Gardening for Your Iguana

If you enjoy gardening as a hobby as Ido, there's no reason you cannot combine your love of your iguana with your love of gardening. Dúring the warmer months, you can grow a sizable proportion of your iguana's food yourself, providing your pet with produce of unparalleled freshness. Also, if you garden organically, you remove any risk posed by pesticides and such. Unfortunately, space considerations prevent me from discussing how to grow these plants, but your locallibrary and bookstores will have a good selection of gardening references.

Any of the foods mentioned in the main feeding section can be grown in your garden as iguana food. Here 1'11 mention some iguana foods that you usually won't find in your produce department but could grow in your garden, yard,

or indoor pots. As with the iguana food you can buy in your produce department, so me of the plants mentioned' here are better to feed to your iguana than others. In many cases, the nutritional value of the plants is unknown. Secause many of them aren't typically used as human or animal food, there has been little research on their nutritional value.

Alfalfa: This is a relative of the beans that does well in poor soils. It has deep roots that pull nutrients 'up from below the topsoil. It is an excellent source of calcium, protein, fiber, and trace minerals.

Sean leaves: The leaves and flowers of bean plants are edible and make for good variety in your iguana's diet. ~: This plant grows wild in many yards. The leaves and flowers are good sources of several vitamins.

Grape leaves: Despite having been used as ahuman food for thousands of years, nutritional infOFmation on grape leaves is elusive. Some claim that they are high in oxalates, making them unsuitable as a staple iguana food but

great as an occasional treat. .

Hibiscus: Unless you live in the warmer areas of the country, you'lI want to grow your hibiscus in large pots; they are not cold-hearty. The leaves and flowers are high in calcium and other nutrients.

Mints: The many varieties of mints are all easy to grow and reasonably nutritious. They al so contain chemicals that

fight infections. Use them as treats. .

Mulberry: The leavés of mulberry trees are one of the best sources of calcium available, and the fruits are high in the mineral as well.

Nasturtiums: The flowers and leaves are wonderful sources of calcium and other nutrients. They are easy to grow and will do well in pots if you are cramped for space.

Pea leaves and flowers: This is a great plant to include in the garden as it offers three different foods for your iguana: leaves, flowers, and pods. The leaves are decent sources of calcium and protein.

Raspberry leaves: Iguanas seem to love these, but there is little information' on their nutritional value. They may be high in oxalates, so use them for variety.

Rose of Sharon: A close relative of the hibiscus but tolerant of cold weather, this plant is probably similar in nutritional value to hibiscus.

Roses: This is another plant that provides multiple iguana foods. Your ig can eat the leaves, flowers, ahd fruits. This, fruits are high in vitamin e, while the nutritional values of the other plant parts are not known.