Caring for reptiles can be a nuanced art, but that doesn’t mean it has to be complicated! Reptilinks has been providing meals to snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and more for years, and in that time, it has become clear that certain species simply enjoy certain types of links. If you’re wondering which link is best for your first attempt at Reptilinks, or if you want to try something new, consider which links are most popular with your species.
Which Species Prefer Which Reptilinks?
When selecting the right Reptilink for your cold-blooded friend, you’ll need to consider the type of animal they are. Carnivores will require meat-based links, but omnivores have a greater variety available. You don’t necessarily need to stick to only things that can be found in your reptile’s native habitat; mixing things up will help to ensure your pet gets a broad spectrum of vitamins and nutrients. Here is what Reptilinks customers have reported that their own animals enjoy:
Pythons and Boa Constrictors
Almost overwhelmingly, the most popular choice for pythons and boa constrictors is the rabbit links. Animals ranging from ball pythons to rainbow boas enjoy the rabbit flavor, and almost all eat them on a regular basis with the casing on. Some report that removing the casing or cutting the link in half long-wise keeps their snake’s interest longer.
Second after rabbit links are quail, as well as the quail and rabbit mix.
Note that ball pythons are particularly difficult to switch prey types, so our product guarantee does not apply to ball pythons.
Corn Snakes, Milk Snakes, and Other Colubrids
Colubrid snakes overall appear to prefer the rabbit and quail mixed links, which provide a blend of the two proteins. From there, owners branch out to the standalone rabbit or quail to see if their animals have a preference, but most enjoy the blended links the best.
Hognose Snakes
When it comes to hognose snakes, they like to shake things up by going for frog-based links. Whether that’s frog on its own or the blended links of frog + rabbit or frog + quail, hognoses seem to have a love for these amphibian links. Many owners report that their hoggies actually prefer the frog links over other prey like FT pinkies!
Monitor Lizards and Tegus
The dietary needs of monitor lizards are slightly more stringent than those of tegus, as insectivore carnivores versus omnivores. However, there is substantial overlap, as all species seem to enjoy the rabbit and insect blend. In fact, those who are struggling to transition their insectivore monitor to an insect-focused diet have seen great success using the insect-inclusive links. However, many also enjoy the mega blend, which combines guinea fowl, chicken, quail, Ohio raised New Zealand white or California white breed rabbit, and bullfrog
As omnivores, tegus are also partial to these insect-based Reptilinks and the mega blend. However, they jump for the mega blend links with fruits and veggies added, which helps to provide a more complete diet for these large lizards.
Skinks and Bearded Dragons
The omnivorous bearded dragon and blue-tongue skink are two of the most common pet reptiles, and both have seen great success on the 25/25/50 omnivore blend. This link is made from 50% vegetable matter (no fruit), 25% insects, and 25% lean rabbit. Those who like to sub insects in themselves for foraging or enrichment can instead opt for the equally popular 50/50 links, which boost the rabbit content and remove the bugs.
Turtles
Yes, even turtles can enjoy Reptilinks! Owners report that the omnivore blends (25/25/50 and 50/50) are a hit. For turtles with more carnivore-oriented nutritional needs, like snapping turtles, the mega-blend with or without fruits and veggies (depending on the type of turtle) has produces a consistent feeding response.
Crocodilians and Alligator
Due to their aquatic nature, it likely comes as no surprise that crocodile owners report high success rates with amphibian-based blends. The most popular is the frog and quail mix, but frog-only links are also favored. The newly introduced bayou blend, with its mixture of crawfish, frogs, and insects, is also suitable for this crowd.
My Reptile Won’t Eat Links! What Do I Do?
If you’re thinking about incorporating Reptilinks into your animal’s diet, or if you’ve acquired some links already but haven’t had success with feeding, you’re probably wondering how to get your reptile to enjoy these links as a regular part of their diet. Some pets are smarter than others—they realize that mice don’t come in neatly crafted tube shapes. (Others are just eager for the food!)
If you’ve got one of the former, there are a few things you can try. Most owners report that once they’ve gotten their reptile to understand that the link is food, they have no problems in the future, and their animals are excited when presented with links!
- Puncture the casing.
Sometimes, your reptile might not sample a link because they’re not familiar with the smell. The mixture inside the casing contains lots of fragrant materials (meat, insects, or a variety of other ingredients depending on what type you chose). Opening the casing so that they can smell these familiar ingredients can clue them in that yes, this link is actually worth tasting!
- Thaw the casing strategically.
If your reptile is being picky, try thawing the Reptilink alongside other foods that your animal loves. This can impart a familiar smell to the link, encouraging your reptile to try it for the first time. Coating a Reptilink in egg, fruit juice, or another liquid that is appropriate for that species is often enough to get your animal over its shyness.
- Leave the link alone.
Even if your reptile has not been a shy eater in the past, they may feel unsure of what to do with a new food item in a unique shape. Leave the link in a safe place where they can examine it at their own pace. Many times, they will eventually become curious enough to take a test bite, and the rest is history!
- Use scent juice.
Scenting can be helpful for any reptile, but it’s especially useful for specialist species that are used to eating rarer ingredients (like other lizards or fish). Adding an appealing scent to the Reptilink can increase interest and encourage a strike; in fact, Reptilinks also offers scent juices to be used for this purpose.
- Mimic natural encounters.
A Reptilink is certainly not mouse-shaped, but that doesn’t mean it can’t behave like a prey item! Trigger your animal’s natural instincts by treating the link accordingly. If you have a predator animal, move the link during feeding time to stimulate a hunting response. For pythons that can sense warmth and cold using their facial pits, warm the link under tepid water to help them find it for a strike. Supporting an animal’s natural instincts can be enough to prompt that first taste!