What Types of Fruits & Vegetables Do Iguanas Eat?

From hatchling to adult, iguanas are a special kind of herbivore called a folivore -- a leaf-eating animal. During the warm months, the iguana feeds regularly, but as the weather cools, the iguana's drive to eat slows down. Since iguanas are cold-blooded, or exothermic, creatures, they must conserve energy whenever they can't warm their bodies from the sun. Wild iguanas usually bask for several hours before eating to raise their temperature enough to digest the roughage they consume. Iguanas eat mostly leaves, flowers and fruit in the wild. In captivity, iguanas are fed a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

  1. In the Wild

    • The natural habitat of the iguana is the river banks and rain forests of Central and South America, as well as parts of the United States, such as the Florida Keys. Iguanas forage for food --- over 50 species of mostly flowers and leaves with less frequent fruit --- from the same area each day. Adults occasionally eat slugs, snails and insects inhabiting the mainstay flowers and leaves of their diet. Green iguanas usually stick to the ground for their food, but the rare blue iguana sometimes climbs trees to find a meal.

    Captive Iguanas

    • Zoo iguanas and iguanas kept as pets eat a widely varied diet compared to their wild cousins. According to the Green Iguana Society, iguanas should not eat foods high in oxalates or goitrogens. Oxalates bind dietary calcium and can cause stones, while goitrogens hamper the uptake of iodine, decreasing the proper function of the thyroid gland. Most zoos attempt to keep the iguana's diet as close to nature as possible. Pet iguanas are more often fed what their owners eat, the fruits and vegetables in season. Although some pet stores advise the use of dog food as iguana feed, the iguana's digestive system is not designed to process so much protein or vitamin D3, according to Dr. Margaret A. Wissman at the website Exotic Pet Vet.

    Fruit

    • Iguanas enjoy tropical fruits, such as papayas, mangoes and bananas, but they will eat almost any kind of fruit. Grapes and peaches are high in oxalates so should be offered sparingly. Cantaloupes, watermelon and honeydew are good sources for additional water content, although watermelon is not high in nutrition for iguanas. When feeding raspberries or blackberries to young iguanas, crush or chop them up. Adult iguanas can eat whole berries or larger chunks of cored, peeled fruit.

    Vegetables

    • Greens, green beans and squash are the best vegetables to feed often. Dandelion greens, mustard greens and parsley are excellent choices, while most lettuces --- especially iceberg --- are poor in nutrition. Butternut and acorn squash are also good dietary choices for iguanas. Some vegetables --- beets, broccoli and kale --- are nutritious but are too high in oxalates to feed to iguanas more than just occasionally. Vegetables high in goitrogens --- cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower --- should also be offered to an iguana only on occasion. Bell peppers, carrots and okra are best served finely chopped, according to the Green Iguana Society.