Our Curation Standards

Last reviewed: July 2026

Every product on Talis-us goes through a documented review process before it appears on the site. This page describes exactly what that process looks like, what criteria each product category must meet, what our badges mean, and what we reject and why.

We are an online pet store, not a veterinary practice. We do not diagnose, treat, or prescribe. What we do is apply a consistent, species-specific evaluation framework — informed by veterinary nutritional guidelines, husbandry science, and community expert input — so you can shop without having to do all that research yourself.

Who Reviews Products

Our curation team combines in-house research with input from licensed veterinary professionals and species-specific specialists. For dog and cat food, we cross-reference our evaluations against the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Global Nutrition Committee guidelines — the framework most widely used by veterinarians to assess commercial pet food brands. For reptile, avian, and exotic species care products, we draw on published husbandry science and consult with species-experienced advisors including veterinary herpetologists and specialist exotic animal practitioners.

Our food evaluations are reviewed by Dr Tom,

All product evaluations are conducted internally. We do not accept payment for placement, reviews, or badges. Brands cannot purchase a Talis Curated designation.

Our 5-Step Review Process

Every product submitted for consideration — whether we discover it ourselves or a brand contacts us — goes through the same steps in the same order.

Step 1: Company Accountability Check We verify that the manufacturer has a publicly listed physical address, a named contact for product questions, and a documented quality control program. Anonymous or untraceable suppliers are declined at this stage.

Step 2: Formulation and Ingredient Review For food products, we check the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement, the guaranteed analysis panel, and the ingredient list. We look for whether the food was formulated by or reviewed by a credentialed nutritionist (PhD in Animal Nutrition, or board certification by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition). For non-food products, we review materials, construction safety, species appropriateness, and any relevant safety testing documentation.

Step 3: Recall History Search We search the FDA recall database and AVMA recall alerts for the brand's recall history. A recall history is not automatically disqualifying — we evaluate the nature of the issue, the company's response, and whether changes were made. Brands with unresolved or repeated safety incidents are declined.

Step 4: Community and Expert Validation We cross-reference the product with feedback from established, species-specific hobbyist and professional communities — myrmecology forums for ant-keeping products, reptile keeper communities for husbandry products, backyard flock resources for poultry feed, and veterinary nutritionist discourse for dog and cat food. This step catches problems that label reviews alone would not.

Step 5: Badge Assignment and Listing Products that pass steps 1–4 are listed. Those that meet additional specific criteria receive one or more Talis Curated badges (see below). Badge assignments are documented internally and reviewed when formulations change.

Standards by Category

Dog and Cat Food

We align our food evaluations with the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee's framework for selecting pet foods — a body representing over 200,000 veterinarians across 113 member associations globally.

The WSAVA questions we apply to every dog and cat food brand:

Does the company employ a full-time qualified nutritionist with a PhD in Animal Nutrition or board certification by the ACVN or ECVCN?
Does the product carry an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement, and does it specify the method used (formulated to meet nutrient profiles, or substantiated by feeding trials)?
Does the company conduct or commission quality control testing on finished products?
Can the company provide a complete nutrient analysis on request?
Has the company published peer-reviewed research on its formulations?

We do not list food products based on ingredient list alone. The WSAVA explicitly notes that terms like "holistic," "premium," and "human grade" are unregulated and carry no nutritional meaning. We do not use these terms as criteria. We evaluate the formulation, the science behind it, and the accountability of the company making it.

Life stage specificity is required. Products labeled for "all life stages" must meet AAFCO's nutrient profiles for growth — the most demanding life stage. We note this in product descriptions so you can choose accordingly.

Reptile Products

Reptile care products — from heating and lighting to supplements and substrates — are evaluated against published husbandry consensus from the veterinary herpetology community, including guidance from the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) where applicable.

Key criteria:

UVB lighting: Products marketed as providing UVB must specify output in microwatts per square centimeter (µW/cm²) or UV Index at a stated distance, measured against published requirements for the intended species. Bulbs without verified UVB specifications are not listed as UVB products.
Thermal products: Heating products are evaluated for temperature range accuracy and safety — specifically whether the product can create thermal gradient zones without hotspots that exceed safe tissue temperatures.
Chemical products: We document active ingredients, label directions, and known species-specific risks. For permethrin-based products like Provent-a-Mite, product listings carry explicit warnings about toxicity to cats and other species. See our Is Provent-a-Mite Safe? guide → for full documentation.
Substrates: Evaluated for impaction risk by species, humidity retention properties, and absence of harmful additives.

Ant-Keeping Products

Ant-keeping is a niche hobby with a small but deeply knowledgeable global community and well-established standards. We review products against consensus from Formiculture.com (the largest English-language myrmecology forum), published myrmecological literature, and input from experienced ant keepers.

Key criteria:

Formicariums and nesting products: Must support a queen-right colony with correct chamber sizing, functional humidity control, a compatible tube connection standard (16–17mm), and an escape-prevention mechanism. Gel ant farms do not meet these criteria and are not listed as suitable habitats. See our Best Ant Farms for Beginners guide → for the full breakdown.
Food products: Must provide both a carbohydrate source and a protein source appropriate for the listed species. Products marketed as complete colony nutrition are reviewed for protein adequacy for brood development.
Legal compliance: Products involving live ant species are evaluated for compliance with USDA APHIS PPQ 526 permit requirements for interstate commerce. We note permit status in product descriptions and do not list sellers who ship regulated species without documented compliance.

