This document discusses estimating the energy requirements for maintenance and growth of wild mammals, birds, and reptiles kept in captivity. It reviews existing data on basal metabolic rates and maintenance energy requirements for some species. The document develops a model to estimate lower limits of energy requirements during growth, taking into account factors like variation in time to reach maturity and energy density of tissue deposited. Having estimates of energy needs can help with issues like treating obesity or providing nutritional support when animals lose appetite. Overall, the document aims to provide guidance for estimating energy requirements when specific data is lacking for non-domesticated species in captive settings.