What should you feed an iguana?

Answer 1

Iguanas are entirely herbivorous (plant-eating) from the time of birth and do not require any type of animal protein at any point in their lives. Older iguana studies indicated that iguanas displayed quick growth if fed large amount of animal protein, which is true. What is also true however, is that iguanas fed large amounts of animal protein do not live very long, often as a result of gout or metabolic bone disease. It is important to offer iguanas a diet composed of calcium rich greens, fruits, and vegetables. Herbivorous reptiles require a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1 in their captive diets in order to fare well. A diet that provides for this necessity is as follows : 70-80% Dark, leafy, calcium rich greens such as: collard greens, mustard greens, endive, watercress, and dandelion greens. If they can be obtained, mulberry and hibiscus leaves should be included as often as possible. Avoid iceberg lettuce entirely, it has no nutritional value. Spinach should be either fed in small amounts or avoided entirely because it contains oxalic acid, which binds calcium in the intestinal tract, making it unavailable. 20-30% Grated vegetables such as: carrots, winter squash, pumpkin, zucchini, thawed frozen mixed vegetables, and spineless prickly pear cactus pads. Avoid or feed sparingly: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, escarole, cauliflower. These vegetables contain iodine binders that can cause thyroid problems. 10-20% Fruits and flowers such as: strawberries, raspberries, mango, papaya, kiwi, melon, apple (no seeds), prickly pear cactus fruits and flowers, hibiscus, nasturtium, and dandelion flowers. Iguanas love bananas, but they should only be offered as a treat because they have the incorrect calcium to phosphorus ratio. Make sure to cut and grate all food into bite size pieces for babies.

Answer 2

Iguana's are Herbivores. They eat dark, leafy green vegetables, such as, collard greens, mustard greens, parsley, dandelion greens, escarole, spinach, and kale. Iceberg lettuce should be avoided as it offers no nutritional value and iguanas can become hooked on it, refusing to eat other foods. Other vegetables that are good to offer include green beans, green peppers, frozen mixed vegetables, squash, and fruits, such as, bananas, apples, mangos, papaya. Iguana's eat flowers....pretty much all squash....dark greens.....wide variety of fruit. they also eat crickets meell worms or silkworms.Actually....iguanas do not eat crickets....they do not eat any animal protein what so ever.If you give crickets to your iguana, he will eat it like a kid eating to much candy but he will die...eventually b/c of it. You should also avoid feeding your iguana spinach b/c spinach uses calcium while digesting and therefore pulls precious calcium from your iguana that by nature they already have too little of. This causes bone disease in your iguana and that is the leading cause of death in pet iguanas. Everything else posted above is true for them to eat...except avoiding giving them too much fruit. Fruit turns to sugar and too much or a build up of sugar can be hard for iguanas to digest....They should be fed 80% green leaf plants and foliage, 15% vegetables, 5% fruit in their daily diet.....if you give fruit to them once a week your good. the rest of the week give them leafy green plants and a few vegetables....avoiding spinach and broccoli all together...

Answer 3

Iguanas are supposed to be fed collard greens, mustard greens, And other greens. You can feed them a variety of fruits and vegetables too. Some people make Iguana salad which is a mixture of the greens, fruits and vegetables. I mostly feed my iguanas collard greens and mustard greens with fruit every day. I have read that if you feed your male iguana sweet potato during breeding season the orange coloring will come out more. I have three iguanas, one is about 3 years and the other two are about one year of age. All green iguanas.

Answer 4

STAPLE - These foods are good to feed an iguana on a regular basis, but don't forget to rotate them.

OCCASIONAL - Best to feed these foods only on occasion. Overfeeding most of these foods can lead to serious health problems. Combined with a balanced mixture of staple foods on occasion (a few times a month) can provide an iguana the variety it needs.

TREAT - These foods work good as a treat or snack. Some of these foods can be included as a regular part of the diet, but most are only occasional treats.

TASTE OR COLOR ENHANCER - Occasionally added to a balanced mixture of foods to make the meal tastier and more interesting for the iguana.

RARELY OR NEVER - Due to poor nutritional content, this food item is okay if offered only rarely, along with other, more nutritious greens and veggies.

Answer 5

combination of insects and vegetables when juvinile and strictly vegetables when adult

Answer 6

As much as they will eat. Almost all iguanas will stop eating when they're full. It depends on the age of the iguana on how much it eats.