| Iguanas are naturally herbivores and eat only plants. | | | | parsnips, yams, squash and asparagus. Avoid regular |
| In the wild they eat the leaves of mature trees with | | | | or extensive amounts of peppers, zucchini, broccoli, |
| some fruit, berries and flowers, but this is difficult to | | | | mushrooms, beets, cucumbers and cauliflower; these |
| replicate with your pet iguana. Unfortunately, there | | | | should not be part of the staple diet. |
| has not been a lot of proper research into what | | | | 5% of the day's food can be fruits, but avoid citrus |
| iguanas eat in captivity and much of the available | | | | fruits. Too much fruit can cause diarrhea. Cooked |
| information is faulty. | | | | grains are a good addition, another 5% maximum |
| In order to understand what pet iguanas eat, you | | | | quantity, like cooked pasta and rice. Wild and garden |
| need to know a little about their physiology. They | | | | plants like hibiscus, dandelion and nasturtium, maple |
| have sharp teeth which are not designed for biting or | | | | and ficus leaves can be a welcome treat mixed into |
| chewing which means you need to chop their food. | | | | the salad. |
| An important aspect of an iguana's dietary | | | | Don't be tempted to give your iguana any animal |
| requirements is the correct calcium phosphorus ratio | | | | protein, but they do need some plant protein. The |
| pf 2:1. An excess of phosphorus can lead to | | | | best source for this is rabbit pellets, which are alfalfa |
| metabolic bone disease. | | | | based, which can make up to 10% of the day's food. |
| What Do Iguanas Eat? | | | | Avoid feeding the pre-prepared iguana foods that |
| 60% of your pet's food should be leafy green | | | | have come onto the market as they are not a |
| vegetables like dandelion, mustard, turnip and collard | | | | completely balanced and nutritional diet for your pet. |
| greens. These can be supplemented with small | | | | Supplement the above foods with a pinch of pure |
| quantities of carrot tops, chard, kale and spinach. | | | | calcium powder to maintain the correct ratio of |
| Lettuce is a favorite of iguanas but it acts like junk | | | | phosphorus and calcium. |
| food by converting to excess sugar in the body, so | | | | Maintain a consistent schedule for feeding your iggie. |
| feed very sparingly. Each day, feed 2 or 3 different | | | | Chop or process all the ingredients finely and feed in |
| types of greens and mix them around to make sure | | | | a heavy bowl, off the floor, in the morning. Remove |
| your iggie gets a good range of minerals and vitamins. | | | | any uneaten food every day. Prepare several days |
| Another 30% of the daily food should be fresh | | | | worth of food at one time and store it in the fridge |
| vegetables like green beans and peas, carrots and | | | | for convenience. |