Though they are somewhat unconventional, lizards can make for very pleasant and very loving pets. Despite their scaly exteriors, lizards have hearts of gold, and incredibly friendly temperaments that make them very rewarding to care for.
The only thing is, if you are planning on taking care of a lizard you will need to make sure that you cater to all of their unique needs.
Lizards have specific needs such as specific habitats that need to be met for the betterment, not only of their survival, but also their mental health!
One of the most important things to consider, when it comes to your pet lizard, is the diet that you feed to it. Found yourself wondering what you should actually feed to a lizard?
Make sure to keep reading below, because we are going to show you some of the very best foods to give to a lizard, to keep them both healthy and happy!
What Kind Of Diet Does A Lizard Live On?
This can be a slightly difficult question to answer definitively, because the unique diet of a lizard can vary massively from lizard to lizard. However, we can say with confidence that most pet lizards are insectivores, so they feed on small insects.
Most lizards, in general, live on omnivorous diets, so they can easily subsist on meat plant life, but if you have a pet lizard of your own, it most likely subsists on an insectivore diet.
Make sure to carefully consider the type of lizard that you have, and research its unique dietary needs!
What Should You Feed To A Pet Lizard?
What you should ultimately feed to a pet lizard can depend on what kind of lizard you have, and the kind of diet it is on. Let’s take a look at what each diet should consist of.
Bearded Dragons
Bearded dragons are some of the most popular lizards that people adopt as pets, and they tend to subsist on an omnivorous diet that can consist of insects and vegetables.
You will want to feed your pet bearded dragon a good balance of insects and vegetables for the sake of their health. Some of the best insects to feed to a bearded dragon include: mealworms, butterworms, and waxworms.
You should try to feed them to your lizard while they are still alive, as the movements of the insects will stimulate the lizard’s hunting instincts!
You will also want to feed them as much fresh produce as possible. Bearded dragons need lots of nutrition, and thus fresh is best. Frozen produce will lack many of the nutrients that the lizard will need!
When bearded dragons are very young, they will need to have more insects than vegetables.
Leopard Geckos
Another popular pet lizard variety is the leopard gecko, which subsists on a carnivorous diet. As a result, you will want to make sure to grab plenty of fresh insects for them to feed on.
Leopard geckos do not eat vegetables, so make sure not to provide any to them.
Leopard geckos can eat all kinds of worms, as well as crickets, which you can easily grab at a local pet store. Luckily, you will not need to grab too many live insects, as some adult leopard geckos do not need to eat every day.
When they are younger, however, you will want to make sure to feed them every day.
Be careful that you do not provide leopard geckos with too much food, as they are known to overeat when given the opportunity.
Chameleons
Of course, chameleons are another highly popular variety of pet lizard, and they tend to thrive on carnivorous diets almost exclusively. However, some geckos have been known to eat vegetables such as mustard and collard greens.
When it comes to insects, chameleons will happily feed on fruit flies, as well as various worms like mealworms, and phoenix worms.
Some chameleons only need to eat every few days, while others may need to eat every single day. This can depend on their weight, so make sure to carefully consider how much you are feeding to your chameleon.
When feeding chameleons, make sure to feed them one insect at a time, and keep feeding until it is full and no longer shows interest in food.
Chameleons often only go for food if they are enticed by it, which will result in them using their long tongues to catch the insect.
Make sure to also provide chameleons with water that drips off of plants in the enclosure. The reason for this is that chameleons will actually refuse to drink standing water!
What Should You Not Feed To Any Lizard?
There are a few foods you will generally want to avoid feeding to lizards and other reptiles.
For carnivorous lizards, you will want to make sure to avoid live animals, such as rodents, as well as frozen meat, as frozen food naturally has fewer nutrients.
When it comes to herbivorous reptiles, you will want to avoid things like iceberg lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli, and romaine lettuce, because these can keep the lizard from properly absorbing nutrients.
You should avoid insects like spiders, ticks, millipedes, scorpions, and fireflies.
Some of these contain very few nutrients, and in the case of fireflies, you will want to avoid them because they contain toxins known as ‘Lucibufagin’, which is what allows them to glow!
To Wrap Up
There you have it! Different lizards have different dietary requirements, and thus you will want to make sure that you carefully cater to that.
Make sure to look into the specific lizard you have, and consider the kind of diet that it needs to follow in order to survive.
Luckily, most necessary food, for all kinds of pet lizards, can easily be purchased at pet stores, or even grocery stores, so all you need to do is find out what works best for your lizard!
This is what inspired me to start The-Lizard-Lounge.com. I wanted to create a space that offers information about the care of various reptiles and lizards, to help those passionate about these animals learn how to care for them.
Join me, and learn all about these fascinating and fantastic creatures!
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