{"id":221,"date":"2018-10-15T18:52:08","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T18:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reptilefollower.com\/?p=221"},"modified":"2019-08-17T19:25:17","modified_gmt":"2019-08-17T19:25:17","slug":"what-do-baby-lizards-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reptilefollower.com\/what-do-baby-lizards-eat\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Baby Lizards Eat? (You Might Be Shocked)"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you are new to lizard ownership, or even if you are just starting to learn about them, you may be curious about what baby lizards eat (<\/span>Click here for my best baby lizard food on Amazon<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/span>After looking into this I was surprised what I found.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n What do baby lizards eat?<\/span>Baby lizards eat exactly the same as an adult lizard, there is no baby specific food for them.<\/span> Depending on the type of lizard, they may hatch from an egg or have a live birth.<\/span><\/span> Regardless, they don\u2019t receive much in the way of maternal care and start eating just like their mother.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n What they eat will, of course, be affected by their size and hunting skills.<\/span> For example, a baby carnivore may be limited to eating worms and ants until he is older.<\/span><\/span> As he matures he will gain the size and skills to hunt grasshoppers, crickets and other more elusive prey.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As discussed<\/span>,<\/span><\/u> Baby lizards do eat the same foods as their adult counterparts.<\/span><\/span> They are, of course, smaller, so the prey will also need to be smaller as well.<\/span><\/span> For example, there are many different sizes of crickets.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A good pet store will have them sorted by size, which allows you to be sure that your lizard will be able to use the entire batch of crickets you purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n In the wild, a baby lizard and adult lizard will have some differences in their diet as well.<\/span> <\/p>\n Although the baby has the same nutritional needs as the adult, he is unlikely to be as effective at hunting and foraging as an adult.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n These are skills he will need to develop as he matures.<\/span> Younger lizards will also spend more of their day on gathering food and eating, just because they aren’t as efficient at it as their adult counterparts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Baby lizards eat the same foods as adults.<\/span> If the lizard is a herbivore, it will consume plants.<\/span><\/span> If its an omnivore it will consume meat as well as plants.<\/span><\/span> And if it is a carnivore, it will consume meat, more on each of these types of diets later.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It is that way from birth.<\/span> <\/p>\n A baby lizard is born with all of the digestive tools it needs to eat an adult diet.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n If you are caring for a baby lizard, go ahead and offer it the same diet that you would offer an adult.<\/span> Do not worry that he is too young to handle live prey.<\/span><\/span> It is good for them nutritionally and it provides mental stimulation.<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n You will want to monitor the feeding sessions and remove any uneaten prey after about 20 minutes.<\/span> that gives the baby lizard enough time to eat, and removing excess prevents the prey from chewing on him while he is resting and also from soiling the cage.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Baby lizards need water, just like adults.<\/span> Lizards in general, however, are not really drinkers in the conventional sense.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Put it this way, It is unlikely that you will find your pet lizard crouched over its water bowl, lapping water up like a dog.<\/span> <\/p>\n However, just because they don\u2019t drink much doesn\u2019t mean that they shouldn\u2019t have a constant supply of fresh water available.<\/span><\/p>\n Some reptiles also benefit from occasional misting with water.<\/span> Having live plants and natural substrate in their cage can help keep humidity levels up as well, which they find beneficial.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n In fact, most lizards, or at least some types of lizards, obtain water by soaking it into their skin rather than drinking.<\/span><\/p>\n Keep an eye on the quality of the water in the cage.<\/span> <\/p>\n Because lizards are such light drinkers, it can be tempting to let the bowl sit between cage cleanings.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It is important that fresh water is available at all times.<\/span> Your lizard is more likely to drink fresh water rather than water that has been sitting and stagnant water is not a healthy environment.<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n even if the water looks untouched, dump and add fresh water daily.<\/span><\/p>\n An insectivore lizard eats insects, as the name suggests.<\/span> What type of insects it eats depends on what is available in the wild where it originated and its size.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some common insects enjoyed by insectivore lizards are crickets, roaches, and other small invertebrates.<\/span><\/p>\n Insectivores would technically be considered carnivores because they eat meat.<\/span> The term insectivore is used to differentiate between lizards that eat small prey, such as insects and larger insects that eat rodents, frogs, and other lizards.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A carnivorous lizard eats meat.<\/span> Depending on the size of the lizard, this may be small, like insects or much larger, like mice, frogs, and other lizards.<\/span><\/span> Carnivorous lizards are typically differentiated from insectivores by the size of what they eat.<\/span><\/span> Even carnivorous lizards, however, will eat insects.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Young carnivores will hone their hunting skills on more manageable small prey, such as insects, while they mature.<\/span> As they get older, they will be more competent hunting and move up to larger prey.<\/span><\/span> They will probably never give up insects entirely, however, and will eat what is available, depending on hunting conditions.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Herbivore lizards limit their diets to various types of plants.<\/span> <\/p>\n Exactly what they eat depends on where the lizard lives and its size, but they generally eat foods such as greens, carrots, and apples in captivity, and plants that are native to their location in the wild.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n It is important to offer a wide variety of foods to your<\/span> herbivore lizard<\/span><\/a><\/u>. They typically do not have huge appetites, and will definitely have favorite foods.<\/span><\/span> If they aren’t offered a good bit of variety in their diet, the chances of developing nutritional deficiencies are greatly increased.<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n While it is fine to offer your pet his favorite foods on a regular basis, and even special treats, such as fruit baby food, on occasions, overall the diet should include lots of variety.<\/span><\/p>\n The marine iguana is considered an herbivore, as it only eats plants, but it actually is even more specific than that.<\/span> <\/p>\n The Marine iguana is unique in that it forages at sea for its food.<\/span><\/span> Its entire diet is made up almost entirely of<\/span><\/span> algae<\/span><\/a><\/u>.<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n The females of the species, along with the smaller males, forage along the intertidal zone at low tide, while larger males dive to feed.<\/span><\/p>\n The Gila monster eats a strictly meat-based diet, so it is considered a carnivore.<\/span> It is rather slow moving, however, which limits its prey.<\/span><\/span> The Gila monster\u2019s diet is mainly made up of reptile and bird eggs.<\/span><\/span> It rounds out its diet with small mammals and reptiles, insects and frogs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some varieties of lizards, such as the iguana, are herbivores.<\/span> They do not eat any meat.<\/span><\/span> For other varieties, both carnivores and omnivores, crickets are often a tasty treat.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Crickets have long been a popular choice for feeding domesticated lizards.<\/span> They are widely available, affordable, and come in a variety of sizes.<\/span><\/span> While a consistent diet of one type of food is not the best way to feed your pet lizard, some of the drawbacks can be overcome by a process known as gut-loading.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nQuantity of Food<\/span><\/h2>\n
Do Baby Lizards have smaller prey?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What types of foods do baby lizards eat?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What do baby lizards drink?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What do insectivore Baby lizards eat?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What do Baby carnivorous lizards eat?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What do Baby herbivore lizards eat?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Related Questions:<\/span><\/h2>\n
Is a Marine Iguana a herbivore?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Is a Gila monster a carnivore?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Do lizards like eating crickets<\/span><\/h3>\n