Veterinary Medicine Commons^™

Assessing The Nutritional Value Of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia Illucens) Used For Reptile Foods, Kimberly L. Boykin

LSU Master's Theses

Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae have been studied extensively in animal feed production, but there is limited research for non-production species, such as reptiles, despite their popularity as a calcium-rich feeder insect. The goals of this thesis were to determine the nutritive value of BSF larvae for a lizard species and as an ingredient in a diet formulated for snakes.

BSF larvae are deficient in fat soluble vitamins (A, D, and E). Using vitamin A as a test nutrient, several factors were identified that affect the success and consistency of gut loading. Based on the results, the following gut loading …

Can Assisted Reproductive Technologies Help Conserve 300 Million Years Of Evolution? A First Attempt At Developing These Technologies For Male Reptiles, Sean M. Perry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Biodiversity loss is the most critical environmental problem threatening ecosystem, animal, and human health today. Increases in extinction rates have been observed over the past 50 years, with reptile losses occurring twelve times faster than traditional extinction rates. This demonstrated biodiversity loss is secondary to climate change, habitat destruction, infectious disease, invasive species, poaching, and unsustainable trade. Approximately 20% of all reptiles are threatened with extinction and population declines are approaching rates similar to the current amphibian extinction crisis. Preventing the extinction of reptiles will require humans to acknowledge these losses and develop plans to preserve these evolutionary sentinel species. …