Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently picked up a couple DI's(supposed to be a pair but looks like a couple boys to me) from the local petshop.. supposidly they were cb and the owner knows me so he practically gave them away. I have noticed them eating some greens like kale, endive, mustard and collard greens but they dont have quite the appetite my DVL chuck does. That chuck will eat its weight in greens every day so Im having a hard time keep the food dish full!LOL So when the dish is almost always empty and I fill it with a heaping pile of greens before/after class each day its getting hard to notice if the little guys are actually getting a fill.. that chuck is just a pig.

I was told the DIs will eat crickets so i got a dozen of them a week ago and still see 1 or 2 scurrying around the cage so it appears they are getting hit pretty hard... only problem obviously is they cant LIVE off crickets alone. What other things can I try to toss in the cage that these DIs will enhale in front of me so I know for sure they are eating? I have witnessed them eat before but every time its just a couple bites and they seem to lose interest.

Hey man,

You have the green part of the diet down pretty good.
Have you tried flowers? I almost couldn't get my iggs to eat anything else. They love Dandelions; and also relish Desert Willow blossoms, Hibiscus flowers, Desert Mallow, Gazania, Gallardia, Portulaca, Penstemons (almost any color), Mexican Primrose, Almost any kind of daisy, and of course, Creosote.
I don't know if there is any scientific fact or study regarding this, but my DIs (all from the same area) preferred the lighter colored blossoms ie Yellow,orange, lavender and White to darker flowers, any day, any time. My DIs also had a strange affinity for mealworms......I also noticed that they still will eat only blossoms when free to eat anything they want. Iguana candy perhaps? I don't know. Anyway, good luck with your new pals, and I hope I was of some help.

-Phil

a chunk of banana, in with their greens, the iggy will go right for his chunk as soon as he see it , they just seem to love it.

The other things listed above are all wonderful foods!

TRY the BANANA as a treat
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Eve

Thanks that was a great list... I know dandelions and creasote are some favorites but I have NO idea where to find creasote and dandelions are getting very hard to find around here for some reason. As far as the others.. i know of a couple of those listed can be found in grocery stores so what about the rest? Thanks you are being a great help I am just not much of a flower guy so it all looks greek to me.

Hey man,

Yeah, I thought about my post and it possibly causing some confusion after I wrote it so my apologies. To tell you the truth, I only know these plants by their scientific names. The good thing is you can find these flowers at any Gardening Store, under the names I gave you. If you were to ask an associate, chances are they'd know. What is your area like? If you live in CA, NV or AZ you might be able to find quite a few plants locally. The other question is how much landscaping do you want to do for your iguanas? It could be pretty expensive to continually buy plants for them to eat, so I combatted this by planting their favorite plants in my backyard. This is probably why they are still living in my yard after their escape. =) Oh, one other thing. They like Roses. I hope this helps you.
BTW: Chuckwallas, and Uromastyx also like all the flowers I mentioned. Here are the common names I know: Portulaca is sometimes known as "Moss Rose", and Penstemon is sometimes known as "Desert Beard Tongue". Desert Mallow is also known as "Desert Globe Mallow". As you change an area, common names also sometimes change.....leading to all kinds of confusion. Anyway, good luck.

-Phil

my only thing is, how do you know it is safe to feed them the plants. am i better off going to a local nursery? some of the places i have gone around here have said that they know that they do to their plants but do not know what happens to them beforehand. they have said this about loose flowers and some of the ones still hooked to the plant
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vonnie
***Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet. Mae West ***

I find dandilion greens at ethnic food markets. I'm sure you'd find other types of good greens to try with your DI or chuck there too.

Common Ragweed is a favorite. Also try a common weed in the Euphorbia Family-- Prostrate Spurge ( see attached link). This crap grows in every crack ( Huhhhgg Huuuhgghh - he said crack) of every sidewalk in Texas ( & prolly every other state) and is relished by DI's & chuck's. I have a great plant growing called Palafoxia that produces purple flowers they both love too.

Later

David

PS--- the Euphorbia is considered a Toxic Plant with milky sap that is an irritant to us Peoples ( we ARE part of Nature you know!!!!) but pay it no attention when talking chucks & DI's!! Damn near half of what they eat kills horses & cows !!
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