How to Treat Reptiles for Vitamin A Deficiency

Improving Your Reptile’s Diet

Give your reptile beta-carotene-rich foods. A healthy diet is critical to treating vitamin A deficiency in reptiles. Beta carotene is a substance found in food that is converted to vitamin A in the body. Foods rich in beta carotene will give your reptile the vitamin A he needs to be healthy. Examples of beta-carotene-rich foods are dark, leafy greens (e.g., mustard greens, turnip greens) and brightly-colored fruits and vegetables (e.g., papayas, mangos, sweet potatoes, yellow peppers). Examples of beta carotene-poor foods are bananas, white potatoes, and lettuce. Do not feed these to your reptile. Even if your reptile eats a lot of beta-carotene-rich foods, there is little risk of vitamin A toxicity, since excess beta carotene does not get converted to vitamin A. Fresh vegetables can lose their vitamin content over time. Consider placing the vegetables in vegetable bags to keep them fresh for longer.

Continue feeding your reptile a species-specific diet. Your reptile will need to eat more than just beta-carotene-rich foods to have a complete and balanced diet. For example, carnivorous (meat-eating) reptiles need a meat-based protein. If you have an aquatic or semi-aquatic turtle, which is a carnivore, feed him earthworms and gut-loaded insects (insects with nutrient-rich food in their guts). Lizards, such as bearded dragons and chameleons, also eat insects (e.g. grasshoppers, crickets) and different types of worms (e.g., earthworms, butter worms, silkworms). Consult with your vet to make sure you feed your reptile a healthy diet.

Feed your reptile a fresh, high-quality commercial diet. A high-quality commercial diet is also important for treating vitamin A deficiency. Talk with your veterinarian if you’re not sure what type of commercial diet to feed your reptile. They can give you recommendations based on what type of reptile you have (e.g., lizard, turtle) and whether it is a carnivore, herbivore (plant-eating), or omnivore (plant- and meat-eating). Trout food is a commercial diet for turtles.

Keep a food diary. During treatment, keep a daily log of your reptile’s diet. Record the amount and types of food you feed him, and what he actually ends up eating. You may find that your reptile likes some foods more than others. Keeping a food diary will help your vet monitor your reptile’s treatment progress.

Weigh your reptile regularly. Loss of appetite and weight loss can occur with vitamin A deficiency in reptiles. As your reptile improves his diet and starts eating more, he will start gaining weight. You may notice the weight gain just by looking at him, but weighing him will help you know just how much weight he’s gained. On a weekly or monthly basis, weigh your reptile on a digital reptile scale, which you can find online or at a pet store. Record your reptile’s weight each time you weigh him.

Giving Vitamin A Supplements and Other Treatments

Give your reptile a vitamin A supplement. Vitamin A supplements are effective in treating vitamin A deficiencies in reptiles. Supplements can either be injectable or given by mouth. Because a high, sustained dosage of injectable vitamin A supplementation can cause vitamin A toxicity, it is usually reserved for severe cases of vitamin A deficiency. Oral vitamin A supplements can be added to a reptile’s food. If your reptile needs injectable vitamin A, ask your vet to administer an oil-based, not water-based, injection. Water-based vitamin A injections have a high risk of toxicity. Injections should be given only by your veterinarian. Your vet will recommend a supplement for your reptile, based on the severity of the vitamin A deficiency.

Do not use vitamin A eye drops. Vitamin A eye drops are found at pet stores. Although they are marketed to treat vitamin A deficiencies and eye infections, these eye drops are usually not very effective. In addition, if you start giving them to your reptile before seeking veterinary treatment, you could prolong overall treatment.

Treat infections. Vitamin A deficiency can weaken the immune system, making your reptile susceptible to infections. Mouth, eye, and skin infections occur with vitamin A deficiency. If your reptile has infections, your vet will prescribe medications (antibiotics, antifungals) to treat the infection. These medications can be given by injection, by mouth, or applied directly to the affected area. If you have an aquatic turtle that needs topical medications (applied directly to the affected area), you will need to apply the medications more frequently, since the medication will come off in the water.

Improve your reptile’s cage environment. Sometimes, swollen eyes in reptiles can be due to low cage humidity or dry substrate (e.g., sand). Improving the cage environment could reduce the eye swelling without the need for extra medication. If you have a box turtle, which is semi-aquatic, give him deep, moist soil to dig in and a pool where he could soak. If your turtles needs a lot of humidity, increasing the cage humidity could relieve the eye swelling. Strategies for increasing humidity include misting the cage once or twice a day with room temperature water and placing a large water dish in a warm section of the cage. Cage requirements vary according to reptile species. Research what the ideal cage environment should be for your specific type of reptile.

Schedule follow-up visits with your vet. During treatment, your vet will want to monitor your reptile’s progress. During these visits, your vet will examine your reptile’s eyes, weigh him, and check for improvement of infection. Your vet will determine how often your reptile needs to come back for checkups.

Monitoring Your Reptile for Vitamin A Toxicity

Do not over supplement your reptile. Over supplementation of injectable vitamin A for a long period of time can cause vitamin A toxicity, which is a serious condition in reptiles that can make them very sick. To prevent this toxicity, your vet will lower the injectable vitamin A dosage over time. Fortunately, as your reptile’s diet improves, he will need less supplementation.

Recognize the signs of vitamin A toxicity. Signs of vitamin A toxicity (swollen eyes, sloughing skin, skin ulcerations) resemble those of vitamin A deficiency. Because of this similarity, it may be hard to tell if your reptile has vitamin A toxicity. However, if your reptile’s condition does not improve, or gets worse, with injectable vitamin A, he may have this toxicity. A vet can also have a hard time telling the difference between vitamin A deficiency and toxicity. Consequently, they may mistakenly give a reptile injectable vitamin A when it is not deficient in this vitamin.

Treat vitamin A toxicity aggressively. If your reptile has vitamin A toxicity, treatment needs to be long term and aggressive. Treatment often includes antibiotics and/or antifungal medications, fluid therapy, and assisted feeding. Unfortunately, prognosis for vitamin A toxicity is usually not good because of infections and organ failure.