What do lizards eat? What are their food preferences, and how can you adequately feed them at home? There are a ton of lizard species from all over the world, and generalizing their diet would be incorrect. Different species need different diets, and some are mainly either carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores. This can make it very tricky to determine the proper diet for your pet.
The lizards that are mainly kept as pets today are chameleons, leopard geckos, and bearded dragons, which have different dietary needs. What do lizards eat? Lizards that live in the wild eat differently from those in captivity, and some lizards cannot be kept as pets as their diets are too complex, or they just don’t make very friendly reptile friends.
It is possible to try and match the nutrients your lizard would receive in the wild with foods and supplements that are offered at pet shops. It’s best to learn beforehand the dietary needs of a Lizards before adopting or purchasing as it’s a lot different from that of a cat or dog.
With that being said, lizards can make great companions and are very interesting and unique pets. It’s, of course, important that they’re kept healthy, and because of their uniqueness, there should be some study done on how to properly care for them as their symptoms and lifestyle aren’t as well known as common pet is.
What Do Large Lizards Eat
Depending on their size, a lizard’s diet and the amount of food they need will change. Larger lizards need much more nutrients to sustain their bodies and health. Some lizards are capable of eating up to 80% of their body weight in one sitting, which means they need large prey and to be in an environment where they’re able to get all the food that they need.
Lizards such as the komodo dragon and monitor lizards are capable of taking out prey as large as cattle, water buffalo, and deer. Although very uncommon, these lizards have also been known to hunt humans and digest them as a normal food items. However, you should not need to worry as these lizards only live in certain parts of the world, and humans aren’t at the top of their food list. Nevertheless, if by chance you do ever come across one, it’s best to keep your distance and evacuate yourself out of their hunting grounds as there’s a possible chance you might be their next meal.
Other types of big lizards choose a diet consisting of insects, rodents, scorpions, smaller lizards, and wounded birds. The largest lizard that is commonly kept as a pet is the green iguana, and their diet often only consists of vegetation and are calm, intelligent creatures. It’s not uncommon for people to keep monitoring lizards as pets, but they’re best left in the wild as they can be fierce and difficult to tame.
What Do Lizards Eat? (Small Lizards)
What do small lizards eat? – Small lizards are common reptilian pets and are very interesting ones at that. They’re fascinating to watch and handle and are more of a unique-looking pet.
To feed your small lizard, you’ll be looking more at the insect section in the pet store as they feast on pretty much all kinds of creepy crawlies. These bugs consist of mealworms, flies, crickets, and grasshoppers. It’s important to note that you shouldn’t feed them anything bigger than their head and avoid leaving any uneaten insects in their enclosure overnight. Make sure to leave fireflies off the menu, as they can be toxic when ingested and often lead to fatality. Supplements are a good way to ensure that their pet lizard, whether big or small, is getting all the nutrients that they need. These are usually found in powder form and are sprinkled over their food.
What Do Lizards Eat in the Wild
As a pet owner, it’s only natural that you want to give them the best and make sure that they’re healthy. This is why it’s important to learn what they need to thrive, and of course, diet is a very big factor in this.
Lizards are wild in their nature, even though they have been tamed to be suitable pets. In the wild, they eat several grubs to upkeep their energy and nutrient intake, and these foods aren’t always easy to find or sustain. In nature, there is an abundance of different foods that lizards have to choose from, such as;
- Spiders
- Worms
- Flies
- Beetles
- Baby/ wounded birds
- Baby rodents
- Smaller lizards
- Eggs
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Larger prey for large lizards like deer, rodents, and small animals
Alternatives For What Do Lizards Eat in the Wild
We cannot supply our lizards with everything that they’re able to find in the wild, but thankfully there are ways in which we can still nourish them just the same. Most pet stores stock options we can choose from to give our pets what they need.
Although not the same, there are similar insects we can feed without worrying about catching them ourselves, as this won’t be substantial. Pet stores offer alternative foods to that of the wild in which lizards feed, such as;
- Live worms and crickets
- Calcium dust supplements
- Vitamin-rich reptile pellets
- Freeze-dried insects
- Treats such as freed dried foods
- Fresh fruits
- Fresh vegetables
- Canned fruits and vegetables on top of maim meal
- Baby mice (pinkies)
- Nutrients supplements
How Often to Feed You Lizard
Just like a lizard’s diet, its feeding times are also different from conventional pets such as cats and dogs, who tend to eat in the morning and night.
However, it depends on your type of lizard as smaller and larger lizards don’t usually have the same feeding schedules. Therefore, it’s important to understand your specific lizards’ meal times and diets, as they are all unique. In a generalized sense, smaller lizards tend to eat daily and larger ones every second day or so often.
It will also depend on the food that I’d given. Small geckos such as anoles eat around 2 to 5 crickets or 2 mealworms at a time, about once a day. Larger lizards can eat up to 20 crickets or 10 medium-sized cockroaches at a time every second or third day.
Lizard Lunchables – What do Lizards Eat?
Lizards eat a variety, and each species is different. They generally feed on insects, smaller creatures, fruits, and vegetables.
