What Do I Feed a Baby Lizard?
The diet of baby lizards varies from one species to the next, but most young lizards eat insects or other invertebrates. Crickets, roaches, earthworms, mealworms and silkworms are all acceptable items, but spiders, wasps, ants and other offensive species are not appropriate food items. In addition to providing a baby lizard with the appropriate prey species, be sure to provide prey of the appropriate size.
Many pet lizards die from eating food that is too big. Some choke without swallowing their prey, while others manage to swallow the insect, but die from complications later. Avoid these problems by offering small insects to baby lizards. As a rule of thumb, do not feed bugs that are longer than the lizard’s mouth is wide. It is always preferable to feed a larger quantity of smaller prey, rather than offering a few large food items.
Baby lizards of common backyard species, such as anoles, skinks and fence lizards, readily devour crickets, beetles and cockroaches. Feed baby bearded dragons very small crickets and a salad composed of leafy greens. Baby geckos are best fed small insects, such as crickets, roaches and beetle larvae. Some herbivores, such as uromastyx lizards, consume insects as juveniles, before switching to a plant-based diet upon maturity. Green iguanas, are largely herbivorous in all of life stages.
