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The importance of calcium in reptile nutrition is of high concern. Calcium deficiency is a common problem, especially with reptiles pressured into longer-than-natural breeding seasons. This situation causes unnatural stress on females to produce more eggs, so they require more calcium. Vitamin D3 is by far the most important vitamin in reptile nutrition. In nature a reptile synthesizes Vitamin D3 via the skin’s absorption of ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is also found in the liver and kidneys of vertebrates. Most captive reptiles are kept indoors, and most, other than snakes, are not fed significant amounts of whole vertebrates. Without getting Vitamin D3 naturally in their diet, reptiles rely on their keepers to provide a source that replaces, if balanced correctly, the need for sunlight.