Recommended Nutrient Concentrations for Reptiles

Recommended Nutrient Concentrations for Reptiles
	--------------------------Concentration^a--------------------------
Nutrient^b	Carnivorous Reptiles	Omnivorous Reptiles	Herbivorous Reptiles
Crude protein^c	30–50%	20–25%	18–22%
Fat	—	3–6%	—
Crude fiber	—	20–35%	—
Arginine	1.0%	1.8%	—
Isoleucine	0.5%	1.3%	—
Lysine	0.8%	1.5%	—
Methionine	0.4%	0.4%	—
Methionine + cysteine	0.75%	0.75%	—
Threonine	0.7%	1.0%	—
Tryptophan	0.15%	0.3%	—
Linoleic acid^d	1.0%	1.0%	—
Calcium	0.8–1.1%	1.0–1.5%	1.4–2.0%
Phosphorus	0.5–0.9%	0.6–0.9%	0.8–1.0%
Potassium	0.4–0.6%	0.4–0.6%	—
Sodium	0.2%	0.2%	—
Magnesium	0.04%	0.2%	—
Manganese	5 ppm	150 ppm	—
Zinc	50 ppm	130 ppm	—
Iron	60–80 ppm	200 ppm	—
Copper	5–8 ppm	15 ppm	—
Iodine	0.3–0.6 ppm	0.4 ppm	—
Selenium	0.3 ppm	0.3 ppm	—
Riboflavin	2–4 ppm	8 ppm	—
Pantothenic acid	10 ppm	60 ppm	—
Niacin	10–40 ppm	100 ppm	—
Vitamin B₁₂	0.020 ppm	0.025 ppm	—
Choline	1,250–2,400 ppm	3,500 ppm	—
Biotin	70–100 ppb	400 ppb	—
Folacin	200–800 ppb	6,000 ppb	—
Thiamine^e	1–5 ppm	5 ppm	—
Pyridoxine	1–4 ppm	10 ppm	—
Vitamin A^f	5,000–10,000 IU/kg	15,000 IU/kg	—
Cholecalciferol (vitamin D₃)^g	500–1,000 IU/kg	500–1,000 IU/kg	—
Vitamin E^h	200 IU/kg	200 IU/kg	—
Abbreviations: —, not available.
Recommendations are based on information from Dennert C. Ernährung von Landschildkröten. 5th ed. Natur und Tier; 2021.
^a Nutrient concentrations are recommended minimums for carnivorous reptiles and averages for omnivorous reptiles.
^b Nutrient levels expressed on a dry-matter basis.
^c Taurine requirements have not been determined for reptiles (the requirement for cats is 400–500 mg of taurine/kg dry diet).
^d A dietary source of arachidonic acid at 200 mg/kg dry diet may be necessary.
^e Thiamine concentrations should be increased to 10–20 mg/kg if frozen, thawed fish constitute > 25% of the diet offered.
^f A source of preformed vitamin A may be required, because it is not known whether reptiles can convert carotenes to retinol (vitamin A), although it is likely that herbivorous reptiles can.
^g Requirements for vitamin D may be partially or totally satisfied by exposure to sunlight or appropriate sources of artificial UV light. These suggested concentrations are not sufficient to prevent clinical signs of vitamin D deficiency in green iguanas.
^h 300 IU/kg dry matter is advisable if the diet is high in fat, especially unsaturated fat, which can increase the body's need for vitamin E.

Abbreviations: —, not available.

Recommendations are based on information from Dennert C. Ernährung von Landschildkröten. 5th ed. Natur und Tier; 2021.

^a Nutrient concentrations are recommended minimums for carnivorous reptiles and averages for omnivorous reptiles.

^b Nutrient levels expressed on a dry-matter basis.

^c Taurine requirements have not been determined for reptiles (the requirement for cats is 400–500 mg of taurine/kg dry diet).

^d A dietary source of arachidonic acid at 200 mg/kg dry diet may be necessary.

^e Thiamine concentrations should be increased to 10–20 mg/kg if frozen, thawed fish constitute > 25% of the diet offered.

^f A source of preformed vitamin A may be required, because it is not known whether reptiles can convert carotenes to retinol (vitamin A), although it is likely that herbivorous reptiles can.

^g Requirements for vitamin D may be partially or totally satisfied by exposure to sunlight or appropriate sources of artificial UV light. These suggested concentrations are not sufficient to prevent clinical signs of vitamin D deficiency in green iguanas.

^h 300 IU/kg dry matter is advisable if the diet is high in fat, especially unsaturated fat, which can increase the body's need for vitamin E.

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Nutrition in Reptiles