The Foods Your Reptile Should Eat Daily
A staple food is one that's safe and appropriate to feed as the daily foundation of your reptile's diet. To make the staple list, a food needs three things: favorable nutritional profile (calcium-to-phosphorus ratio at or above 2:1 for plant foods, complete protein for animal foods), minimal anti-nutrient content (low or no oxalates and goitrogens), and a documented track record of supporting long-term reptile health in captivity. This page lists every food we've classified as staple-grade.
For herbivorous and omnivorous reptiles, the leafy staples (collard greens, dandelion greens, mulberry leaf, hibiscus leaf, grape leaf, turnip greens) form the diet's base. Rotate through several of these daily, supplementing with rotation greens, occasional vegetables and fruit, and species-appropriate protein where needed. The staple list isn't a complete diet on its own — variety still matters — but everything else builds on this foundation.
For insectivores, the staple feeders are dubia roaches, discoid roaches, crickets (gut-loaded), black soldier fly larvae, and silkworms. Each has different nutritional characteristics: BSFL are calcium-rich; roaches are high-protein and well-tolerated; silkworms are excellent but harder to source. Mealworms and superworms can be staples for some species but are higher in fat and chitin — they work for adult bearded dragons but aren't ideal for smaller geckos.
For carnivores fed whole prey, staple items include thawed-frozen mice and rats sized appropriately for the species. Captive-bred chicks, quail, and rabbit can supplement variety. Live feeding is not recommended outside specialized cases due to injury risk to the snake from defensive prey. The staple list for whole prey reflects what's commercially available and nutritionally complete.