What Do Lizards Eat
Asking “what do lizards eat?” is kind of like asking “what do cats eat?” The answer, of course, will depend on the type of cat. The diet of a house cat is certainly going to be different than that of a tiger. To properly answer the question “what do lizards eat?” you must know what type of lizard you are talking about.
Some lizards eat only plants. Others eat insects and others eat small animals, such as birds. It is extremely important that you have a good understanding of what a lizard that you are considering bringing home eats.
A gecko, for example, should have a diet of crickets. You will need to keep the crickets for a short time and feed them as well. This is a bit more than some people can handle, but it is what is required if you have a gecko for a pet.
If the idea of keeping insects, such as crickets, and then feeding them live to your lizard sounds less than appealing, then you should probably find a lizard that eats only plants.
There is food in pellet form that is available and can provide most of the nutrition that even a meat eating lizard needs, but there is a problem with the pellets. While it is true that such food will meet the nutritional needs of the lizard, some lizards will simply refuse such food.
Instead, they want their food to be alive and moving. Do not count on pellet food being acceptable to your carnivore lizard. While some will eat it, others will not and then you will have to supply the live food as discussed above.
If the type of lizard that you choose is a carnivore, you cannot force it to become an herbivore. A lizard that eats meat in nature needs to eat meat when being kept as a pet. The nutritional needs of a carnivore are different than those of an herbivore.
Some who have a carnivore lizard choose to catch crickets and bugs instead of buying them from a pet store. While this will result in a small cost savings, there is something to keep in mind. You must know for a fact that the bugs you catch are 100% free of pesticides. If you feed bugs that have traces of chemicals on them, it can easily kill your lizard. If you are not sure, then it is best to just buy the crickets or grasshoppers.
Lizards can make wonderful and interesting pets, but it is very important to ask what do lizards eat BEFORE you bring it home. To learn about the specific type of lizard that you are thinking of keeping as a pet, you can talk to the people at your local pet store, or start searching some of the online forums for people who keep pet lizards.
You can also find books on the subject at your local library or book store. The more you know about what your particular type of lizard eats, the better prepared you will be to provide a diet that will keep him both healthy and happy.