Hey All!

I know that the following "?" is probably the most commonly asked "?" when it comes to reptiles and amphibians that there is...

"What should I be feeding my...?"

My experience has shown me a few things… Chucks can be very stubborn eaters. There is very little commercial info/books/internet sources, available on chucks. The “Iguana diet”, as used by many “experts” may be a good starting point, but may also be too rich to use for a specific species as specialized as a Chuckwalla… “Iguana diet” does not refer to the pellet food, but the common caresheet that has been around for many years.

There are many foods that are really good and really bad and even poisonous to our scaly friends! There are so many things available commercially, and even growing in our own backyards, that knowing you are supplying a balanced diet can at times feel overwhelming.

I thought it might go a long way to start a thread on what we feed our Chucks, and D Iguanas. What they seem to favor, and what seems to attract them to the food bowl! Is it better to offer food that they would eat in their native ranges, or will nice veggies purchased at the local grocery store suffice for long term captives. Is it better to offer foods seasonally or offer mixed platters of foodstuffs 365 days a year? What factors are considered when we decide on the percentages of greens/fruit/grass etc... Is it wise to mix commercial pellet food with the fresh chopped offerings? What foods have you found that a chuck will eat that just seemed completely out of the ordinary? Are there specific foods that should be fed both prior to and after hibernation? How do you "wean" a wild caught chuck off of the foods that they are used to eating in the wild if those foods are unavailable to you?

I'm hoping that some of you guys will post lists that will benefit everyone. If not a list, maybe a few items that everyone can use to measure what they are doing and feel confident that they are raising a happy chuck or D Iguana! Spring time is right around the corner, and there will be a lot of hungry mouths to feed soon!


Thanks everyone,
-Kory

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