What do baby lizards eat? What do lizards feed their young ones (also know as hatchlings)? How do they do it and how long before they can go get their food?
Well, this article piece is all about lizard baby food -just like noted that garden lizard eats caterpillars, insects, small crickets, and some greens and fruits. But what do baby lizards eat?
Baby lizards eat what their parents eat. Yes, they eat insects, roaches, plants, or even both. The only difference is the food ratio. Baby lizards only eat baby portions. For example, if they are eating an insect, the insect should be smaller than them.
Baby lizards eat by themselves. Nobody mashes up the prey for them. It’s like a natural instinct in their DNA. They get the prey or plant and eat it up. You should note that a baby lizard will eat what its line of species eats. The other element that forms a baby lizard’s diet is the kind of environment it dwells in.
[amazon bestseller=”Best Food for Baby Lizards” items=”2″ template=”table”]A lizard can be carnivorous, insectivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous. A carnivorous lizard will eat insects or even small rodents and worms. The herbivores are vegetarians while the omnivores are on a balanced diet of vegetation and meat. Well, a pet lizard does not have very many options as the wild one but you need to know what to feed them and their young ones so that their dietary requirements are met.
What Do Baby Lizards Eat? 7 Lizard Diets – Food Portions
A baby lizard eats what the adult lizard eats. The only difference is the portion. In short, you can call them miniature adults because they are independent of day one. They will eat small portions or sizes of the following:
- Small worms
- Small insects
- Flies
- Ants
- Plants
- Non-poisonous spiders
What a baby lizard eats goes hand in hand with its body size and its hunting abilities. The older they become the greater and high quality the prey is. When eating an insect, ensure that the baby lizard is not eating one that is bigger than its head.
You should also ensure that once they are done eating, the extra food or prey is removed from the pet enclosure. This is because they are babies and still vulnerable; they can be attacked by the prey.
At night you might notice that their bodies are buried inside the soil. Don’t be alarmed, this is how they protect themselves. However, we also noted that leopard geckos are crepuscular.
How And What Do I Feed My Baby Lizard
Your baby lizard has been born in your pet enclosure; so naturally, they cannot go off hunting because they eat what you provide. First and foremost, you need to know the type of lizard you have. If it is a meat-eater, a plant-eater or it eats plants and meat.
Once you have cleared this, the next thing to do is to go to a credible pet store. You will find food assorted according to size so that your hatchling does not choke while eating. Get enough food because their hunting skills are still at a novice level.
A hatchling is born with all the digestive organs that they require to process an adult diet. If you have a baby lizard under your care you should not be afraid. They are not too young to handle live prey. You are taking care of their nutritional needs and you are also stimulating them mentally.
Do not go away when the baby lizard is feeding. Monitor them and if there is any unfinished food or prey after twenty minutes then you should remove it. This is to ensure the prey does not harm the hatchling and that there is no soiling in the cage from the prey.
What Does A Baby Lizard Drink
A lizard cage with plants, natural substrate, and water is a misting paradise for lizards. This ensures high humidity levels which is great for them. There are lizards that actually take in water via their skin instead of drinking.
Just because the lizards do not consume water heavily does not mean that you leave the water dish in the cage for a day. Ensure that they have a fresh supply daily.
What Does A Carnivorous Baby Lizard Eat
This hatchling is a flesh-eater. They start small prey but progressively move to more elusive ones. For example, as babies, they will eat small insects and when they grow up they will be enjoying some mice and frogs. They will also be eating insects but this will not be part of their course as much.
What Does A Herbivorous Baby Lizard Eat
The baby lizard will eat plants but not all types of plants. The kind of plants they will eat depends on where they live and their size. The following should do:
- Carrots
- Apples
- Greens
These guys do not have a huge appetite but they still have their favorite.
You should be able to note this while monitoring them as they feed however just because they enjoy something so much does not mean that you should not offer variety in their diet. Nutritional deficiency is something that you should prevent.
