Garden lizards are insectivores, meaning that most of their diet consists of insects; however, they also consume fruits and vegetables.
Lizards are well known to prey upon insects such as flies, crickets, snails, worms and beetles, providing natural pest control in gardens while pollinating flowers at the same time. They even help pollinate them!
Table of Contents
Insects
Garden lizards tend to be insectivores, eating insects and small invertebrates as a source of sustenance. Their natural predators include insects that damage plants; this makes them natural insect control for your yard. It’s important to feed your lizard a varied diet in order to provide it with essential vitamins and minerals as well as making their lives more fulfilling and engaging.
Make sure the insects you give to lizards are free from parasites and disease, never giving wild-caught insects or fruits and vegetables collected directly from your garden (without washing) without first checking if these could contain harmful bacteria and viruses that could spread illness and disease to them.
Garden lizards primarily eat insects, although some species like bearded dragons may enjoy eating fruits and vegetables as well. Some lizard species, like bearded dragons, can eat both insect prey as well as plants; others, like green iguanas, should only receive plant matter as food sources.
Garden lizards vary greatly in their food consumption depending on their age and size, with baby lizards needing to eat more than adults due to rapid development and muscle growth. Baby lizards tend to be insectivores, eating small insects such as crickets, fruit flies, bottle fly spikes or bottle fly spikes for food, in addition to fruits or vegetables like kale, dandelion greens or pieces of banana as part of a balanced diet.
Adult lizards will eat similar to baby lizards, however more frequently due to being larger and needing additional nutrition for growth. It is also important to monitor their weight to make sure they do not consume excessive food.
Assemble some shelter for your lizards in your garden to provide them with protection from predators like hawks or falcons, while providing them with somewhere warm to sunbathe in peace during the daytime warmth. Make it as shaded and cool an area as possible using overturned terra-cotta pots, rocks stacked high or other creative designs to shelter their rest and relaxation.
Fruits
Garden lizards’ diet primarily consists of insects and other invertebrates; however, they also occasionally snack on fruits and vegetables when the opportunity presents itself. This adaptability allows them to find food sources in their environment if you want them visiting your garden, such as fruit-bearing trees/shrubs with edible leaves as well as edible leafy greens for example. If you want them coming over more often then try planting these types of trees/shrubs together with leafy greens as an incentive! If you want garden lizards then plants fruit-bearing trees/shrubs with fruit-bearing trees/shrubs with edible leafy greens amongst edible leafy greens along with edible leafy greens along the edges for them!
Garden lizards’ habitat and geographic location play an integral role in their diets, as different regions may vary greatly in terms of the availability of insects or prey species that make up their food source. Seasonal fluctuations also impact what types of foods can be found there.
As winter nears, a garden lizard’s prey species may become harder to come by due to reduced activity and inclement weather; as such, it may turn toward eating more fruits and vegetables in order to satisfy its hunger.
Garden lizards eat many types of fruit, such as mangoes, bananas, guavas, papayas, tomatoes, strawberries and carrots. When providing them with fruit for consumption to their lizard, be sure to choose something without seeds or cores and without added sugars or preservatives that might harm their digestive systems.
Garden lizards can also enjoy snacking on various flowers for added variety in their meals, however ensure that these are accessible by your garden lizard. Live animals pose a potential source of bacteria.
Garden lizards may include earthworms, hornworms and waxworms in their diet to increase variety. Although these invertebrates don’t offer many essential vitamins and minerals for growth, they still add variety to a lizard’s food supply and should be eaten on occasion as an occasional treat.
Garden lizards are herbivores, so when it comes to feeding them vegetables, be sure they receive plenty of dark-leafed greens such as spinach or parsley, squash yams parsley cabbage etc. You could also try supplementing their food with vitamin D3 and calcium carbonate supplements for extra nutritional support.
Small Invertebrates
Some types of lizards, like the Green Anole and Carolina/White Throat anoles, are strictly insectivores while others, like Green Anole and Carolina or White Throat anole, can be omnivorous. Most garden lizards prefer insects as food; garden lizards primarily consume snails, spiders, worms, caterpillars, beetles grasshoppers crickets. Many species even consume newly hatched nonpoisonous snake eggs/butterflies/butterflies/butterflies/butterfly eggs/butterflies etc.
Garden lizards feed on seeds, fruits, berries, flowers vegetables and invertebrates like insects as their primary source of nutrition. Although they live alone or in family groups they become active at nighttime to seek shelter under cover when the sun goes down.
If you want to attract more lizards to your garden, be sure to provide shelter for them by creating hiding places where they can hide during the day when not hunting for prey. Mulch plants will conserve soil moisture while offering safe havens for these reptiles to hide in.
Another way to motivate lizards is to offer them calcium and vitamin D supplements when feeding. This will help strengthen their bones and muscles as well as support digestive health. Be careful when feeding a lizard as dropping these supplements directly into the water may poison it!
To prevent this from happening, mix supplements with water to create a paste and apply it over the lizard’s habitat. Remember that lizards are sensitive to chemicals; do not use any toxic products in your garden. Common household items such as pepper and Tabasco sauce irritate lizards further; take caution not to overuse it! Additionally, homemade repellents like rubbing alcohol vinegar and cayenne pepper may also work effectively as repellents against these pesky creatures.
Vegetables
Garden lizards are opportunistic feeders and will consume whatever is available in their environment, such as insects, spiders, small mammals and reptiles in addition to plants. When kept as pets in captivity it’s essential that their diet include insects, fruits and vegetables to maintain optimal health.
Based on the type of lizard you own, its diet should vary accordingly. If it’s an insectivore species such as crickets or mealworms are great sources of protein. Conversely, for an omnivore they would need a varied diet with fresh or dried leafy greens as well as fruits.
Garden lizards require plenty of nutritious foods such as dark, leafy greens such as kale and dandelion leaves for proper nourishment, along with carrots, brussel sprouts, pieces of pumpkin or squash as well as potatoes, turnips and radish roots for extra vitamins and minerals.
Fruits make a delicious treat for garden lizards, though not as essential to their diet as vegetables. Mangoes and guavas can make ideal treats, although as these high in sugar fruits should only be given occasionally.
When feeding garden lizards, it’s essential that a dish or bowl be used in order to prevent their prey from escaping and choking on it. Furthermore, live animals should be avoided due to potential bacteria contamination; while iceberg lettuce doesn’t provide enough nutrition. Chocolate or coffee are harmful as these contain theobromine which is toxic for reptiles; their frequency of meals also varies based on age, sex and growth rate – baby lizards require more frequent meals as their bodies develop quickly with proper nourishment in order to build muscles and skeleton.