Learn To Take Care Of Your Pets’ Nutrition

Pets need special attention, even with regards to nutrition, depending on the stages of their life: taking  care of this aspect of your pets’ life is a responsibility that falls to you, as owners.

To ensure that your pets live healthy and happy, in this article we give you some tips about their nutrition and the attention it requires.

What veterinarians generally always recommend is a diet rich in nutrients, always keeping in mind the characteristics of each species and highlighting in particular the foods that can be eaten and those that must be absolutely avoided.

Feeding for birds

• Birds are the species with the greatest variety in terms of nutrition : some birds are absolutely vegetarians, others feed on insects, small mammals, reptiles or fish.

• To get an idea of ​​how a bird will be fed, the best thing to do is to observe its beak: the shape it presents is in fact absolutely adapted to the type of foods that make up its diet. In the case of parrots, for example, you will notice how their beak has a hooked shape, as if it were a hook: this shape allows them to break seeds, nuts and leaves.
• Raptors also have a similarly shaped beak to that of parrots and is used to dismember smaller animals. Birds that feed mainly on seeds and fruit also have a sturdy, conical-shaped beak, while birds that have a thinner, thinner bill are predominantly insectivores.
• When feeding a bird, it is also important to take into account the seasons : in the colder times of the year, when seeds are scarce, birds have a natural tendency to replace this food with insects or other animals.

• Even when feeding their brood, birds usually prefer to feed their young insects to ensure they get the right amount of protein they need. Insects also contain a greater amount of water.

Reptiles

As for the diet of reptiles, it is difficult to generalize: each species has a different diet. Despite this, it is possible to say that most carnivorous reptiles feed on any type of prey available, as long as it is large enough.

This is not the case for  snakes, however, which usually have a more selective type of diet. The way in which the prey is chosen, in exchange, is the same for all reptiles: certain factors are determined such as the color of the unfortunate victim, its size, the movements it makes, its smell and its body temperature.

In the case of herbivorous reptiles, most of them also admit the consumption of fish or insects, which is why it is possible to include these foods in their diet, which also consists of flowers, stems of certain plants, vegetables and legumes.

There are not many insectivorous reptiles or those that habitually consume invertebrates, such as lizards or chameleons.

Amphibians

Amphibians are an exclusively carnivorous species : they feed on insects, snails, worms and earthworms. The only herbivorous phase of amphibians is observed when they are still tadpoles.

Mammals

The diet of mammals is very varied and changes from one species to another. Accordingly, depending on the species to which your pet belongs, it will be possible to determine the type of nutrition it needs.

You will also have to take into account the fact that your pet’s nutritional needs vary according to the different evolutionary stages of its life and therefore it will be necessary to adapt its diet from time to time to the needs of the moment.

Depending on the type of diet on which their diet is based, mammals are classified as follows:

Omnivores

These are animals that eat everything : their diet is based on foods of both animal and vegetable origin .

Carnivores

These are animals that feed on other animals: they are also able to take other foods but, for a correct functioning of their organism,  they need the contribution of animal proteins.

Herbivores

These are animals that feed on products of plant origin such as, for example, leaves, branches, herbs, roots, etc …

Insectivores

As their name indicates, they are animals that feed only on insects or invertebrates.

Frugivores

These are animals that feed exclusively on fruit.

Although the diet that mammals adopt when living in the wild may appear to you to be somewhat partridge, knowing it will help you to orient yourself even at home, where the animal lives in captivity, in order to guarantee it adequate nutrition for the needs of its species.

So keeping these factors in mind will be of great help when deciding what type of diet you will adopt for your pet.

Ultimately, we remind you that, as always, if you have any doubts, the best thing is to ask your veterinarian for advice: he will be able to show you how to organize an adequate nutritional regime, especially when it comes to exotic animals.