Reptiles and Amphibians have been kept by man for thousands of years. Over the last 20 years, we have seen a boom of interest into the keeping of these incredible animals as pets and home display species. More and more research into the wild habitats of these animals is becoming easily available to keepers, and with this research comes a responsibility for reptile keepers to provide their captive animals with the essential elements needed to cause a captive animal to thrive and reproduce and not simply to survive.One of the most worrying aspects of captive reptile care has been the food items that we have had to off er them. Do these mass-produced insects contain all the nutrition a reptile needs to thrive? Do defrosted frozen rodents really contain all of the vitamins and minerals that certain species need to survive? And how do these various vitamins and food sources interact with each other?