Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im not a scientist or anything but i never quite understood why the recommended diet for igs collard greens and other dark greens when in the wild i honestly don't think there are collards growing out of the ground in central/south america and if there was would the igs go to the floor to eat it?anyway my point is who came up with the diets we use because they dont seem natural!!
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My herps:0.0.1 savannah monitor 1.3leopard geckos,1.0.1 green iguanas, 0.0.3 chinese water dragons, 0.0.1 egyptian toad,and 0.0.1 firebelly toad

well, if you're good enough at gardening, i suppose you could try to cultivate all those south/central american plants in your yard... lol! no seriously though, the reasoning is that we simply cannot provide all the exact same plants that are found in their native terratories, so we use what's available that's as close (nutritionally)(sp?) as possible, just like what's done with fish foods. hope that helps!
-katie

Collards Greens are called "Couve" in Brazil.Its a different kind of "Couve" but it still is "Couve" and can be found in Brazil. The Brazilian iguanas sites recommend it to the Brazilian iguana lovers.

All reptile diets are adapted to what we can provide for them... look at what some turtles have to eat some people feed them pelets and floating sticks.. fish have to eat dried flakes..
i think iggs have it pretty good.. at least they dont have to eat pellets and floating sticks. Not everyone can grow the types of vegitation that grows in south america. so people have found greens that meet the dietary needs... i dont think my igg minds eating the greens i give him..

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It's based on the nutrional values of the plants - high calcium, low phosphorous, low oxalates and goitrogens... from a nutritional standpoint, it doesn't matter WHAT you feed them so long as they get all the nutrients from their food that they need. That's why some diets recommend supplementing vitamins and calcium and some don't: some diets lack the proper nutrition and some have more than enough. You really have to do your research on the nutritional values of different foods in order to get it right, and then you can almost come up with your own diet specifically created for your ig based on what you know about them.

There's a great page on greenigsociety.com that describes the nutritional values of different foods if you're interested in knowing the "whys" of it all. It explains the properties and uses of calcium, phosphorous, oxalates and goitrogens and why it's important to control the levels in the foods they eat.

There's a wholistic science evolving for cats, dogs, and birds as well that's very similar. It utilizes what we know about what their bodies need in order to provide them with healthier diets and extend their lifespans. It's a trend that's really taking petcare by storm - for the better, I might add. It's really no different for iguanas, except that we know less about them than we do about cats, dogs and birds and getting a great diet down to an exact science is less than perfect. MK's research has really helped it take off, and if you haven't been there and read her nutrition guide and the "whys" of that, you should check it out - although I do disagree with her on a few points, but then, I'm not an expert - anapsid.org.

Alika

But it is really a difficult one to answer!

I think what you are really asking is, What plants do iguanas ACTUALLY eat in the wild?

Even from talking to park rangers in the Virgin Islands, where there are many wild iguanas, the best they can tell me is that the iguanas seem to love hibiscus.

I am working on finding an answer to this question. I would love to feed my iguana plants that he has evolved to eat, even though I think it is true that the MK or baskingspot diets give the right nutrition.

If I find more answers, I will post... will you do the same? I just think not a lot is known about wild iguanas, and that is why it is hard to get a definate answer.