What to feed a 1 year old Iguana?

Answer 1

I know people have already posted this website, but it is easily the best on the internet regarding iguanas.

www.anapsid.org

Melissa Kaplan really knows her stuff and is one of the two people whose advice I'd take above my own!

I feed my iguanas a mixture of leafy greens and various veggies with occasional fruity treats and they are in excellent health. Some people will tell you to feed them animal protein, but don't. If you are giving them an adequate diet and providing correct husbandry, they won't need it and it leaves them open to all sorts of medical problems.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Diet:
Iguanas are herbivores; they do not eat animal protein of any kind. Commercially available Iguana food is not suitable for use as it usually contains animal protein. An Iguana's primary diet should include collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, escarole, green beans, parsnip, winter squash, alfalfa, strawberries, mangos, figs, cantaloupe and a calcium supplement. The greens should make up the majority of the diet.
The Iguana should be feed early every morning. Additional feedings may be made later if the iguana eats them. Water should be provided, preferably in a dish too small for the iguanas to immerse themselves in.

Size:
Iguanas can grow to 6 foot in length.

Age............... head to vent…..total length
Just hatched……...2 in ………….6-8 in
3 months……...….4 in…………..12 in
6 months…………6 in…………..18 in
1 year…………….8 in…………..24 in
18 months…….…10 in…………..30 in
2 years…………..12 in…………..36 in
3 years……….….16 in…………..45 in
4 years……….….18 in…………..54 in
5 years…………..20 in…………..60 in
6 years…………..22 in…………..66 in
7 years…….up to 24 in….....up to 72 in

Housing:
Where x is the length of the iguana, housing should be x tall, x deep and 1.5 x long. Iguanas are arboreal and need to have something to climb on. A bathing area is also desirable. Iguanas instinctually poop in water and they are likely to consistently use the bathing are to do so.

Heat:
Iguanas need a basking area, normally at the top of the climbing area that has a temperature of 95F. The lower areas of the cages should be cooler as a lizard regulates his body temperature by moving to warmer or cooler areas. The lowest temperature, nighttime, should not be less than 75F. Nighttime heat can be provided using ceramic heaters or night bulbs. Never use heat rocks with Iguanas as they can cause burning.

Light:
Iguanas live in equatorial areas. They should have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. They also require high quality UVB lights (such as reptisun 10) to facilitate vitamin D production to allow calcium absorption. Vitamin D drop are not a suitable replacement due to problems with dosing and lack of evidence on their effectiveness. Daily trips outside, in a suitable enclosure, are desirable when temperature permits.

Handling:
Iguanas must be handled daily to socializing them. As they can inflict injury with their tails, teeth, and claws the purchase of protective gear for the forearms is often considered (my son uses a leather jacket and gloves). They are not domesticated animals so this behavior is instinctual on the Iguana's part. The daily handling is to show them that you are a friend rather than a threat. Never punish an iguana, but at the same time do not let them win. If the Iguana learns that tail thrashing will cause you to put them down, they will always tail thrash when you try to pick them up.

Health:
Iguanas require reptile vets. Regular vets do not have the training needed to understand what is happening in an Iguana, or any other reptile. You can find a list of reptile vets in the US at http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html.

Lifespan:
In captivity Iguanas given proper care can be expected to live 20 years.



Please be sure to visit anapsid.org. It is the website of Melissa Kaplan, author of Iguanas for Dummies.

Answer 3

Hi,
You already have some good answers. Let me just say read all the info on diet you can, along with iguana care. We use a large variety of mostly calcium rich greens - about 75-85% of the diet. The rest is a large variety of vegies and a small amount of fruit every so often. Here is another web site to read :-)

http://www.iguanaden.org/diet/index.htm

Answer 4

Here is a good basic diet for iguanas of any age: http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/igdiet.html

You can go back to the home page (http://www.anapsid.org/) and find more info on iguanas than you ever imagined existed!

Answer 5

You can feed it green bean,pole beans,or snap peas;yellow /orange vegetables sush as squash, sweet potatoes, yams or carrots and some alfalfa

Answer 6

leafy greens apples kiwi's bananas peas and you can also give them granular lizard food or tortoise chow!! everyday with plenty of water and a vitamin powder sprinkled on top also get a good book dont forget the UVA/UVB

Answer 7

put this site in your favorites. it helped me a lot.

http://www.greenigsociety.org/feedingigs.htm

Answer 8

to a hungry lion.