www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 41 Rupert Bridges, Product Manager at Tetra ( UK) Ltd Nutrition and Feeding Advice General advice . Recommend feeding little and often, as prepared foods are rich in nutrients and energy. It's normally suffi cient to feed 2 - 3 times per day, feeding only as much as the fi sh can eat in a few minutes. . Different brands of food will vary in price and quality. Know the benefi ts of each, to ensure you can confi dently recommend premium lines. Generally, better quality foods will: . Provide a better balance of nutrients, leading to better health, growth and colour . Be digested & utilised more effi ciently, reducing waste production & helping to keep the aquarium or pond cleaner . Be more readily consumed by the fi sh . Remember that food quality directly affects water quality, and therefore how easy it is for your customers to look after their aquarium or pond. Problems with water clarity and quality can be reduced by ensuring a good quality food is used. . Link food sales to the types of fi sh your customers are buying. Many brands have a wide range of products, carefully formulated for different types of fi sh. Recommending the right diet for a particular species can allow you to sell an additional product, benefi ting both your customer's fi sh and your sales. . Poor feeding practices, or the use of a poor quality diet, can lead to fi sh health problems. Remember this when advising your customers. If they have a problem and you have checked out water quality and more obvious causes, fi nd out what they are feeding and how often. . Recommend holiday foods at relevant times of the year, as fi sh benefi t from a regular supply of food. Good holiday foods will be formulated to remain stable for a lengthy period of time, and to minimise any potential waste production. Pond foods . During the autumn and winter you should recommend the use of a low- temperature food ( usually wheatgerm-based). These are formulated to be well digested at low temperatures, and should be recommended once the summer starts to draw to a close. Although it can vary from product to product, they are typically recommended for feeding at 10- 12° C or lower. Fish will feed sporadically at this time of year, depending on the temperature. However, customers should be encouraged to observe their fi sh, and continue feeding them small amounts if they are active. . In the summer, warm water makes rapid growth possible. To capitalise on this, recommend specially formulated growth foods. This is especially relevant for larger fi sh such as Koi and Orfe, if the customer wants them to reach their true potential. Growth foods should be rich in both protein and energy, to ensure balanced weight gain. . The growing popularity of Sterlets in garden ponds means that specifi c diets are now available for them. It is important to recommend a good quality one, as they cannot tolerate the high carbohydrate found in normal pond foods. Goldfi sh foods . More ornate varieties of fancy goldfi sh will benefi t from a specifi cally formulated diet. This will usually be easier for them to digest, and be rich in pigments that promote their vibrant natural colours. . Goldfi sh enjoy, and may benefi t from, being fed a treat food several times a week. A popular treat for Goldfi sh is Daphnia, which is available in various different formats ( frozen, gel- based etc) . Some fancy goldfi sh are prone to swimbladder disorders, causing them to fl oat or sink following a heavy meal. This can be alleviated to some extent by feeding little and often, trying sinking foods, and including fresh ' treat' foods in the diet. Other non- dietary causes should be considered though. Tropical fi sh foods . Tropical aquariums contain a mixture of species. A good quality fl ake or equivalent should normally form the basis of the diet, with other foods recommended according to which fi sh are kept. . Diets can be recommended on the basis of the fi shes' physical feeding requirements, e. g.: . Floating foods for surface feeders such as guppies, Platies, Danios etc. . Slow- sinking foods for mid- water feeders such as Angelfi sh, Discus, barbs etc . Sinking foods ( tablets / wafers) for substrate-feeders such as catfi sh and loach. . Special benefi t foods can also be recommended, such as colour- enhancing diets, growth foods, and herbivore diets. . " Grazers", such as " sucker- mouth" catfi sh ( e. g. Bristelnose plecostomus), will benefi t from a wafer food. These are more stable than granules or tablets, and will allow them to feed in their own time. . Treat foods can be fed several times a week to add variety to the diet. These are well accepted by most fi sh, and are available in various formats. However, they should not normally be fed more than this, as they are not nutritionally complete. ¦

4 2 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Reptile and Exotic Food Focus According to The Federation of British Herpetologists there are now around 1,000 UK pet shops selling reptiles and there are well in excess of 1 million UK households responsible for keeping in excess of 5 million reptiles and amphibians. In addition, we're told that, in 2008, UK cricket farms were producing approximately 20 million crickets a week. However, all reptiles are not created equal - and neither is their prey. Mammals, birds, fi sh, amphibians and even other reptiles are all found in the diets of both carnivorous and omnivorous reptiles in the wild. Most, in the wild, will only feed on living prey and some are specialist ( feeding on only a limited number of species), while others are generalists ( feeding on a wide range of species). The aim when feeding reptiles, is to mimic as closely as possible, their natural diet in the wild. The indication is that there is little difference between the nutritional content of healthy, properly fed prey. Having said that, the vast majority of experts would never recommend feeding live rodents for fear of the risk of injury to the reptile, and young reptiles can be frightened of live prey - a problem that will only be compounded if the prey does attack! In much the same vein, invertebrate prey, ( particularly meal worms, king worms, or crickets) should not be left in the enclosure with a reptile without a supply of food for themselves. If the invertebrates are not eaten straight away, they will soon get hungry and start feeding on whatever is available..... which is usually the reptile itself. The size of any prey has a direct bearing on the reptile's ability to catch, swallow and digest it. A general rule for lizards is that the prey should be no larger than 2/ 3 the length of the reptile's head and for snakes, the prey should be no wider ( at its widest point) than the widest part of the snake's body. Any prey that is too large can result in a variety of problems; injuries from swallowing and regurgitation, seizures, partial paralysis, gut impactions, even death. Frozen killed prey is one of the most popular ways for owners to feed their reptiles and there are also commercially prepared ' sausage diets' available. These are prepared with all the necessary vitamins and minerals to maximise digestion and minimise waste. These are becoming increasingly popular due to their easy storage ( mostly in frozen multi- pack) and the fact that they're more humane. Supplements Since it is diffi cult to totally mimic a natural diet there are products available to do the next best thing. A wide variety of vitamin and mineral powders and liquids are on the market today and quite often, any one customer may need a selection of them! Remember to advise them not to overdo the supplementation though. Even though most reptile nutritional problems are associated with a lack in the main dietary staples fed to them, a few are caused by over- supplementation. It may be necessary to spend some time planning a schedule for the individual - they will appreciate your time and expertise and, even more so, the fact they have a happy and healthy pet. ¦ Feeding Reptiles and Exotics Bowls Zoo Med Repti Ramp Bowl New large size ramp bowl allows easy " in and out" access for your animals. . Easy access ramp helps prevent drowning. . Great for lizards, terrestrial land turtles ( up to 4"/ 10cm shell length), frogs, toads, salamanders or snakes... . Washable, no micro pitting ( like resin bowls) plus unbreakable material! Drinking Bowls With Rocklike appearance and incorporated steps to protect animals from drowning. Available in 3 colours and sizes. Worm Feeding Bowl Feeding bowl for worms and larvae with returned overhanging rim. Prevents the feed animals from escaping and tunnelling into the terrarium ground substrate. Zolux Hobby Feeding Rock Live insect food dispenser for sprinkling and feeding. Awakens the natural hunting instinct when insects, attracted by the light, Cave MonteMar Decorative cave with fi tted drinking bowl and rocklike appearance.