Melissa Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated April 19, 2007

Nutrients of Foods Commonly Fed to Carnivorous and Omnivorous Reptiles

Compiled by Melissa Kaplan, 1995

Note: not all foods are suitable for all reptiles. This is not a recommended list of foods for reptiles, merely information on certain food items that are commonly fed or recommended to be fed to omnivorous and carnivorous reptiles.

FOOD	%PROT	%FAT	%Ca	%Phos	KCAL/gm
Insects
mealworm	22.3	14.9	.26	.23	2.74
cricket	55.3	30.2	.23	.74	unk
silkworm *	64.7	20.8	.21	.54	5.74
Poultry
whole egg	12.3	10.9	.05	.21	1.47
day old chick	15.3	4.4	.44	.40	1.04
Rodents
mouse (1-2 days old)	unk	unk	1.6	1.8	unk
mouse (7-10 days old)	unk	unk	1.4	1.3	unk
mouse (adult)	19.8	8.8	.84	.61	2.07
rat	7.6	1.9	.54	1.35	.69
Mammalian Pet Food
dog food (canned)	13.5	6.6	.75	.44	2.42
cat food (canned)	16.0	16.8	.61	.53	2.42
monkey chow	25.0	5.3	1.1	.79	4.17
Baby Foods
high protein cereal	35.0	6.2	.66	.75	3.72
baby food - beef	13.6	4.1	.007	.11	.91
baby food - vegetable	2.2	.3	.03	.04	.32
junior beef	15.1	4.0	.008	.11	.96
Miscellaneous Foods
alfalfa (not sprouts)	15.5	1.7	1.29	.21	3.93

* Silkworm values are for worms gut-loaded on mulberry leaves.

Sources:

Frye, FL. Reptile Diseases: An Atlas of Care and Treatment. 1991. TFH Publishing, Inc., Neptune City NJ.

White, J. Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation, 1988. International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, Suisun CA.

For other insects, please see the University of Iowa's Entomology Lab's Nutritional Value of Various Insects per 100 grams. And if you'd like to indulge yourself, be sure to check out their recipe page.

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