Keeping Live Reptile Food

Live food can be a high source of nutrition for your pet reptile. They offer a variation of diet and will also give your reptile an opportunity to forage, as they would have done naturally in the wild.

It is important that these insects are kept in good condition before feeding them to our reptiles. For a short period of time you almost need to care for them as pets, as you would not be doing your reptile any favours by feeding them malnourished and diseased insects. You will need to feed your insects by a process known as gut-loading. This is where you raise the insects with nutritious foods, with the intention to then pass this onto your reptile when they feast on them.

We have taken three of the most popular insects that we use as live food for our reptiles and offer a few tips on how to keep them healthy and nourished in the short time that you will care for them.

Grasshoppers

Also known as locusts, grasshoppers can take around 2-4 weeks to hatch from eggs. They reach maturity very quickly, usually in around 4 weeks. Their natural life cycle ends at around 6 months.

• Keep your grasshoppers in a fairly large container.
• Ensure that the container has ventilation holes, but which are not big enough to escape through.
• Add dry sand or dry oatmeal flakes to the bottom of the container, with some twigs for them to sit on.
• Place the container where there is either natural sunlight or light from a bulb.
• Grasshoppers will eat grass and leaves, so make sure there are plenty available. Ensure that these leaves have not been exposed to pesticides.
• They will need warm and dry conditions to keep them healthy, although not too warm as this can cause infections. Between 25-35 degrees celsius during the day and 15 degrees celsius at night will be preferable.
• Make sure that there is always a fresh supply of water in a shallow bowl, as grasshoppers can become dehydrated very easily.

Offering a high amount of nutrition for most reptiles, crickets are one of the most common live insects to use as food. They are full of flavour and will be a great source of food for your reptiles if they are cared for properly.

• Keep your crickets in a fairly large container.
• Ensure that the container has ventilation holes, but which are not big enough to escape through.
• Add some cardboard tubes or egg cartons as they like to have dark places to hide in.
• You can feed crickets fresh vegetation, cricket food or supplements, such as HabiStat Medivet Cricket Diet Eco Pack Food, which is great for gut-loading.
• Make sure that there is always a fresh supply of water in a shallow bowl, as they can become dehydrated very easily.
• Once you have fed a batch of crickets to your reptile, clean out the container with disinfectant, ready to begin the process again.

High in protein and essential fats, mealworms are perfect for feeding to your reptile as a treat or as part of a balanced diet.

• Keep your mealworms in a plastic container.
• Line the bottom of the container with substrate. The mealworms will eat this and in turn pass it onto your reptile pet as part of the gut-loading process.
• Make sure the substrate is kept damp, but not wet.

Sources

https://www.keepinginsects.com/cockroaches-locusts-ants/grasshoppers/

https://www.reptilecentre.com/info-live-food-care-sheet