ReptiLinks

Summer 2019 I ordered some ReptiLinks to give them a try and see if they live up to the hype. If you don't already know, ReptiLinks are a sausage made specifically for reptiles that use whole prey, not just the meat. There are many different varieties available, so you can provide a much more varied diet for your snake than mice and rats, regardless of the size of the snake. In addition, the theory is that because a machine already has done the grinding down of the food, the animal eating the sausage expends less calories on digestion, therefore making each calorie eaten count for more.

What variety is best for what kind of animals? I decided to give the Rabbit/Quail a try for my ball pythons, and the Frog mini-links for my hognose. I felt like plain rabbit or chicken were not the best choices for ball pythons because the nutrition is pretty drastically different from rats. The "Mega-Blend" would probably also be a great option, and I will probably try some of that variety in my next order.

ReptiLinks themselves will tell you, swapping ball pythons to new food can be a challenge, and they caution that your ball python may not switch. Other snakes can be a lot easier to switch foods. I have had some success switching my ball pythons, but it takes a lot of patience and I still have a ways to go with some of them. Is it worth the trouble? In my opinion, absolutely. After just a few months, I can see a noticeable difference in growth of juveniles, and the weight that Cinnabun put on preparing for her clutch this year is incredible. My baby hognose has made even more incredible of a change, instead of refusing mouse pinkies half the time, she gobbles up her minilinks every single feeding and is finally starting to gain some weight instead of just maintaining.

Cost wise, reptilinks are more expensive than purchasing bulk rodents gram for gram. In the end though, the difference in weight put on the animal equals out to about the same value, but you get the added bonus of being able to put on weight faster if you want without risking the snake regurgitating, getting backed up, and other health issues. You still don't want to get too carried away and make your snake obese, but feeding a reptilink the same amount of grams as an appropriate rodent has not meant fat snakes for me, it has meant robust, healthy snakes that just grow better. Will that hold true through the test of time (it's only been a few months now)? I think it will, but I will be updating. The best answer is always to pay attention to your snakes' individual needs no matter what you are feeding.

Now I have a decision to make though about hatchlings I plan on selling. Do I start them on ReptiLinks from the beginning and worry about them not wanting to swap to rats if the person that buys them doesn't want to deal with ReptiLinks? While to me personally, eating ReptiLinks would be a selling point, to someone else it might be a hassle they don't want to deal with. I think the best course of action is to offer pre-reserved snakes to be started on ReptiLinks if the buyer desires, and any that are not reserved quickly can be started on rats.

Would you be willing to give ReptiLinks a try if your snake was already well started on them? Let me know your opinion!