Do any reptiles/amphibians NOT need to eat bugs?

LeahK

LeahK

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Jul 5, 2007
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Hi! I'm mainly asking this out of curiosity, since I'm not planning on a new pet anytime soon. But I always love looking at pics of everyone's terrarium and paludarium set-ups, and I was wondering: are there any reptiles or amphibians that (1) do not need to be fed live insects and/or rodents, and (2) can coexist with a little fish pool in a land+water set-up?

I would like to get a little frog or newt one day, but they seem to all be carnivores. And though I think there are some vegetarian lizards, I wasn't sure if any can live in a partly aquatic tank. Thanks!
 
They're not reptiles or amphibians, but land hermit crabs don't eat live food -- enjoy a mix of fruits / veggies / nuts / shrimp / etc.. I think you could do a mixed habitat, but you would have to make sure that your crabs either (a) can't get into the water, or (b) have a way to climb out. Land hermits also need very high humidity so there might be some challenges to setting up the equipment....

I think it would be a fun project, though. Please start a thread if you decide to do something!
 
There aren't a whole lot of choices. But there are plenty of people out there that keep Crested Geckos on a prepared diet but I still think that they should be offered a cricket every now and then.
 
MadAboutCichlid said:
My cresties have been on crested gecko diet only since I got them but will try some crickets this weekend when I go grab some for the FBTs.
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Some will eat insects and some won't. I think if they're kept on a prepared diet at an early age and never given any live food then they most likely won't bother catching it at an older age. My females LOVE eating crickets but my male crested hardly ever touches them.
 
An arboreal rain forest snake that isn't too active, like Green Tree Pythons, Amazon Tree Boas or an Eyelash Viper would do very well in that type of setup, as long as sufficient perches are present. They prefer mice, lizards, and birds to bugs or fish, but they could complicate maintenance somewhat, particularly the Eyelash!:eek3:
 
nice suggestions subrosa. unfortunately they're not exactly for the mild mannered, lol.
 
Thanks for the tips, everyone!

Vicious_Fish said:
There aren't a whole lot of choices. But there are plenty of people out there that keep Crested Geckos on a prepared diet but I still think that they should be offered a cricket every now and then.
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Yeah, this was my concern--I want to do right by the animal.


chefjamesscott said:
I am pretty sure this kind can be fed a vegetarian diet and not be harmed aand they are very cool to boot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uromastyx
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That uromastyx does look cool! But unfortunately (for me) I believe they need a very low-moisture environment, or they get respiratory problems. This seems to be the case with lots of vegetarian lizards--like chuckwallas, which are also really cool. I don't think a partly aquatic set-up would work.


SubRosa said:
An arboreal rain forest snake that isn't too active, like Green Tree Pythons, Amazon Tree Boas or an Eyelash Viper would do very well in that type of setup, as long as sufficient perches are present. They prefer mice, lizards, and birds to bugs or fish, but they could complicate maintenance somewhat, particularly the Eyelash!:eek3:
Click to expand...

Ahhh, I couldn't do it! As someone who used to keep mice and rats, I'd feel like I was feeding a pet to a pet :)


What I really want is an amphibian of some kind, but I just don't think there are any vegetarian ones out there. I'll keep the crested gecko in mind, though--I like the idea of getting one that's captive bred.
 
A uromastyx needs extreme high heat and low humidity so he would really not fit into what you are wanting to do. I think that a crestie would be your best bet. the developer of the crested gecko diet formulated it such that no other suplements need to be used. he has kept his massave collection alive and well on this for years. while an occasional cricket would be good for him it is not necessary. I know lots of people who don't feed crickets.

though I wouldn't put it past them to drink the fish pool water and possibly try to eat the fish. my 2 cents.
 
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