Feeding Lizards

By Paym Bergson

If I can pass on one word of advice to ANY Lizard owner – it is this:

While it is real cute and fun to hand-feed lizards when you first get them, it is a real pain as they get older, especially if their numbers increase.

Case in point – we started with one tiny Beardie – unfed until we returned home (purposely by the pet store) – and told to hand feed to get her used to us. Twenty-nine crickets later (NEVER let your husband and son take on the feedings) we had one stuffed lizard (she didn’t eat for two days after that) and one lazy lizard who to this day does NOT chase crickets unless they are right in front of her. (And even then you have to hold and wiggle it for her). Unfortunately, most of our first group of Beardies are like this – a couple in their hey-day would chase, but not that far. And after only one hand-feeding.

Greens were introduced at the appropriate time – wiggling, fancy flights in the air, but nothing would appeal to these spoiled brats. Yet sitting on our shoulders one dinner time with broccoli on the plate – BANG – one huge jump onto the dinner plate, grabbed the broccoli, and ate as if they had never eaten before.

I have heard miracle stories of Beardies eating bananas, apples, anything their owner shares with them. Offered greens are gobbled up just as quickly as what I would have considered “treats”. (Note – be very careful on any acidic fruit or vegetable, their constitutions cannot handle well at all).

Our original group only eats romaine, strawberry tops (sometimes) and broccoli (sometimes). The hatchlings seem to follow suit (guess it’s the DNA).

Most pet stores feed their lizards something called “Monkey Chow” – a high protein dried thing (well, there is no other way to put it without getting too graphic for this column) that swells and softens with hot water, and then emits an odour most lizards find hard to resist.

Except ours.

For years I have tried to use this excellent source of protein for these finicky reptiles – to no avail. But the last time I was in our local store, there was a returned Monitor gulping this….mixture. And loving it.

As our ladies are getting older, I was trying to find something to keep up their protein without resorting to just king mealworms (very fatty and the skin acts like a sort of shell in the lizards’ digestive tract).

So I took out the stuff and tried again.

Guess what??

Sigh, nope, the ladies did not even bother to check it out.

BUT – our Uromastyx love it, as does our youngest lizard.

So maybe there is hope for future generations.

Ask your local store if they can sell you a small bag. Just put on the kettle – once boiling, put one chunk of Monkey Chow into a small bowl – pour enough hot water to cover it – then let stand to soften – let it become a sort of mush – it will smell, but not bad. This just takes a few minutes. Ensure it is cooled down enough before giving to lizards. I transfer the food to a small feeding dish (top of a small Tupperware). Let the lizards smell it – they will follow the scent.

And let me know if you have better luck!

About the Author:

As a professional writer and trainer, I find the hardest thing to write about is myself. Suite 101 has given me many opportunites and I have read with interest the various articles penned by Contributing Editors. Now it's payback time. Reading their personal submissions and sharing of information has given me the courage to be a Contributing Editor as well.

After 5 years of raising Bearded Dragons we (family) finally had a successful clutch (two in fact). The lack of proper information given us by retail reptile stores as well as the lack of substantial information on the Internet (with a few excellent exceptions) has prompted me to try and help others in all areas of reptiles. Our menagerie at the moment consists of 5 adult dragons, 4 juveniles, one bird, one hamster, 2 turtles, one fish - and a whole bunch of critters that make their home and nests in our woodpile, trees, and house (I just saw the baby bunnies having a chew on our garden).

Paym may be contacted by email at careeradvice@suite101.com.

Copyright Paym Bergson August 2004 All Rights Reserved.

Article courtesy of Suite101.com.