What Does An Insectivore Baby Lizard Eat
An insectivore baby lizard will eat small insects. Some of the common insect delicacies for lizards are:
- Crickets
- Roaches
- Small invertebrates
So what is the difference between an insectivore lizard and one that is a carnivore? The difference is in the preference. The insectivore is restricted to insects while the carnivore devours flesh such as frogs, rodents, and other lizards.
Related: Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink Care
What Does An Omnivorous Baby Lizard Eat
Well, these lizards get to enjoy the best of both worlds. They enjoy their vegetables, fruits, and protein. You should note that even though they can eat whatever they like, they also have a preference. Examples of such lizards are:
- Bluetongue skinks
- Green iguanas
- Bearded dragons
What Fruits And Greens Should I Give A Hatchling
The first rule is to ensure that you will be offering variety. There are different fruits and greens lizards can enjoy.
Variety ensures that the lizard has an option and that they are catered for nutritionally.
Greens like dark green lettuce are great as for fruits, grapes are a favorite. To ensure that none of the fruits and vegetables have been sprayed with any pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Fruits for your baby lizard
- Kiwi
- Grapes
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Peaches
- Plums
- Tomatoes
- Figs
Vegetable for your baby lizard
- Spinach
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Romaine
- Boston
- Broccoli
- Beans
- Carrots
- Squash
- Sweet potatoes
- Okra
- Zucchini
- Bell peppers
- A mixture of frozen vegetables from your favorite grocery store
Did you know that there are lizards that love eating flowers? Yes, they love roses, hibiscus, and some other flower petals that tickle their fancy.
Whatever your lizard eats, ensure that you practice good hygiene. Wash the fruits, vegetables, or any other plant before feeding it to them.
You can use mild soap for this purpose then rinse thoroughly. This is to ensure that your pet does not consume any chemical used to treat the food while it was being grown on the farm.
Do note that some dark leafy greens contain oxalates meaning that they can inhibit the absorption of calcium into the lizard’s body.
This could lead to them having the metabolic bone disease. You should, therefore, serve these greens in moderation.
Feed them greens once daily. Ensure that you cut up the greens in manageable slices. The bowl should be shallow enough for them to see the food. Any uneaten food must be removed daily.
Lettuce has no nutritional value but it helps with hydration. Feed your lizard some seeds or pellets once a week.
For baby lizards or lizards in captivity, you will need to add supplements to their food. You can dust their prey with some calcium dust or any other approved lizard multivitamin.
Are Ants A Favorite
There are many types of lizards that eat ants. In fact, desert lizards love them.
It is no wonder that you will always find a lizard on top of an anthill seeking whom they will devour. This is one of the fail-proof methods of feeding.
Is There A Difference In Diet Between A Pet And A Wild Lizard
Lizards are the same whether in captivity or in the wild. So if a lizard is insectivorous, it will eat insects whether in captivity or in the wild.
The number of times your baby lizard eats is determined by several factors. First of all, what type of lizard it is, its size, and how active it is.
Of course, the more active it is, the frequent the feeding but as they grow up they can even go a day without a meal. Just remember that after eating, go back after twenty minutes to clean up.
What Will A Desert Lizard Eat
You definitely have to wonder about this because I had earlier stated that a lizard will eat what is in its habitat.
Well, desert lizards live in difficult conditions and that is why most of their time is spent hunting and gathering food.
When the weather is too hot, they hide underground, and when the temperatures drop they continue with their daily routine.
When the weather is too hot their heart and breathing rate drops and they also do not require a lot of food and energy to function.
One typical coping mechanism for desert lizards is hiding under the sand with only their heads exposed and their bodies are motionless. This is to track any prey that may be wandering close by. Their diet is mainly grasshoppers, ants, crickets, and other invertebrates.
Conclusion
A baby lizard is a future adult lizard and should be taken care of accordingly. It is important that you know the type of lizard you have, what they should eat, how they should eat it when they should, and what they should not eat among other things.
It is important that you know what you should supplement. They are very active at this stage and you might just have to spend more on lizard food but it is only for a while.
Do note that lizards are cold-blooded and you might not quickly notice changes in their behavior or bodily functions.
Therefore, offer them good food of great quality and at a good frequency. Ensure their environment is also great. I hope this article helped you out and now you know something about baby food for baby lizards.