Presentation

This section is not about making your iguana' s food bowllook like a creation on the pages of Fine Dining or other gourmet publications. Rather, it is about how to actually give your iguana his food.

Your iguana' s food should be placed in a bowl or on a plate that is sturdy enough to not be broken when the iguana accidentally flings it across the cage or jumps clown on it ITom his perch. Any bowl made of porcelain or glass is out. The unbreakable plastic bowls sold for large dogs work well, as do stainless steel bowls. The large, heavy crockery bowls sold for small animals and reptiles can be good choices if you buy one large and heavy enough.

Placing the food in a bowl prevents the substrate from getting into the food, which can cause several problems, incIuding choking, impaction, and bacterial infection. Some keepers use a paper plate or butcher's paper for feeding. This eliminates the need to clean the bowl, but it is far ITom an attractive option. It also increases the chance that your iguana will walk through his food, creating more opportunities for bacterial growth.

I recommend putting the food bowl on the bottom of the cage rather than up on one of the perches. This prevents your iguana ITom knocking the bowl down and spilling his food all over the cage. Also, this stimulates your iguana to be a little more active, as he now has to climb down to eat and back up to get to the heating and lighting.

Some iguanas can get very pushy at feeding time. My male willleap at the hand holding the bowl or attempt to climb up my leg ifI'm not careful. Just be aware of this and keep yourself ITom being accidentally harmed by your eager iguana. You may also want to warn a pet-sitter.