Any reptiles/amphibians that eat prepared foods?

[legendaryfrog]

Hi. My dad's birtday is coming up soon, and im thinking about buying him a vivarium (or aquarium) setup. He's not the kind of person to be feeding his pets live foods like crickets and such. sooo... are there any reptiles or amphibians that eat prepared foods?

[Corbin]

yeah there is amphibians that do, but usualy takes some training, like the Firebellied newt, you can feed it bloodworms in the water. and theres been reports that the Red eft newt will eat can dog food hehe. just research the one your looking at getting.

[beefsteak]

While I'm not sure of any vivarium type reptiles or amphibians, malis and tortoises eat prepared foods. They don't come cheap though. Bearded Dragons, turtles, and iguanas as well (although iguanas get to be huge.) And most of these reptiles live a long time so that's another thing to take into consideration. There are a number of other reptiles and amphibians that eat prepared foods, but it's usually in addition to crickets/mealworms/ other creepy crawly things too.

Could you be a bit more specific?

[Emg]

I feed moistened freeze dried tubifex worms to my redbellied newts....and also a marble salamander that I have. I even tried them out on my daughter's leopard gecko and he snapped it up readily enough.

I think if you moistened any type of prepared food and held it in front of a lizard/newt/etc....they'd give it a try....as long as it was moving. I use a chopstick to feed them, just hold it in front of them and move it around a bit and they may go for it.

You do want to make sure that whatever you're offering has enough nutrients and whatever they need. I also feed my critters live blackworms that I keep in water that has vitamin drops in it. There are also calcium and vitamin powders that you can sprinkle on the food before you feed them..

[Siren]

There's several prepared versions of crickets that you can use too. If he's the kinda guy that will be able to feed with tongs, all he has to do is wiggle them, or there is a food dish that will make the food move for him (link below) My American toads would take food from tongs with no problem, as would my Pixie frog. It's the movement that is key for most herps, if you can get it to move, you've got it made:)
Would he be more willing to feed veggies and greens? There are several lizards that are omnivorse/herbivores...
You could look into day Geckos too...I know a portion of their foods in captivity are human baby foods.

Vivicator link:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13432&N=2006+62741

[JoeRags3]

I occationally feed my FBN freeze dried tubifex worms, the dont enjoy it as much as live waxworms, and they enjoy live Blackworms the most out of all of them.

[colonfree]

blue tongue skinks are a diferent choice. relatively easy care, and lots of fun. uromastyx would be another choice, can't go wrong with veggies and bird seed!

[legendaryfrog]

Would he be more willing to feed veggies and greens? There are several lizards that are omnivorse/herbivores...

[/url]

Please expand on this...

[Siren]

Please expand on this...

Sure :)
It all depends on the size of the tank, of course, but here are a few options:

Bearded Dragon- easy care, but need at least a 50 gallon tank for an adult or two. VERY friendly and adapts well to handling. Mine actually seems to enjoy being held... Lighting very important. Desert type vivarium. Will eat just about anything (for instance, mine eats on a regular basis: hard boiled eggs, many types of lettuce and greens, raspberries, carrots, green beans, melon, apple, banana, dried crickets and mealworms, live foods, pinky mice, peas, corn, dandelion greens and flowers, etc...everything in moderation). Needs more protein as hatchlings/sub adults, but you can buy adults very easily in the reptile trade. Many color morphs to choose from. My own personal recommendation for a beginner.

Uromastx- desert viv also....eats veggies and bird seed-type foods (legumes and grains)...not as happy to be handled as beardies, but non-aggressive. 40-50 gallon tank for 1.

Prehensile-Tailed skinks: Herbivore. I don't know much about them, never had one myself or worked with them at the zoo when I was a keeper, so I can't give you personal experience, but here is a pretty good FAQ http://www.centralah.com/prehensile.htm

Blue tounged skinks; Omnivores similar to bearded dragons in feeding. Easily tameable and will eat almost anything readily. The one I worked with also ate canned cat food as a suppliment to her veggie diet. Excellent FAQ: http://www.anapsid.org/bluetong.html

As a beginner, I would completely AVOID Iguanas. They are cute when young, but grow up to be very territorial and can inflict a nasty bite. Until he has more experience, I wouldn't even consider these.

Most herbivores are going to be terrestrial. And bigger than your average insectivore lizard such as an anole, thus requiring much more space.

Here's a few more choices if you want to expand your search to include turtle species and amphibians.

Box turtles: Omnivores, will eat the same green leafy veggies as above and dried crickets/canned tortoise food...love to have a very shallow "swimming pool" of some sort to lounge in...

Newts, painted turtles (really any of the slider species), and African Clawed frogs will eat pelletized sticks that float in the water. Slider turtles are also omnivores. Mine will eat veggies and lettuces readily.

Geckos- most can be "trained" to take prepackaged food. Hard part is just getting them to recognize it as food.

Most of these animals have formulated diets that you can find online: here's a link to Dr.'s Foster and Smiths page for some ideas : http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2006+6000

To tell you the honest truth, omnivores are the easiest to feed. They have many more food choices, making it easier to locate and keep an assortment of food on hand.

Remember that some of these animals are VERY restricted in certain states, so review any laws pertaining to herps before you go looking for a specific species. For instance, you can't buy turtles retail in NC, and you can't have any exotic pet within the city limits of Detroit... http://www.kingsnake.com is the best research site for herps if you need to know more information...their FAQ pages are excellent.