Backyard Flock Products

Poultry nutrition and flock management products are reviewed against established backyard poultry husbandry guidance, including materials from extension programs at land-grant universities (Penn State Extension, University of Florida IFAS, and others) and the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) where relevant.

Key criteria:

Feed: Must specify protein percentage by life stage (chick starter, grower, layer, meat bird). Layer feeds must meet established calcium requirements (approximately 3.5–4.5% on a dry matter basis) for shell quality. We flag feeds that do not meet life-stage specificity.
Health and wellness products: Evaluated for evidence base. Probiotic and supplement claims are noted as supported by peer-reviewed research or as community-used without formal trial data — we do not conflate the two.
Housing and equipment: Evaluated for predator resistance, ventilation adequacy, and species-appropriate sizing standards.

Training Products and Behavioral Aids

All training devices — including any aversive or correction-based tools — must meet these requirements to be listed:

Product descriptions must include a clear disclaimer recommending professional guidance from a licensed veterinarian or certified behaviorist before use.
Listings must acknowledge appropriate and inappropriate use cases.
Products with documented safety concerns or that have been associated with injury when misused carry an explicit advisory notice.

We do not list products that have no established legitimate use case in humane training programs.

What Our Badges Mean

Badges on Talis-us product pages reflect specific, documented criteria — not marketing impressions.

Vet-Recommended

Assigned to food and health products that meet the WSAVA framework criteria above AND have been reviewed or endorsed by a licensed DVM or veterinary specialist with named credentials. This badge is not assigned based on general brand reputation.

Limited-Ingredient

Assigned to food products where a single named protein source is the primary ingredient and the total distinct ingredient count is 10 or fewer. We verify this against the actual ingredient panel, not the marketing label. Products using "limited ingredient" in their branding are not automatically badged — they must meet the count threshold.

Single-Protein

Assigned to food products where only one animal protein source appears in the ingredient list — including all by-products, meals, and broths. Products with multiple protein sources, even in small amounts, do not receive this badge. This badge is specifically relevant for dogs and cats with suspected single-protein sensitivities.

Eco-Friendly

Assigned to products that meet at least two of the following: packaging made from recycled or biodegradable materials, manufacturing with a documented reduced environmental footprint, cruelty-free certification from a recognized third-party body, or sustainably sourced primary ingredients with supply chain documentation.

Talis Curated

Our broadest quality designation. Assigned to products that passed all 5 review steps, carry no active safety concerns, are appropriate for the species and life stage they're marketed for, and meet the core standards of their product category. A Talis Curated badge is the baseline for any product we actively recommend.

What We Reject

We decline to list products in the following situations. Transparency about rejections is what separates a curation standard from a blanket catalog.

Food products with no AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement. Without this statement, there is no basis for confirming the food meets minimum nutrient profiles for the stated life stage.
Gel ant farms. Community consensus — supported by documentation from experienced keepers — is that gel substrate cannot support a queen-right colony long-term. We will not list them in categories where they would be understood as suitable habitats.
UVB lighting products with unverified output claims. Bulbs marketed as "full spectrum" or "UVB" without verified µW/cm² specifications are not listed as UVB products. Underpowered UVB is a documented cause of metabolic bone disease in reptiles.
Products from manufacturers with unresolved safety recalls. If an FDA or AVMA recall has been issued and the company has not provided public documentation of the corrective action taken, the brand is not listed until that documentation exists.
Training products with no legitimate humane use case. Products designed purely for aversion without evidence of efficacy in veterinary behavioral literature are not listed.

Ongoing Monitoring

Our evaluation process does not end at listing.

FDA pet food recall alerts: We monitor the FDA's official recall feed and the AVMA's recall tracking page. When a listed product is recalled, we remove it from active listings within 24 hours of confirmed information and notify customers who have purchased it where contact information is available.
Formulation changes: Brands occasionally change ingredient formulations without prominent notice. When we identify a change that affects a badge designation, we update the badge within 30 days of confirmation.
Community-reported issues: We monitor established hobbyist forums for product issues that precede formal recalls — particularly in reptile, ant-keeping, and exotic species categories where FDA oversight is limited.

Independence

Talis-us earns revenue through product sales, not through brand partnerships, sponsored placements, or affiliate arrangements for listed products. Brands cannot pay to appear on the site, to receive a badge, or to be featured in our editorial content.

If a brand contacts us to be considered for listing, it goes through the same 5-step process as any other product. Contact does not affect evaluation outcomes.

Questions About Our Standards

If you have a question about why a product is or is not listed, why a badge was or was not assigned, or you want to flag a safety concern about a listed product, reach out at [email protected]

If you are a brand and would like your products considered for listing, use the same contact.

Page last reviewed: July 2026. Standards are reviewed and updated at least annually, or when significant changes in veterinary guidance or regulatory standards occur.