Reptile nutrition depends heavily on what kind of reptile you have — there’s no single “reptile food” that works across species.
Insectivores
Crickets, dubia roaches, and mealworms should be gut-loaded (fed nutritious food themselves) 24-48 hours before offering them to your pet, then dusted with calcium powder (and vitamin D3 if your pet doesn’t get natural sunlight or strong UVB).
Herbivores
Leafy greens like collard greens, mustard greens, and squash form the base of a herbivorous reptile’s diet. Iceberg lettuce should be avoided — it’s mostly water with little nutritional value.
Carnivores
Snakes typically eat appropriately sized pre-killed rodents on a species-specific schedule, often every 1-2 weeks for adults. Never feed live prey unsupervised — it can injure your snake.
Calcium and Supplementation
Calcium deficiency is one of the most common and preventable reptile health problems. Most insectivores and herbivores need regular calcium dusting or supplementation as part of every feeding routine.
