Many people have the wrong assumption that the iguanas should be fed with lettuce only.
They are very well wrong in that notion.
There are many issues to be considered and a good owner of an iguana should learn about this completely.
Here is a simple guide to help in getting the right food for your iguana: 1) Vegetables - many guides are still in existence which state that iguanas should also be given insects and they can also eat dog and cat food.
But the fact is, the iguana?s body is suited for plant protein consumption.
This means that iguanas are better as vegetarians.
Vegetables such as mustard greens or collards which have high nutritional content should be included in the iguana?s diet.
Most of the salad lettuce types contain very less nutritional value; therefore a regular feed of lettuce to your iguana should be avoided.
Why the iguana is best suited as vegetarians? Well, processing animal proteins is tough job for the iguanas as it requires much job to be done by the kidneys.
So there is an increased chance of developing some kidney problem.
It is also difficult to absorb animal protein.
Often the unabsorbed animal protein gets stored in its body in the form of uric acid which may lead to diseases such as gout.
So know we know why the iguana?s diet should mainly consist of veggies.
2) Water - only a trivial amount of water is consumed by iguanas.
So the iguanas will at least stay partially dehydrated if enough humidity is not present in the surrounding of the enclosure.
This is vital for the health of your iguana.
A good owner should get the iguana drinking as much as water possible.
Since the iguanas do not do this naturally, steps have to be taken by you to accomplish this job.
One of the methods is to get the iguana?s food sprayed with water, so that the moisture required by it is got by the iguana during its feed itself.
Another method would be is to try training the iguana to drink the maximum amount of water possible.
This can be achieved by keeping a treat at the bottom of its water dish.
Regular practice can get your iguana to have some water by itself.
3) Heat levels - iguanas are actually cold blooded.
Iguanas depend on the surrounding heat for their bodily activities.
However good the diet may be the iguanas will not be able to digest the food without proper temperature.
After the meal, a minimum surrounding temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit is required by an iguana.
This will help them in proper digestion.
4) Phosphorous and calcium - when choosing the iguana?s diet a good owner should always remember that iguanas need phosphorous and calcium in 1:2 ratio.
This means that food with the right amount of nutrients should be chosen.
5) Luminosity - another important consideration in the field of iguana food is the necessity of proper lighting.
Iguanas require UVB and UVA rays to generate vitamin D3.
This helps in the proper calcium adsorption in its body.
There are many artificial light sources to provide these types of rays, but still the best remains as sun rays.
So for best adsorption of nutrients from the iguana?s food, you should make sure that it gets direct sunlight as much as possible.