Here's the thing, when you put vitamins in a rodent's mouth cavity, they are going to have different bioavailability than when they are consumed through plants by the rodent, and then accessed by the reptile through fat and muscle tissue. I have little trust in a lot of studies that are done because of issues of poor controls or outright manipulation of data. We know for a fact that in order for the reptile to get whatever vitamins and minerals, they must be present in the tissues of the prey item or obtained from supplements or drinking water- they cannot appear from thin air. We know for a fact that bioavailability varies between raw vitamins (and within vitamins, variation between specific types), plants, and meats based on the type of digestive systems of the species. It logically follows that a carnivorous rodent eating reptile would benefit from eating a rodent who benefits from eating actual plant matter with better bioavailability than cheap dog food. We don't need to listen to a study done by people for the purpose of proving it's fine to cheap out and provide minimal care.Originally Posted by Malum Argenteum
A snake eating "whole foods" rodents eating "whole foods" plant matter and insects is what is natural, and the bioavailability is going to be strong through the entire food chain. Once you start attempting to replace whole foods anywhere in here with some combo of vitamins, you increase the chance that they are not actually being absorbed by the snake.
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