Iguana Food – What You Feed Your Pet is Critical to His Health

Zig Gueller asked:


The fact that iguanas come to our houses although they are free, exotic animals living naturally in tropical habitats, mean of course that we need to take particular care of their daily diet. The iguana food that you give your pet is critical to both is health and happiness. Imagine yourself when living in a country with completely different eating habits than yours. You need to be able to provide to your animal what it needs in order to be healthy and happy.

Of course iguanas need to adjust to the less tropical conditions, but in any case, you have to provide them with foods that are close to what they eat in the wild. Caring of green iguanas is very important if you want to ensure their longevity, and is becoming easier now that they are popular as household pets. There are many experts who can recommend what to feed them as well as any special vitamins and, also, foods to avoid.
Iguanas should follow a good diet, because their life span depends heavily on it. Even if you take care of their cage, make sure they have enough amount of warmth and light, you need to take specific care to provide the appropriate iguana food and water, because if the diet is poor in nutritional content, then it won’t be your best friend for long.

Vegetables are the basis of the iguana’s diet, because they are rich in calcium and minerals that are absolutely necessary for their diet. Vets seem to agree that although iguanas are capable of eating animal proteins and meats, they don’t actually need it. In fact studies prove that some animal proteins are hard to process, and iguanas cannot really deal with that effectively, due to their specific digestive system.

Iguanas need to digest their food well, so cutting their food in small pieces is always essential. There are some particular kinds of food that are to be avoided completely, not only because they block their digestion, but also because they are rich in some toxins which are seriously damaging for iguanas. Such foods are spinach and beets or kale. Ice burg lettuce, while it may seem like a good food for your iguana, has poor nutritional value and should be avoided. Leafy greens like dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens and even green beans are ideal. You can also add in some spaghetti squash, sweet potato and raspberries if you like.

Keeping the iguana’s cage moist is essential, as iguanas have problems when dehydrated. Vets suggest also spraying the cage and even their food, regularly, because this is the best way to give them the amount of water and moist it is needed for their development, and most importantly their breathing system.

Iguanas should be fed on a daily basis, twice or according to your vet’s suggestions. Remember that they don’t chew their food but swallow it so you should chop their food to the appropriate sizes – using a food processor can help with this task.