Nutrition of pet amphibians and reptiles

Amphibians and reptiles are a diverse group with stringent demands for suitable management. All are ectothermic and heterothermic. To simplify nutritional assessment, reptiles and amphibians can be grouped into broad categories as carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. Imbalanced diets and poor feeding management often lead to nutritional disease in captive species. The more common nutritional disorders include metabolic bone disease from deficiencies of calcium and vitamin DBI hypovitaminosis A, visceral and articular gout from dehydration, and starvation from calorie deficits. Nutritional support aids reptiles and amphibians that have medical or surgical problems. Copyright (C) 1998 by W. B. Saunders Company.