Can you feed a iguana salad?

Iguanas are strict herbivores requiring a nutritionally balanced mixture of various ORGANIC greens (not lettuce) vegetables and edible flowers. Feeding an iguana lettuce (typically meaning iceberg or other loose leaf varieties) is like feeding your dog sawdust. All you are doing is filling the gut - there is virtually no nutritional value and you are likely to develop digestive problems. If you are not prepared to do a lot of work - researching, preparing and caring for an iguana - do not get one.

While there are many personable igs out there - they are the EXCEPTION - not the norm. It takes A LOT of work to train and maintain a docile well behaved iguana. You are talking about an animal that has the potential to grow to 6 ft - needs space equivalent to a small bedroom with high humidity (60+%) and has a a very nasty bite - not to mention crunch power! This is NOT a beginner animal. IT IS THE MOST DISCARDED REPTILE IN THE U.S. - and I am guessing in other countries as well. We as a herp society (San Diego Herpetological Society) and myself personally, receive over 30 calls a month from people looking to donate (aka unload) their iguana - because it 1.)is too big 2.)got too mean 3.)bit me, my kid, the dog, etc. 4.)requires too much care 5.)is too hard to care for - or my most frustrating 6.) because it is sick (99% of the time due to poor husbandry). Igs can live on a poor improper diet for years - all the while suffering greatly as their renal system shuts down - the calcium is leeched from their bones and they turn to rubber - they are overrun with parasites internal and sometimes external - they have been abused and neglected - suffer extreme dehydration and more maladies than I can list in several pages.

If you have an iguana - you need to take proper care of it! One of the best resources I have found is Green Iguana---The Ultimate Owner's Manual by James W. Hatfield III - you can order it online at www.iguana.com - it spells out the good - the bad and the ugly when it comes to ig ownership. (I have no vested interest in the book - it is one of the most complete works written on the subject.) Contact your local herpetological society for additional information on iguana care or check out the related links.