Also, here's a link to other factors that may influence your decision. This lady is AMAZING writer. If you ever come across Melissa Kaplan's FAQ's or other herp articles, you can be assured that it is quality material, well-written, and accurate. Her stuff is my herp "bible". http://www.anapsid.org/parent.html

I hope this helped...I wasn't sure exactly what you wanted, so please forgive the lengthy response. If you have more details of what kind of viv. you want to set up, feel free to PM me if needed.

[muddskipper26]

what about crested geckos.
i have two and they are great. plus they eat baby food(their main diet in the wild is mashed fruit and nectar)...great pets

[legendaryfrog]

thanks a bunch siren.

[muddskipper26]

get crested geckos. they dont not need crickets at all and are very friendly plus they dont need a heater, heat lamp or anyhting else, just needs to be planted. http://www.mountaingeckos.freeservers.com/photo3.html
^^^check this site out, it has some good info and pics. if u have a baby, even better cause they eat baby food

[muddskipper26]

oh yeah and they accept baby food when they are born so no traing is needed

[DojoQueen]

Bloodworms and crickets are a favortite for the newts here.

[Jessu]

My anole liked yogurt and babyfood.

[legendaryfrog]

Thanks! The crested gecko or anole will be perfect for my dad! My mom works at the Hospital baby department, so the baby food'll be free most of the time.

Any ideas if crested geckos and anoles can be housed together?

[Jessu]

I think feeding the anole only baby food would be fine (i belive mine liked peach). In addition to the baby food I gave mine a calcium supplement that I mixed in the baby food. I found this product that said anole food on it, it looked like a bunch of dead flies in a jar to me. Wish I could give you more info on anoles but mine got ammonia and did not pull threw. I got him years ago at a fair, it was freezing out side and he was only 20 bucks they would have killed him if I didn’t .

I have heard of people giving anoles fish flakes, dry baby cereal ..Anoles are small It may become food it its tank mate is bigger. I think most anoles like moving food. I hand fed mine from a spoon. He was sickly though when I got him. For water I sprayed the tank with water. They lap it up. If he is green then he is happy if he is brown he is stressed. Alot of time they are stressed when you first get them because they are captured in the wild. If he has a black dot behind his eye then he is very very stressed.

[muddskipper26]

dont think so, cause like i said the before they dont need any special heat or basking lamp and i think anoles do(?). i also think the crested would get mad at the anole but i dont kno much about anoles except that i catch them in florida. if u have any crested gecko q's tho i will answer them.

[legendaryfrog]

Cool. Ive ordered the acrylic sheets needed to build the tank. Its going to be 2.5*2.5*4 made of 3/16" acrylic. How many cg's could he have?

[beefsteak]

Just to clarify...

Fruit baby foods should NOT make up the entire diet of anoles or crested geckos. While both reptiles can eat it, they MUST have crickets in addition especially anoles. With anoles, baby food is only something that should make up a small percentage of their diet, but in the case of crested geckos baby food can make up half of their diet with crickets making up the rest. Baby food is not nutritionally complete and does not contain the necessary protein these animals need.

As far as housing, care should always be taken when housing male anoles together as well as cresteds. In many cases the males will fight to the death especially in the case of the geckos. You're better of housing all females or one male with a few females. 3-4 anoles will need at least a 20 gallon high terrarium and a pair of crested geckos would also do well in a 20 gallon high. If you're going to keep more of either or mix both species, you're going to need more room. Remember these reptiles are better adapted to vertical living rather than horizontal and so will need plenty of things to climb.

You need to take these things into consideration before making your final decision.

[Siren]

I agree with beefsteak...
Anoles are insectivores...they will eat fruit and such (because they are opportunists), but I'd stay away from yogurt in large quanities. Reptiles can't break down dairy products effectively. It can cause stomach cramps and indigestion with reptiles, just like it does in people who are lactose intolerant.

You don't have to feed just crickets. There's a whole list of insect food out there if your dad doesn't like crickets. Wax worms, meal worms, fresh caught insects from a pesticide free garden, small earthworms....if he can go fishing and bait a hook, he can handle most of these foods. The mealworms can also be ordered in large quanities (500, 1000, 1500+) and be kept in the fridge in a vented tupperware dish with some oatmeal...with only feeding a single anole 5 or so a day, that quanity can last a long time.

[Siren]

Crested geckos may not need UVB light according to some keepers. But IMHO, reptile do better when they have the choice to be able to thermoregulate. It's a matter of mimicing their natural habitat. Even nocturnal animals will bask in a sunny patch if they get too cold. Humans can live in a darkened room if given the proper suppliments, but would you really want to? UVB light and a heat source can also make colours brighter and induce more normal activity in your reptile.

[muddskipper26]

Just to clarify...

Fruit baby foods should NOT make up the entire diet of anoles or crested geckos. While both reptiles can eat it, they MUST have crickets in addition especially anoles. With anoles, baby food is only something that should make up a small percentage of their diet, but in the case of crested geckos baby food can make up half of their diet with crickets making up the rest. Baby food is not nutritionally complete and does not contain the necessary protein these animals need.

As far as housing, care should always be taken when housing male anoles together as well as cresteds. In many cases the males will fight to the death especially in the case of the geckos. You're better of housing all females or one male with a few females. 3-4 anoles will need at least a 20 gallon high terrarium and a pair of crested geckos would also do well in a 20 gallon high. If you're going to keep more of either or mix both species, you're going to need more room. Remember these reptiles are better adapted to vertical living rather than horizontal and so will need plenty of things to climb.

You need to take these things into consideration before making your final decision.

yeah your right, i usually get crickets on the weekend and they last for like the week so my geckos do get crickets sometime, but their MAIN diet is fruit, as it is in the wild.