what is a good daily diet for an iguana?

Question

i feed my iguana dandelion and carrots everyday and i feel like it's not enough. i feel like something is missing

Answer 1

1. Calcium-rich vegetables: 30 – 40 %
2. of the diet, two or more items per feeding – turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, kale, collards, bok choy, Swiss chard, dandelions, parsley, escarole, spinach, alfalfa pellets Other vegetables: 30 – 40 %
3. of the diet, a variety weekly – frozen mixed vegetables, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, bell pepper, broccoli, peas, beans, okra, grated carrot, sprouts Grain/fiber: up to 20 %
4. of the diet – whole grain breads, and natural bran cereals. Fruits: no more than 15 %
5. of the diet – figs, papaya, melon, apple, peaches, plums, strawberries, tomatoes, banana (with skin), grapes, kiwi Vitamin/mineral supplementation: supplementation is advised, because vitamin and mineral deficiencies are common in iguanasl However calcium and the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) can be over supplemented as well as under supplemented. To avoid over supplementation, natural sources from a varied diet are the best choice, with moderate vitamin/mineral use to balance the diet. To date there are no documented studies on specific requirements for any lizard species.

Minerals: Use powdered calcium carbonate ( cuttlebone shavings is one source) or calcium gluconate.

Mix 1 part vitamin and 2 parts mineral.

Hatchlings and juveniles: 1 small pinch per feeding

Adults: 1 full pinch per 2 lbs. body weight twice a week

Adult females: 1 full pinch per feeding from December until egg laying.

Groups: 1/8 tsp. Vitamin/mineral mix per 3 lbs. iguana per week

Answer 2

Iguanas thrive on variety. Go to your frozen vegatables section at the local grocery store and get some broccoli and cauliflower mix, some mixed vegetables (usually corn, carrots, peas, and green beans), mushrooms... this will give you a good supply of food that'll keep for a long time. Thaw and cut all food so that large pieces won't cause any problem with eating (once your iguana gets some serrious size to him, this won't be much of an issue). Mine also appreciates fresh romaine lettuce (NOT ICEBERGE--iceberge lettuce is really only water and fiber, with no real nutritional value), spinach leaves, and carrot tops every now and again. Out of veggies but have some plain oatmeal (not flavored) sitting around? Try it--some will eat it.

Sure, you could supplement vitamins in place of simple variety... but nothing beats mixing things up. You'll actually have a far better class of nutrition availible to your pet if you don't supplement altogether--focus on the variety of foods offered. Besides, consider how bored you'd get if you were fed the same thing every day!

Answer 3

you can mix in some flukers iguana diet pellets. lettuce, avoid iceburg. you need to make sure they are getting all the proper vitamins and minerals they need. not doing so can result in alot of health issues.
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/igdiet.html
this is the best diet out there...lol

Ingredients: EACH MEAL contains ingredients from ALL FIVE of the following categories:

Calcium-rich vegetables: 30 – 40 % of the diet, two or more items per feeding – turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, kale, collards, bok choy, Swiss chard, dandelions, parsley, escarole, spinach, alfalfa pellets
Other vegetables: 30 – 40 % of the diet, a variety weekly – frozen mixed vegetables, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, bell pepper, broccoli, peas, beans, okra, grated carrot, sprouts
Grain/fiber: up to 20 % of the diet – whole grain breads, and natural bran cereals.
Fruits: no more than 15 % of the diet – figs, papaya, melon, apple, peaches, plums, strawberries, tomatoes, banana (with skin), grapes, kiwi
Vitamin/mineral supplementation: supplementation is advised, because vitamin and mineral deficiencies are common in iguanasl However calcium and the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) can be over supplemented as well as under supplemented. To avoid over supplementation, natural sources from a varied diet are the best choice, with moderate vitamin/mineral use to balance the diet. To date there are no documented studies on specific requirements for any lizard species.
Minerals: Use powdered calcium carbonate ( cuttlebone shavings is one source) or calcium gluconate.

Mix 1 part vitamin and 2 parts mineral.

Hatchlings and juveniles: 1 small pinch per feeding

Adults: 1 full pinch per 2 lbs. body weight twice a week

Adult females: 1 full pinch per feeding from December until egg laying.

Groups: 1/8 tsp. Vitamin/mineral mix per 3 lbs. iguana per week

A comment about protein sources: This is a highly controversial area. Traditionally, animal protein sources have been recommended in the diets of iguanas. However, in the wild they are folivores, a type of vegetarian that eats primarily leaves. Some iguana books falsely claim that iguanas eat insects until they mature, then switch to a vegetarian diet as adults. This is not the case. They are vegetarians from birth even through they might occasionally accept unnatural foods, such as crickets or even mice in captivity. Even though animal protein sources traditionally have been recommended for iguanas, their necessity has not been scientifically documented. Protein should be supplied as a plant based source.

Protein sources to avoid:

Little nutritional value: crickets, mealworms, king mealworms

Too much protein and/or calcium: small pre-killed mice, primate diets, trout chow, dog and cat food

A comment about canned, frozen, and other commercial iguana diets: The advantage of these products is that they are easier to use than preparing a balanced salad several times a week. The disadvantage is that in spite of claims that the commercial diets are complete and balanced, they may not be so. The exact nutritional requirements for green iguanas have never been scientifically determined. Young, rapidly growing iguanas have dietary requirements that differ from those of mature adults, as in the case in puppies and mature dogs. Commercial iguana diets do not address this difference. The ingredients are items to which an iguana in the jungle would never have access. Likewise, symptoms from eating an unbalanced diet may take years to develop. Commercial iguana diets are unproven. They may have a role in iguana nutrition but should only be part of the diet until more is known.

Answer 4

Those are good but it needs some fruit, try bannanas and grapes, if it is young you should give it some meal worms or some other type of meal. Do not give it lettace or cabage, lettace gives it almost no nutrients, and cabage will give it diarea,

Answer 5

Dark leafy greens