Inactive Postbiotics
Every Blue River Diet includes an inactivated Lactobacillus helveticus culture as a postbiotic, to support a balanced gut and healthy digestion.
Postbiotics are newer to reptile diets than probiotics, so this page explains what they are, how they differ, and why we chose one.
Postbiotics at a glance
All 10
Blue River flavours include a postbiotic
L. helveticus
The Lactobacillus strain listed on every pack
Shelf-stable
No live cultures to keep alive in the pouch
Listed on each pack as Lactobacillus helveticus (dried).
On this page
What Are Postbiotics?
A postbiotic is a preparation of beneficial bacteria that have been inactivated, so they are no longer alive, along with the components they leave behind, such as cell wall fragments, proteins and other compounds made during fermentation.
Because nothing in a postbiotic needs to stay alive, it remains stable through drying, storage and mixing, which makes it well suited to a powdered diet.
What’s Inside a Postbiotic
When the bacteria are inactivated, their useful parts stay behind. These are what a postbiotic delivers.
Cell Wall Components
Fragments of the bacterial cell wall, such as peptidoglycans and lipoteichoic acids. These are the parts the gut lining and immune cells recognise.
Proteins and Peptides
Proteins from inside the bacteria, released when they are inactivated.
Fermentation Compounds
Substances the bacteria made while they were growing, such as organic acids.
How it is made
- The Lactobacillus helveticus culture is grown by fermentation.
- The bacteria are inactivated, so they are no longer alive.
- The culture is dried to a powder and blended into every recipe.
Probiotic, Prebiotic or Postbiotic?
The three names sound alike but work in different ways.
Probiotics
Live beneficial bacteria. To work, enough of them have to survive processing, storage and the journey through the gut.
Prebiotics
Fibres and other ingredients that feed the beneficial bacteria already living in the gut.
Postbiotics
Inactivated bacteria and their components. They are not alive, so there is nothing to keep alive in the pouch.
What the Research Suggests
Most postbiotic research has been carried out in people, livestock and pets rather than reptiles. In those studies, postbiotic components interact with the gut lining and the immune cells around it, and may help support a healthy gut barrier and immune response.
Research in reptiles is still limited, so we do not claim specific health outcomes for geckos. We include a postbiotic because the evidence in other animals is encouraging, and because it is a stable, safe way to add gut support to a dry diet.
Why We Use a Postbiotic
Supports a Balanced Gut
Postbiotic components help support a balanced gut environment and healthy digestion.
Stable in a Dry Diet
There are no live cultures to lose during storage, so the postbiotic stays consistent from the first scoop to the last.
Part of a Complete Recipe
It works alongside the fibre from real fruit and coconut in every recipe.
Nothing to Overgrow
Because the bacteria are inactivated, they cannot multiply, either in the gut or in mixed food left in the enclosure.
Keeper note
Postbiotics support gut health as part of a complete diet, but they are not a treatment. If your gecko shows signs of illness, such as weight loss, poor appetite or changes in its droppings, speak to a reptile vet.
Gecko Diet guide · Part 5 of 8