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Food for a Lizard

Lizards dominate the landscape on nearly every continent that contains a tropical and warm region. From extremely small species that only span a few inches, up to much larger types that grow to well over a foot long, there's no shortage of variety; the same can be said for lizards' diets as well. If you're curious about what lizards eat, or if you have one as a pet, they generally fall under a few different categories.

Insectivores
- The majority of lizards -- especially those people own as pets -- will be insectivores. This means that a good night's meal for the lizard will be insects as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Crickets tend to be the main source of food for lizard pet-owners because they are one of the easiest insects to handle. In the wild, insectivores will eat anything they can get their mouths on, whether a cricket, beetle, fly and even arachnids like spiders. If you're a pet-owner and would like to opt for something easier than the live-cricket option, most pet stores -- at least those that specialize in reptiles -- sell cricket bites, which consist of dead crickets packed in water in an eatable form. Most insectivorous lizards will eat twice a day.
Herbivores
- Although relatively few in number, some lizards are solely plant eaters. The majority of herbivorous lizards are green iguanas, though bearded dragons also only eat plants. In the wild, these lizards will chew on nearly any type of plant matter, although vegetables and fruits provide more nutrition. For pet-owners, herbivorous lizards are much easier to deal with, as they don't require the owner to handle foods that they themselves wouldn't normally eat. The general rule of thumb is to offer the lizard a large-sized pile of vegetables. Lizards tend to eat a lot more greens, as vegetables often pack less nutrients,
Carnivores
- Carnivorous lizards are also relatively few in number and usually consist of much larger species of lizards. Monitors and different species of dragons are the most common types of carnivorous lizards in the wild. One of the most common pets is the savanna monitor. Lizards such as this can grow up to 8 feet long. Like snakes, carnivorous lizards are often fed small mammals such as mice, although in the case of carnivorous lizards, most also eat insects as well.
Dangers of Feeding
- As lizards consist of more than 2,500 species, it's always important to first check with an expert regarding not only what to feed, but how often to feed. Start with the local pet store, specifically one that specialized in reptiles.

Animals & Science