Is it good or bad to feed iguana's dog food?

Question

I've had an iguana for about a month now. She's 11 years old and about 3 1/2 ft head to tail. I've made it a habit to feed her only green veggies ranging from romaine lettuce to spinach to broccoli. I just heard someone on a TV talk show that this guy feeds his iguana dog food. I've heard this in the past and was told it makes iguana's aggressive because of the protein intake being to high. Any thoughts??

Answer 1

NEVER feed an iguana animal or insect protein.  Doing so will lead to early kidney failure.  They are herbivores, so feed a balanced salad with correct vitamins each day.  Here is a link to the best diet for them.  Spinach and broccoli are not good choices either--they are too high in oxylates...also bad for the kidneys.

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/igdiet.htm...

Answer 2

noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i had an iguana for years do not feed it dog food ! they eat squash zuccini leaf lettuce and a little bit of strawberries as a treat mix all that together everyday for your iguana.

Answer 3

I wouldn't advise it just because its DOGGIE food, not iguana food. You want to make sure your pet is well cared for and that means getting it the nutrition it needs. Just because humans CAN  eat a lot of candy doesn't mean its good for us.

Answer 4

I thought they were strictly herbivores. I might be incorrect though.........

Answer 5

try it for a few days, if he reacts bad, stop it.iguanas are omnivorous. they can eat the same stuff we can.

Answer 6

About 10 years ago, it was thought that dog food was a decent dish for iguanas because it made them grow rapidly and to larger sizes than they were growing when fed their natural diet.

Fortunately now we have more information about what iguanas need.  In short, dog food is not good for iguanas (neither is romaine lettuce by the way, please see http://www.greenigsociety.org/foodchart.... )

Dog food has what is called animal protein which iguanas do not need and do not process correctly.  It is this protein that causes them to grow at a faster rate, but it also slowly kills them.  A prolonged diet of dog food will eventually shut down the iguanas kidneys and kill them, although I have seen iguanas live for over a decade with such a diet.  Iguanas need plant protein which they are built to consume in order to live full and healthy lives.

Answer 7

I didn't have iguanas, but for my blue tongue skink and yellow montior, the vet told me to choose CAT food over dog food.