20 Different Ways to Feed Your Reptile

Food is one of the biggest levers we have for improving the health of pet Herps. Diet is obvious, psychological enrichment can be less so. It’s a fun creative exercise to brainstorm different ways of offering food. Here are some of the ways I have tried.

This is intended as a reference document for my customers.

1. Feed the same food item for a week.
2. Feed a different food item every day for a week.
3. No food for 24-48 hrs depending on species followed by a big meal.
4. Feed slightly less than filling total amount of food.
5. Feed slightly more than filling total amount of food.
6. Feed with a puzzle feeder.
7. Use tongs to grasp food and have the animal chase the food item.
8. Large meal, 2 fast days, normal meal.
9. Offer a large and complex item to consume, within a safe range and supervised.
10. Feed some very small and delicate food items that take articulate tongue and head movement.
11. Offer food items in the same spot every day for a week.
12. Offer food items placed somewhere different in the enclosure every day for a week.
13. Feed dry food vs food with more water.
14. Suspend food from the cage roof.
15. Anchoring the food item to a stone, a wall, the base of a plant or branch.
16. Change the time of day the food is offered every day for a week.
17. Feed at the same time every day for a week.
18. Feed a very small amount every 2 hours for a full day.
19. For omnivores, spend a full 1-2 weeks feeding only veggies.
20. Feed something very different, but mostly harmless; tiny pieces of blueberry, 1 mealworm, 1 processed food item.