PROPER NUTRITION:
Iguanas are herbivores or folivores, which means that they are plant
eaters. They eat leafy greens, fruit, and fresh, uncooked vegetables that
are grated and chopped to a size appropriate to the size and age of the
iguana.
Watch the size of the food chunks you feed to your iguana. Think
about the size of your pet's stomach and how much more food he can get in
there if it's in small bits. Grated food is best but if you chop, chop into
tiny, bite-sized pieces. Leafy greens can be torn into the appropriate size.
And you can grow greens in your garden for your iguana. Growing
Great Greens
And, speaking of leafy greens, IGUANAS DO NOT EAT LETTUCE. One of
the worst myths left over from the fifties is that turtles and iguanas can
survive eating iceberg lettuce. There is no nutritional value in such a
pale, watery vegetable. Likewise, commercial iguana foods. Commercial diets
for iguanas are not recommended.
Give your iguana protein in the form of vegetable protein like peas,
green beans, alfalfa, and very occasionally, tofu or scrambled egg. No matter
what you have been told, the experts agree that iguanas should not get their
protein from dog or cat food. Do NOT feed your iguana dog food. It is the
wrong kind of protein and can cause metabolic changes in your iguanas organs
that will eventually be life-threatening.
Read our Q & A page for letters concerning
feeding issues.
The most important thing, however, is to feed your iguana a VARIED diet
using the following, well-rinsed foods:
Greens (40%-50% of the daily mixture):
Mustard Greens - Collard Greens - Dandelion Greens - Turnip Greens - Rapini
- Mulberry Leaves - Grape Leaves - Hibiscus - Escarole (outer, dark green
leaves only - do not feed pale, bleached leaves).
Vegetables (40%):
Green Beans - Peas - Turnip - Rutabaga - Parsnip - Butternut Squash - Acorn
Squash - Sweet Potato - Zucchini - Carrot - Lima Beans - Cassava - Jicama
- Chayote
Fruit and Flowers (10-20%):
Papaya - Pear - Strawberries - Raspberries - Mango - Grapes - Apricot -
Peach - Cantaloupe - Casaba and Honeydew Melon - Kiwi - Figs - Nasturtium
- Hibiscus - Rose Petals (no pesticides)
Occasional Foods and Treats (10%):
Kale - Parsley - Beets/Beet Greens - Banana - Apple - Rose Petals - Spinach
- Pasta - Bok Choy - Broccoli - Cauliflower
Do not feed your iguana large quantities of broccoli flowerettes,
corn, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, bananas, grapes, carrot, or tomatoes because
they contain higher amounts of phosphorous, oxylates, phytates and other
components that can hamper your iguana's healthy growth processes.
Tear, chop and grate food into very small pieces and mix together.
Sprinkle a pinch of reptile vitamin and calcium on a small amount of chopped
veggies and mix well. Put the supplemented food on top to ensure your pet
eats the vitamins. Do not over-supplement (twice a week for young iguanas
- hatchlings to 2 years old, once a week for juveniles and adults - 2+ years
and older).
Feed your iguana a balanced, varied diet EVERY day, not every other
day as some books suggest. And try to avoid feeding defrosted, frozen vegetables
as much as possible. Frozen, pre-packaged vegetables lose much of their
vitamin content in the freezing/storage process. Feed only frozen (defrosted,
room-temperature) peas and lima beans as a protein source but all other
vegetables should be purchased fresh from the market or grown in the garden.
Prepared iguana food and frozen vegetable mixes do not contain the necessary
nutrients for a healthy iguana diet.
Remember to wash all edibles thoroughly and never feed any plant
material that has been previously sprayed with insecticide. Always offer
your iguana fresh water to drink.
Back to Iguana Iguana Home Page
Previous Articles in IGUANA IGUANA
Go to Tips and Tricks
Go to Questions and Answers
Go to Make Your Iguana A Rainforest
Go to Games and Puzzles
Best and Worst
Iguana Hall of Fame
Favorite Ig Names
Iguana Nutrition
A Day in the Life of an Iguana
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(Current Month's Issue or Specific Issues - $2.00)
The latest printed issues ofIGUANA IGUANA 
Newsletter
contain the following articles:
June - From Monster to Mouse and Back Again, Living with a (part-time) Mini-Monster, From the Mail BAg - What I Go Through Living with a Crazed Male Iguana (with photo essay), Nails are for Clipping, Spotlight on Vegetables - The Rutabaga, Ask Dr. Spike - When is it too hot for my iguana to be outside?, Keep Cool!
July - Taking a Bite Out of Summer, Reviewing Your Iguana's Health, A Pool for Your Outdoor Enclosure, Adding Humidity to the Outdoor Enclosure - A Mist System on a Times, An Iguana Picnic, Ask Dr. Spike - Why does my iguana eat dirt?, Happy Summer!
August - Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do?, Breeding Season, Castration - Surgery and Chemical, The Presto Salad Shooter for easy meals, Ask Dr. Spike - My male iguana turns orange. What does that mean?
September - Dehydration - Dying of Thirst, Organ Damage Caused By Dehydration, Dehydration - Observable and Clinical Signs, Signs of Viseral Gout, Summer Fruit, Conversion Chart, End of Summer Iguana Salad, Lizards Living Large in Florida, Humidity in the Enclosure, Ask Dr. Spike - My iguana eats his feces - Ugh!, Happy End of Summer!
October - Skeletons in the Closet - Building a Closet Enclosure, Electrical Work in the Clsoet, The Third Eye, FallBack - Change your timers, Ask Dr. Spike - there are strange things in my iguana's poop!, Lots of Halloween Iguana Hats, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! and Happy Iguana Halloween!
November - Many Reasons for Giving Thanks, The Proper Way to Hand-Feed An Iguana that isn't Eating, Preparing the Blended Food, From the Mailbox - I Lost My Iguana in the House!, Autumn Torte Recipe and Fig Dessert for You and Your Iguana's Thanksgiving Dinner, Happy Thanksgiving!
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