Is there any kind of lizard which doesn't require live food?

Question

This is a serious question so serious answers please...
I would really like to keep a lizard, skink, gecko, something like that. However I hate dealing with crickets and things as they get absolutely everywhere. Are there any lizards which either don't eat meat, or which can eat dried / dead food? And are also readily available in the pet trade? I already have snakes and they eat pre-killed food, so I wondered if lizards can do the same. I really like bearded dragons and occellated skinks, can they eat dead food? Also, if lizards won't take to dead food because there's no movement, can they be tricked to think its alive? ie. if you flicked the dead cricket to make it jump etc? Sounds silly lol but I'm curious.

Thanks!

Do those vivbrating dishes work? Do lizards eat dry food readily from these bowls? I'm also considering leopard geckos, but I hear they're hard to get eating dry stuff. Would a vibrating bowl work on them?

Answer 1

Iguanas are vegetarians, but are a very poor choice for a beginner... My 2 recommendations would be a blue tongue skink or a Uromastyx. Uro's are almost strictly vegetarians, stay small to medium-sized, and are very cute:-). They generally don't appreciate handling, but if you work with them a lot most will tame down. http://www.deerfernfarms.com is by far the best site on them. Blue tongues are omnivorous and can get their animal protein from low fat dog food, boiled ground turkey etc... they also love snails (with the shell). They are very easy to tame and probably have the most personality of any lizard.

Answer 2

An easy animal to take care of that does not require live food is a crested gecko. They can be feed a diet powder found in most pet stores that is simply mixed with water, they also eat some fruits (non-citrus). HOWEVER, it is recommended that they are given crickets from time to time (because they like a good hunt) and some breeders/pet stores might feed them crickets on a regular basis which would make the gecko hard to train to eat the powder mix. Therefore, get it from a breeder that feeds their gecko the mix regularly and crickets/mealworms sparingly. Also, you should do quite alot of research on these geckos before purchasing them. They do require a tropical environment which involves spraying the enclosure a few times for humidity as well as keeping the temp of the enclosure at room temp (around 75) and no higher than 80 (over 80 and they get extremely stressed which can actually kill them). So like I said, research it up. These guys can make great pets if you take the time and effort.

Answer 3

The giant green iguana and the cyclura (rhinocerous iguana) are strictly vegatarians. The Ctenosaurus similis and Ctenosaurus pectinata (also an iguana species) are thought to be strictly vegans, but there's not enough info on their care in captivity yet to know how just an herbivorous diet compares to a mostly herbivorous diet with some animal protein included.

Regardless of the diet...all those different iguanas need extremely special care requirements. Do the research on each species and concentrate on diet, temepratures, UVB and cage dimensions for a full-grown lizard.

Answer 4

We have fifteen snakes and three lizards. . .a beardy, a leopard gecko and an argentine tegu. Their food of choice, of course, is live. However, my argentine tegu strictly eats canned dog food with calcium sprinkled on top. He has never had a taste of something live and he is now 5 years old. As you probably know, he's 4ft long and not for everyone. My beardy prefers live crickets over everything. I have tried to get him to eat more vegy's and fruits but not with much success. The leopard gecko mainly eats meal worms. They're not much of a problem to handle. You just put them in a shallow dish and they can't get out. . .Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Check out iguanas, I know that when they are little that they are supposed to get crickets but I have an 8 year old that never liked them much so i just gave him fresh fruit and veggies and some meal pellets that you add water to that smell like fruity pebbles! Check into vitamin supplements too.

Answer 6

you can get a anole which eats beach nut baby food they are tiny little lizards but they are cute they cost from 3.99 to 5.99 dollars

Answer 7

You could get canned crickets (yes they exist) and get a special vibrating dish to feed them. It's pretty cheep and it simulates the movements that crickets do.

Answer 8

Interesting! Never really gave this much thought

Answer 9

IGUANAS CAN EAT FRUIT, VEGGIES AND MOST CAT AND DOG FOOD. I FEED MINE THAT AND HE GOT TO BE 51/2 FEET BEFORE I HAD TO GIVE HIM AWAY.

Answer 10

Was here on Yahoo for something unrelated, but this topic was displayed on the sidebar...