berries, plus occasional animal protein like earthworms or a little lean meat or egg. Unlike strict grass grazers, this South American tortoise evolved under…
A red-eyed tree frog in captivity eats live nocturnal prey, mainly crickets in suitable sizes, plus roaches, moths, flies, and other flying or climbing insects it can ambush after dark. This slim, big-eyed frog sleeps flattened on a leaf all day and hunts only once lights are out, so food offered in daylight is…
A poison dart frog in captivity eats very small live insects, above all fruit flies, which form the everyday staple, supplemented with springtails, tiny pinhead crickets, small isopods, and bean beetles for variety. Every prey item must be small enough for a frog often no bigger than a thumbnail to swallow whole, and…
A painted turtle in captivity eats an omnivorous mix that shifts with age: quality aquatic turtle pellets plus earthworms, insects, small fish, and shrimp for protein, alongside leafy greens, duckweed, and other aquatic plants that matter more as the turtle matures. Young painted turtles hunt eagerly and lean…
A long-tailed lizard in captivity eats small live insects, including small crickets, tiny roaches, small mealworms, fruit flies for juveniles, and other little invertebrates it can chase through grass-like planting. Also called the long-tailed grass lizard, this slender Asian species is an alert daytime hunter, so…
A leopard tortoise in captivity eats grasses and hay as the bulk of its diet, with leafy greens, weeds such as dandelion and plantain, and other high-fibre vegetation making up the rest. This large African grazing tortoise should not live on fruit or rich supermarket salads, which are too sugary and soft for a hindgut…
A Jackson's chameleon in captivity eats live, gut-loaded insects such as crickets, roaches, black soldier flies and their larvae, silkworms, and hornworms for hydration, all sized to fit a deliberate, tongue-shooting hunter. Variety matters more for chameleons than for many lizards, so rotate several feeders rather…
A green anole in captivity eats tiny live insects, mainly small crickets, fruit flies for juveniles, small roaches, tiny black soldier fly larvae, and the occasional small moth or spider, offered daily in small numbers. Prey must be small enough for a slender anole to swallow easily, roughly no wider than the space…
A five-lined skink in captivity eats small live insects and other invertebrates, such as crickets, small roaches, beetle larvae, spiders, isopods, and chopped earthworm, sized to fit a quick, slender hunter. This fast, sun-loving skink is an active daytime forager, so several small prey items offered in the warm part…
A fire skink in captivity eats live invertebrates as its core diet, including crickets, roaches, earthworms, black soldier fly larvae, and snails, with occasional variety from a little scrambled or boiled egg or lean raw meat as a rare treat. This secretive, burrowing skink hunts in leaf litter, so food scattered or…
A common musk turtle in captivity eats a protein-rich mix built on a quality aquatic turtle pellet, plus earthworms, snails, small insects, shrimp, and pieces of fish, with only small amounts of leafy greens or aquatic plants. This small bottom-walking turtle is far more carnivorous than a slider, so a diet copied…
A children's python in captivity eats whole rodents, starting on very small pinky mice as a hatchling and moving up through fuzzy and adult mice, with some larger adults taking small rats. Prey should be about as wide as the thickest part of the snake's body, offered frozen-thawed and warmed rather than live, usually…
Feed a young White's tree frog every evening, and feed a healthy adult every two or three days, offering as many suitable insects as it will take in a short sitting at lights-out. This large, placid frog is an enthusiastic eater that becomes overweight easily, and a plump fold rolling over the ear is a classic sign…
Feed a hatchling tegu every day, a juvenile daily or every other day, and a healthy adult tegu on three or four feeding days a week, with portion size doing most of the adjustment as growth slows. Tegus are intelligent, food-driven lizards that will readily overeat rich animal foods, so a predictable rhythm protects…
Feed a young savannah monitor small meals every day, ease a fast-growing juvenile to every other day, and feed most healthy adults two or three times a week rather than daily. This species gains weight readily in captivity, so a lean adult fed large rodent meals every day can become heavy even while still acting…
Feed a red-footed tortoise fresh food every day, because this forest-edge species expects a daily spread of leafy greens and weeds with fruit as a regular smaller share, and only an occasional protein item on a much slower rhythm. Daily feeding is correct here; it is the composition, greens first and fruit second,…
Feed an adult red-eyed tree frog every other night, and a youngster every night, because this nocturnal hunter eats in the dark and digests through its daytime sleep. A few crickets of sensible size per frog, offered as the lights go down, is the meal that matches its whole biology. Put the crickets in just before the…
Feed a poison dart frog every day, without exception as your default, because its diet of tiny fruit flies delivers so little per mouthful that this frog is built to hunt almost constantly. Youngsters need daily feeding to grow at all, and even settled adults lose condition quickly when cultures fail or feeds are…
Feed a painted turtle daily while it is young, then feed adults a proper meal every other day with leafy food offered more freely in between, because this active pond turtle shifts from a protein-hungry youngster to an omnivorous adult. All feeding happens in the water, where a painted turtle can swallow, and uneaten…
Feed a long-tailed lizard every day, because this slim, hyperactive grass lizard burns through small insect meals quickly and does not thrive on a feast-and-famine rhythm. A few tiny crickets, small roaches, or fruit flies each morning, sized to its narrow head, is the pattern youngsters and adults alike do best on.…
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