Iguana Diet

This is were i will list and put some or alot of Information on your iguanas diet and i will also list the latin names for plants of an wild iguanas diet(witch i found on the net). And i will also add the captive bread iguanas diet, but not the latin names. This is very important to your iguanas heath SO READ THIS FOR YOUR IGUANAS SACK!! Please and thank you.

Feeding Green Iguanas

If you own a green iguana, no doubt you've seen lots of information about what to feed your pet. Unfortunately, much of the information that is on the market is misleading. Green iguanas have fairly specific nutritional needs, and winging it can put your dear pet in danger of illness. In fact, many problems that veterinarians see in exotic pets are caused by poor at-home care, including poor nutrition.

If you do not already have one, find your pet a veterinarian who treats iguanas. Not all veterinarians do, so it may take some work on your part. But it's well worth it.

Iguanas in the wild are strict herbivores. They tend to eat many small meals throughout the day, and their natural eating habits lean toward a diet of fiber and plant protein, with very little fat.

When choosing food for your iguana, it's important to select different kinds of plant-based food in the right proportions: 90 percent should be vegetables and 10 percent fruits. While iguanas do enjoy the sweeter fruit choices, fruit doesn't have the same mineral and vitamin content as vegetables. To avoid getting your pet hooked on just a few foods, be sure to feed a wide selection of appropriate foods in the right proportions. In these cases, fresh foods are best, with frozen coming in second and canned coming in last.

Here is a list of some appropriate vegetables to feed your iguana. It's best to serve them raw; just be sure to wash them well.

Dandelion greens (unsprayed, if from your yard)

Collard and mustard greens

Turnip tops and greens

Green beans and peas

Timothy hay

Swiss chard

Clover

Kale

Shredded squash

Shredded carrots

The following flowers are also OK for your pet. Be sure they have not been treated with chemicals or fertilizers.

Dandelion flowers

Carnations

Hibiscus

Roses

(Avoid azaleas because they are toxic!)

Appropriate fruit selections include:

Apples

Bananas

Grapes

Peaches

Pears

Melons

I will soon add toxic plants.

Diet In The Wild

Many people once they have got to know Iguanas, get curious as to what their native diet consumed in the wild consists of, it is well known that it consists of "tree leaves and blossom along with fruits" but its not widely known which species.
There have been a couple of good documents on this topic but up until now they haven't been available on the net.
Now thanks to Julie Elliotts detective work in tracking down and examining these two documents we can produce the following tables of wild diet.

The two documents in question being.....

1, Optimal foraging of a herbivorous lizard, Green Iguana in a seasonal environment.....
by Wouter D. van Marken Lichtenbelt, Oecologia (1993) 95:246-256

2, The Diet of a generalized folivore: Iguana iguana in Panama.....
by AS Rand, BA Dugan, H Monteza and D Vianda. Journal of Herpetology 24(2):211-214, 1990

The following information that also details parts eaten is taken from the first document 1,

Acacia tortuosa:
Tree Parts eaten are the mature and young leaves, flowers and fruit.

Bourreria succulenta:
Tree Parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit

Bursera bonairensis:
Tree Parts eaten are mature and young leaves

Caesalpinia coriaria:
Tree Parts eaten are mature and young leaves, flowers and fruit

Capparis flexuosa:
Tree Parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit

Coccoloba swartzii:
Tree Parts eaten are (indefinate)

Condalia henriquezii:
Tree Parts eaten are mature and young leaves

Cordia alba:
Tree Parts eaten are mature and young leaves, flowers and fruit

Guapira spec.:
Tree Parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit

Haematotoxilon brasiletto:
Tree Parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit

Machaonia otonis:
Tree Parts eaten are mature and young leaves and fruit

Malpighia emarginata:
Tree Parts eaten are mature and young leaves, flowers and fruit

Metopium brownei:
Tree Parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit

Randia aculeata:
Tree Parts eaten are mature and young leaves, flowers and fruits

Trichilia trifolia:
Tree Parts eaten are mature and young leaves

Antirhea acutata:
Shrub Parts eaten fruit

Capparis odoratissima:
Shrub Parts that are eaten are young leaves, flowers

Commicarpus scandens:
Shrub Parts eaten mature and young leaves

Cordia currassavica:
Shrub Parts eaten are young leaves

Erythalis fructicosa:
Shrub Parts eaten are flower and fruit

Serjania curassavica:
Climber Parts eaten are young leaves

Cephalocereus lanuginosus:
Cactus Parts eaten are flower

Cereus repandus:
Cactus Parts eaten are flower

Lemairocereus griseus:
Cactus Parts eaten are flower

The following information is taken from the second document 2,

Spondias mombin:
Tree parts eaten are leaves

Annona acuminata:
Shrub parts eaten are fruit

Tecoma stans:
Tree parts eaten are leaves & fruit

Amphilophium paniculatum:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Ceratophytum tetragonolobum:
Vine parts eaten are fruit

Bursera simaruba:
Tree parts eaten are leaves

Capparis frondosa:
Bush parts eaten are leaves

Merremia umbellata:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Stictocardia tiIiifolia:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Merremia quinquefolia:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Operculina pteripes:
Vine parts eaten are fruits

Citrullus sp:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Cucumis sp:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Momordica charantia:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Cyperus sp:
Herb parts eaten are leaves

Chamaesyce densiflora:
Herb parts eaten are leaves

Centrosema plumieri:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Pithecellobium oblongum:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Cecropia peltata:
Tree parts eaten are leaves

Pisonia aculeata:
Bush parts eaten are leaves

Gouania lupuloides:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Coutarea hexandra:
Tree parts eaten are leaves

Pouteria sp:
Tree parts eaten are leaves

Cardiospermum grandiflorum:
Vine parts eaten are leaves

Laportea aestuans:
Herb parts eaten are leaves

Cissus sicyoides:
Vine parts eaten are

Genipa americana:
Tree parts eaten are leaves & fruit

Sapium biglandolsum:
tree parts eaten are new leaves

Ficus sp:
Tree parts eaten are leaves

Ipomea sp:
Climber parts eaten are leaves