{"id":14003,"date":"2025-02-06T17:41:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T17:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/?p=14003"},"modified":"2025-04-24T05:58:37","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T04:58:37","slug":"some-common-mistakes-in-feeding-exotic-pets-and-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/some-common-mistakes-in-feeding-exotic-pets-and-how-to-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Common Mistakes in Feeding Exotic Pets and How to Avoid Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s all the commotion about feeding exotic pets? You buy food, put it in their enclosure, and your job\u2019s done; right? Not really.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve only ever owned a cat or a dog, you should educate yourself on the needs of exotic pets because if you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll most likely make feeding mistakes and you won\u2019t even realize it. The wrong diet is a huge issue because it can cause many health problems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, some reptiles need to get calcium supplements to prevent bone disease. Then there are certain birds that can\u2019t digest seeds properly, which you wouldn\u2019t know (if you\u2019re not educated on that specific topic) because all birds eat seeds, right?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the absolute biggest mistake you can make is assuming all exotic pets need the same diet. Just because they eat something in the wild doesn\u2019t mean they should eat the same thing in captivity. A lot of people also forget about water, controlling portions, and how important variety is. And let\u2019s not forget live feeding because it\u2019s ideal for some pets if you do it right.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see which mistakes you need to avoid.<\/b><\/p>\n

What to Avoid<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you want your exotic pet to stay happy and healthy, you have to know what NOT to do so you can avoid making mistakes that can cause them harm.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Not Understanding That Every Species Has Their Own Needs<\/span><\/h3>\n

Two reptiles can look almost the same, but their diets can be night and day in comparison. Some reptiles need almost only plants, others need live insects or even a mix of both. A parrot doesn\u2019t eat the same as a canary, and a gecko won\u2019t do well with what a turtle eats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not sure, ask a vet who specializes in exotic animals because <\/span>the wrong diet can cause malnutrition, obesity, vitamin deficiencies, etc<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Overfeeding<\/span><\/h3>\n

Too much food will make your pet overweight. And while some people think that chunky pets are cute, if they\u2019re fat \u2013 they\u2019re not healthy and you need to change something about it. A lot of owners don\u2019t know what the right portion looks like, so they figure they\u2019ll just guess. That can cause problems like obesity, damage to the organs, or stunted growth,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To avoid this, follow guidelines on feeding based on your pet\u2019s species, age, and level of activity. If you notice that your pet\u2019s body condition has changed, adjust the portion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Lack of Variety in Diet<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s easy not to think about what to feed your pet and feed it the same day every day. But that\u2019s not healthy. Just like you, your pet needs different foods to get all the nutrients they need. Say you have a turtle and you only give them lettuce \u2013 they\u2019ll be seriously deficient in vitamins and minerals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A good diet has to have a mix of high-quality commercial food, fresh produce, and for some pets, live food.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Not Knowing How Important Gut-Loading Feeder Insects Are<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you have a pet that eats insects, there\u2019s a chance you don\u2019t know, so you need to think about the quality of insects. A lot of people feed their reptiles crickets, mealworms, and roaches and they don\u2019t prepare them first.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a huge mistake because insects don\u2019t naturally have all the nutrients your pet needs, and that\u2019s why gut-loading is so important. This means that you have to feed the insects nutritious food before your pet eats them. Insects that were previously fed are full of vitamins and minerals, so they\u2019re much healthier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many owners like to <\/span>buy dubia roaches<\/span><\/a> (Blaptica dubia) as a feeder insect because they\u2019re easy to digest and high in protein.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Using Toxic Foods<\/span><\/h3>\n

Not all food is safe for your pet. Something can be perfectly fine for you, or even other pets you have, but it can be deadly for <\/span>your exotic pet<\/span><\/a>. For example, birds can\u2019t eat avocado because it\u2019s toxic for them, chocolate is dangerous for reptiles, and dairy can cause digestion problems for small mammals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before you give your pet anything new, check that it\u2019s safe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Forgetting About Hydration<\/span><\/h3>\n

Food isn\u2019t the only thing you need to pay attention to, water is just as important. Some pets won\u2019t drink from a normal water bowl, so if that\u2019s the only thing you\u2019ve offered them, they won\u2019t get enough fluids. Reptiles need misting and humidity to stay hydrated, and some amphibians absorb water through their skin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dehydration is extremely dangerous, so there should always be fresh water available and you should check that your pet is actually drinking (or absorbing) enough of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n

The point of this article was to familiarize you with how important it is to educate yourself on the specific needs of your pet before you even get them. This way, you can give them the best life possible. Ask your vet a million questions, do some research online, and always keep an eye on your pet to see how (and what) they\u2019re doing. This way you can spot anything that might be wrong on time.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s (probably) what you want \u2013 for your pet to live a good and fulfilling life.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s all the commotion about feeding exotic pets? You buy food, put it in their enclosure, and your job\u2019s done; right? Not really.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve only ever owned a cat or a dog, you should educate yourself on the needs of exotic pets because if you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll most likely make feeding mistakes and you […]<\/p>\n

Read More… from Some Common Mistakes in Feeding Exotic Pets and How to Avoid Them<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":14005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14003"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14060,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14003\/revisions\/14060"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}