Nutritional support of reptile patients.
Providing nutritional support to reptile patients is a challenging and often misunderstood task. Ill reptiles are frequently anorexic and can benefit greatly from appropriate nutrition delivered via a variety of assist-feeding techniques. Neonatal reptiles can also be very challenging patients because many fail to thrive without significant efforts to establish normal feeding behaviors. This article presents ideas supporting the benefit of timely nutritional support as well as specific recommendations for implementation of assist feeding. Also discussed are a few nutritional issues that affect captive reptile species.
North Carolina Zoological Park, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205, USA. Electronic address: ryan.devoe@nczoo.org.
Ryan S
RS
De Voe
D000818:Animals; D009752:Nutritional Status; D018529:Nutritional Support / Q000662:veterinary*; D012104:Reptiles / Q000502:physiology*
Assist feeding; Neonates; Nutrition; Nutritional support; Reptile