Do you love iguana? Iguanas are the most popular lizards to be pet. Classified as reptilian, iguana shares the same structure skin with other famous reptiles such as snakes, turtle and other lizard chameleon. Keep and iguana also difficult compare to originated pet animals such as dogs and cats. Iguanas was used to lived in the wildlife which is they inherit some wildness temperamental, in that case you have to super careful on how you treat your iguana. There’s a case that an owner was attacked by her iguana in the face, she said it was terribly painful.

We could only imagine those sharp claws and teeth scratching you skin, that would be awful experience. This animal could not totally tame, not totally obey you. They just simply do whatever they want. However, you still consider to have one, you could check this article to know market prices variant of iguanas: is iguana expensive? Know which iguana at which price. Otherwise, you could simply just adopt an iguana which been abandoned by their previous owners or have recently captivated from the nature.

By the way, you should understand that iguana speak with their body languages, they exhibit some various behaviors which is your job as an owner to understand it. They would tell you how they feel by some gestures, if you are not use yourself to their languages, in extreme cases you would not even notice that your beloved one is in serious condition of illness. Let’s take aside the serious illness cases, there are two common diseases you need to prepare because apparently, it’s frequently attach to an iguana: the skin problems and the eyes problems.

Furthermore, some iguanas are already being included in the red list of IUCN of endangered animals species, such as Amblyrhynchus Cristatus or commonly would call as marine iguana of Galapagos. But, sorry my friends, you can’t take this species as a pet, because this animal is protected by Ecuador’s laws and other organizations such IUCN and WWF. However, need a lot of effort to look after iguana, a lot of nutrient foods, and other perfect support materials. But, today we would focus to the healthy diet menu for your beloved iguana. Make sure your iguanas eat well, here are 3 best foods for them!

What is The Perfect Diet Menu for A Pet Iguana?

Most of pet iguana is a herbivore animal which is in other words they only eat green, and vegetables on attention to prevent organs failure caused by diseases. So, to keep your iguana is a good state of health, given an iguana flowers, fruits, green, and vegetables are a must. Do not ever try feed you iguana with insects, dogs or cats food, cheese, meat, or eggs, and other ordinary human consumption foods.

Do not ever try it with and adult, moreover the young ages; if you didn’t want become the cause of the suffering of your beloved iguana. Just for your note, forcing your iguana eat something they shouldn’t would cause kidney failure in several years a head. Just obey the rules, and trust me your iguana would live longer and healthier. Pick and choose the vegetables by the level of protein and nutrient is a very good idea. You also need to know that iguana did not drink too much.

Eat Frequency of Iguana

How many times you should feed your iguana? Ordinarily, iguana eat approximately one to two times a day, but in some cases a lot of people feed their iguana only once a day. Is that not included as maltreatment? No, it’s not; for some species of iguana that is a normal thing. This is truly depended on the iguana itself. Furthermore, the main menu (vegetables, fruits, and etc) ordinarily being feed in the morning; in the evening mostly become the snacks time (three hours before sleep). Do it in the same rhythm every single day, because iguana love routine.

The Food Chart

Main Diet Menu

The best main diet menu for iguana in daily life is leafy greens; this thing cannot be leave behind, everyday they must eat it. For the snacks which is given less frequency than the leafy greens, there are flowers and vegetables. The ideal proportion of leafy greens is about 50% to 60% from total diet; and then the other food is given numbers about 30% to 40% (vegetables and flowers) a day. What about fruit? If you want to give fruit and perhaps some berries, make sure is not more than 10% of the total amount of meal a day.

There is a formula that is reviled as an important ratio of iguana’s diet menu, and the formula is: Ca:P ration. What is that mean? It’s an easy counting formula to estimate the amount of food within a day; the formula said that the amount of food which is included greens leafy, vegetable, and the fruit must contained 2:1 Calcium to Phosphorus. You must note that the Phosphorus cannot higher than Calcium. It is the best if you mix all the ingredients together at once.

The oxalates and goitrogenic also cannot be in high level. Based in this formula, than there are three types of foods of iguana’s diet: the staples, occasional, and the last is rare consumption.

1. Staples Foods

Here are the list of staples food you could found for your iguana:

Dandelion greens flowers and leaves.
It’s contained with a little higher of goitrogens, but it’s worth to feed in a little amount every day: the turnip greens.
Collard greens.
Mustard greens.
Escarole.
Endive.
Hibicus: the pesticide free greens and flowers that could be feed in snack time.
Watercress.
Every kind of squash, included: gem, kabocha, butternut, acorn, Hubbard, yellow, and spaghetti squash.
Alfalfa.
Snap beans, and etc.

2. Occasional Foods

Leeks.
Zucchini or courgettes.
Asparagus.
Carrot, but please leave the top of it because it’s contained high level of oxalates.
Prickly pear fruit.
Mango, only in 10% from total diet.
Apple, only in 10% from total diet.
Melon, only in 10% from total diet.
Rose petals, you could mix it as staples foods, or just give it as a treat.
Thyme.
Sage.
Basil, and etc.

3. Rare Consumption

Brussels sprouts, careful its contained goitrogenic.
Swiss chard, contained high oxalates.
Kale, contained with goistrogenic.
Spinach, contained high oxalates.
Cucumber, just for an extra. Put it in little pieces as the moisture.
Cabbage, contained with goistrogenic.
Sweet potato, both high in phosphorus and oxalates.
Watermelon, 10% of the diet portion.
Strawberry, 10% of the diet portion.
Peaches, 10% of the diet portion.
Blueberries, 10% of the diet portion.
Banana, give it rarely, 10% of the diet portion; and etc.

However, this is the end of make sure your iguanas eat well, here are 3 best foods for them! Obey the rules and your beloved iguana would live long in perfect healthy state.