Reptile & Amphibian Forums

plant protien and animal protien. why is it okay to give cyclura things like green beans and snap peas but not give them animal protein. just wondering. also, jane i saw the pic on the iguana forum of the lewisi. all i can say is WOW! they almost look fake that blue is so intense. are you going to breed those two? i've seen photos of wild pure lewisi and they werent that colorful.

Thanks for the nice comments. I would love my two hybrids to breed just so that I can give my friends that love them a baby, but, MiMi has had problems with egging the last 2 years in a row and her good health and longevity is more important than babies to me.

As for the protein issue, I'm no nutritionist but it has to do with the way the different proteins break down. Animal proteins, which herbivorous lizards are not physiologically designed to digest, break down into different purine and amino acids ratios. Those which are not utilized by the body are broken down into uric acids which are not easily eliminated and crystalize in the organ tissue. This is why we see liver and kidney failure in fairly young iguanas that have been fed larger amounts of animal protein.

Wow thats really interesting (even though i have no idea what you just said) no just kidding. anyways thanks for anwering my question. now i've got another one for ya. about how much plant protein should make up a cycluras diet? how often should i be giving things like green beans and snap peas? thanks again.

You can feed green beans and snap peas on a daily basis but they shouldn't make up the majority of the diet. Here's how I feed my crew...

Three quarters of their daily meal is a greens mixture: 50% Collard greens and 50% other mixed greens such as Mustard, Dandelion, Turnip, and Chicory (Endive)
One quarter is raw shredded veggies: butternut and acorn squash, parsnip, sweet potato, a little carrot, green beans, and whatever veggie I might have in the fridge (peppers, zuchinni, summer squash, radish, etc.)
Twice a week I use a product from Cricketfood.com called salad topper. It has about 30 or so nutrients in it, all from natural sources, including probiotics. I also have RepCal pellets available for them to munch on but I doubt that these represent more than 5% of the diet.
I use fruits and wheat bread as treats. They also get some cooked pasta or rice occasionally.

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