Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Some people swear by no supplements and some swear by 50. I don't want to wake up one day and look at my pack and realize that I should have supplemented or not supplemented and I have done damage to their liver or kidneys or something else. The books I have read say to use the "prey animal" with limited extras. But what I have read on the net says something different on each site.

I feed Chicken necks, wings, or legs quarters 6 days a week. Ground chicken twice a week. Eggs and vegies 1-2 a week. ACV in their water everyday. When I fed kibble I added enzymes and glucosamine. Now that I am feeding RAW I have beed adding Nature's Logic All Food Fortifier for cats and dogs. That seems like I feed that to make myself feel better. Has anyone else felt like this and how do you know what to follow?

To me the prey model is the way to go. The way our carnivores are made to eat the prey model seems like the obvious choice. But then you think about the things that they still are not getting, the endoctrin (sp) system, the eyes and I am sure a bit more...
Tiffany

That's why I give my dogs a fairly wide variety of stuff to eat and am not set on just one diet for them. I don't think there's anyone out there that can tell you with 100% certainty what is best for them to eat- add to it the individual needs vary from animal to animal. So, use whichever base diet you like and then add a few things as treats to mix things up. My dogs got steamed broccoli added to their meal last night because it was left over from my meal. It certainly won't hurt them and if it's a benefit- then bonus.
-----
Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

I agree with Chelle about variety. The assorted nutrient components will vary depending on the animal source the food is coming from. My guys get mainly chicken backs, but occasionally RMB's from turkey, beef, pork, duck, etc. For ground meat meals-- I grind entire chicken leg 1/4's (sometimes turkey (like after Thanksgiving, when it was so cheap) and mix it with a raw veggie mash that I also pulp up, prepackage and store frozen until needed. I'll also use whole fish in these meals. And, to keep the calcium balance up I sprinkle on crushed egg shells, too.

One thing I noticed about your feeding scedule is the lack of offal (organ meats). IMO, if you're following the whole prey model then you should be using the whole animal. My guys get liver and heart as part of their schedule. Not every day but at least as a "supplement" once or twice a week. I do add other stuff, too, but that's totally up to you in how you want to go about this. My goal is to try to achieve "balance" over a 2-3 week period.