Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I want to get a lizard that can be maintained on some sort of pellets, or dog/cat food. Will also feed mice or insects if necessary but only like once or twice a week. Can anyone suggest a lizard?

U can feed some lizards pelleted food, but not as main food item. If u r uncomfortable feeding insects/mice, than i suggest u get another pet, like a dog. Lizards cannot be fed an all pellet/prepared food diet. Its a no no. U may feed it as variety to the lizards diet, but NEVER EVER feed them exclusively on those foods. Besides, dog food & cat food is fatty and should be just a treat about once a month, or u may end up with a bloated lizard, wich may affect its lifespan (shorten its life). Herbivorous lizards are better if u want to feed a no insect diet, but they cant have dog food (or any source of protein 4 that matter. I read that iguanas live longer without ANY protein, but be sure to give vit/cal supplements, or it may die/suffer. About the no protein, im not sure with other lizards like uros). Pellets & prepared foods should only be used for variety.

I do NOT recommend an iguana for anyone. They are very difficult to maintain and very expensive to set up. Not to mention they get 6 feet long and around 15 pounds for a large male. Males have seasonal agression that is NOT a nice thing and females get egg-bound. Lets not forget MBD when not cared for properly.
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Heather, Vern, Andy, Router, April And OODLES of fish

You could feed a bluey Low fat cat food and different greens. Throw in some insects and mice every now and then and their fine.

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1.1.1 Blue tongue skinks- Sausage the IJ, Don the Indo, and Sebastian the Tanimbar
1.0.1 Green Tree Python- Floyd and Verdi
0.1 Western Hognose- Piggy
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher snake- Toro
0.0.1 Ornate Uro- Spike
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise- Tank
0.1 Albino Leo Gecko- Sasha

Hello,

I would not want to discourage you from owning a lizard but a pelleted food as the other posters have mentioned should not be a staple part of the diet. Even at the zoo I work at we don't feed pelleted foods exclusively and we have lots of animals to deal with. Most people who really know their stuff when it comes to omnivorous lizard diets will tell you variety is the spice of life. A pre-prepared product can be a part of the diet but should seldom comprise more than fifty percent of the overall diet. It sounds like you're interested in an omnivorous lizard which would include species like Blue Tongue Skinks, Plated Lizards, or Bearded Dragons, to name a few of the most hardy species. In order for a lizard such as the aforementioned species to really thrive in captivity you need to be prepared to provide a truly varied diet. That varied diet should include [in the case of omnivores], a nutritional pre-prepared food, live food [several types eg. mealworms, waxworms, crickets, roaches, etc.], and fresh fruits and vegetables. Canned cat food should be avoided in pretty much all cases as even the "light" varieties are high in fat. Your best bet with a canned food would be a high quality adult dog food such as Iams or Science Diet - they are lower in fat than cat food. Hope this helps.
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Matt Campbell
Animal Keeper, Small Mammal/Reptile House
Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, Illinois

Assistant Curator
Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, Illinois