From insects to fruits and vegetables, lizards eat various foods depending on their species. Find out what you can feed your pet lizard or what a lizard eats in the wild.
Lizards belong to the reptile family, a species that emerged some million years ago. This means they crawl, with their belly touching on the ground.
Due to the fact that they can adapt to the environmental conditions they live in, you can find them almost everywhere!!!
Lizards have different sizes and color and depending on their species they also have different eating habits. Though most of them are carnivores, others are insectivores, omnivores, or herbivores.
Depending on their prey, lizards -like most reptiles- have developed a number of techniques in order to capture their victim.
Sometimes they hide or stand still until their prey passes close so hey can grab it or camouflage like the chameleon which uses its long gluey tongue to catch its food.
The cool thing about lizards is that you can watch them hunt their pray. You can do it either when you keep them as pets inside a terrarium (it is the equivalent to an aquarium) or while sitting at your back yard or porch.
Their diet usually depends on their age, size, and environment.
What can you feed a pet lizard?
As far as your lizard’s diet is concerned, there isn’t a single rule you can follow.
It all depends on the kind of lizard you have (insectivorous, omnivorous or herbivorous) so the best thing to do is ask the employee at the pet store or your veterinarian.
If your lizard is insectivorous, you ‘ll need to buy live prey. That is because your pet reacts to the prey’s movement due its instincts, so it will not consume dead insects.
If your lizard is herbivorous some of the food options include:
- Berries
- Melon
- Grapes
- Bananas
- Apples
- Pears
- Carrots
- Dark leafy greens
- Figs
- Tomatoes
- Dandelions
- Squash
- Green peas
- Alfalfa
Feeding baby lizards
If you have a baby lizard as a pet, you need to provide it with the essential nutrients to help it grow. Although this depends on the species of your lizard, it usually includes small live insects, along with some fresh fruits and vegetables.
As far the frequency of feeding is concerned, you need to provide food more regularly than an adult lizard. You can start by giving it small portions of food. If your lizard stops eating, this means it’s full.
A thing you need to consider as far as live prey is concerned, is that the prey must be small enough to fit your baby lizard’s mouth in order not to get chocked.
Because baby lizards can’t hunt their pray like adult ones, a good idea is to put its food on a tray.
You can also find various packaged baby lizard food in the market, but you need to ask your veterinarian first if it's suitable.
Feeding mistakes
Some of the most common feeding mistakes is NOT providing a variation of food. This means you need to change the type of food you’re giving your lizard, of course depending on whether it is insectivore, omnivore or herbivorous.
For example, if your lizard is insectivorous, you can give it crickets one day, worms the next day, some roaches the day after that, etc.
You will also need to provide your lizard with some fresh fruits and vegetables to enrich its diet.
It would be perfect if you could buy some vitamins (especially vitamin D) along with calcium powder to keep your lizard healthy and its bones strong.
Another thing you should know is that you must NEVER feed your lizard with chocolate or bread.
There are also some foods that are bad for your lizard’s health, depending on its species. These foods include:
- Avocado
- Chocolate and cocoa powder
- Fireflies
- Iceberg lettuce
- Onion
- Acorns
- Garlic
- Eggplant
- Juniper
- Celery
- Ticks
- Caterpillars
- Butterflies
What do garden lizards eat?
Garden lizards include many species of lizards.
Due to their environment, they usually eat insects, fruits and vegetables. Their feeding frequency depends on their size and they actually contribute to maintaining the balance of the garden’s ecosystem.
What do lizards eat in the wild?
Most lizards living in the wild usually eat some of the food mentioned below:
Insects:
- Ants
- Crickets
- Flies
- Grasshoppers
- Moths
- Termites
- Beetles
Invertebrates
- Snails
- Worms
- Slugs
Animals
- Mollusks
- Frogs
- Fish
- Crabs
- Mice
- Rats
- Birds/eggs
- Snakes
Plants
- Fruits
- Flowers
- Vegetables
- Leaves
Can lizards eat fruit?
As mentioned before, provided your veterinarian says it’s ok, you can give your lizard some fruit from time to time.
It is also a good way to reward it or change its feeding routine, so it doesn’t get bored. Some of the best choices are:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Grapes
- Papayas
- Honeydew melon
- Cantaloupe
- Kiwi
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Figs
- Peaches
- Melon
Do lizards eat vegetables?
Veggies are an excellent source of vitamins. Some of the most delicious vegetables you can give your lizard are:
- Tomatoes
- Kale
- Dandelion greens
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- Squash
- Endive
- Parsley
- Bell peppers
- Swiss chard
- Collard greens
- Yams
- Spinach
- Romaine lettuce
What human food can lizards eat?
Lizards can eat human foods like fruits and vegetables as mentioned in the previous paragraphs. However, this doesn’t mean that you can feed your pet lizard with your leftovers or anything it comes to mind.
For example, as mentioned before, chocolate is a food you must NEVER give to lizard, as it contains a substance which is toxic for many reptiles.
Bread isn’t a good idea either because lizards can’t digest sugars or grains. Besides, it is not nutritious for them.
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