What you feed your iguana is very important. With the correct diet, your pet will thrive and have optimum health. Iguana food is neither expensive or difficult to prepare, however there are some other factors that need to be taken into account when feeding your pet.

Firstly, iguanas do not need any animal protein to be healthy. You do not need to feed them insects or meat scraps to help it grow bigger. Your pet will be healthier on a diet of nutritious fruits, vegetables and leaves. In fact a diet high in animal protein can harm your pet and cause a range of chronic health problems. This is because they are designed to digest vegetable matter and although they may eat whatever you give them, it does not mean it is good for them.

Water is also vitally important to your pet iguanas health. You will rarely see your pet having a drink of water. They obtain much of their water needs via the humidity in their environment and their diet. An easy way to help your pet get the water they need each day is to simply wet the food you give them. Spraying their vegetables with water as they eat them will stop them from becoming dehydrated.

It is important to remember that as cold-blooded creatures the metabolism of your pet is determined by the temperature of the environment they are in. After feeding, providing them with a spot to bask at around 85 degrees Fahrenheit will help them digest their food and obtain all the vitamins and minerals they need from it.

Vitamin D3 is not provided by your pets diet but is made in their bodies after exposure to UV light. The sun can provide all the UV light your pet needs but for those kept indoors for a lot of the time, another source is required. A UV bulb should be provided to complement any time spent outdoors.