FAQ: Food for reptiles

Prepared purée is usually left in the terrarium for no more than a day or two, because it spoils and goes mouldy quickly in the warm, humid conditions. Wash the dish before each new portion.

Fruit alone is not enough for a gecko, as it has too little calcium and protein and too much sugar. Fruit purée can be an occasional treat, but a balanced powdered diet and insects should remain the staple.

Keep the powder tightly closed in a cool, dry place, and some manufacturers recommend the fridge or freezer for longer storage. Mix up only as much as the gecko will eat over a few days.

Chameleons eat live insects: crickets, locusts, roaches, silkworms and flies, and some species eat a little plant matter too. The insects are gut-loaded and dusted with calcium, and variety is especially important for chameleons.

Chameleons are often fed from a smooth-sided cup hung among the branches, or with tongs. This keeps insects from scattering around the enclosure and makes it easier to see how much the chameleon ate.

Dandelions, clover, plantain, goutweed, lettuce leaves, rocket, chicory and other wild weeds suit tortoises. Variety matters, and plants picked near roads or from chemically treated areas should be avoided.

Shop lettuce can be part of the diet, but many kinds are low in fibre and calcium, especially iceberg. It is better to combine various leafy greens, weeds and dried herbs.

Toxic ornamental plants, avocado, rhubarb, onion, garlic and human food such as bread or meat are not recommended for tortoises. Check any unfamiliar plant in reliable sources before offering it.

Bearded dragons are often given collard greens, kale, rocket, chicory, dandelion leaves and flowers, and grated squash and carrot. Greens are chopped up and replaced with fresh ones daily.

Spinach and some other vegetables are high in oxalates, which bind calcium and stop it being absorbed. A small amount now and then does no harm, but other greens are better for everyday feeding.

Cabbage, broccoli and other brassicas are fine as part of a varied diet, but in large amounts over time they may affect the thyroid. So they are mixed with other greens rather than fed alone every day.

Greens are washed, patted dry and chopped to suit the reptile's size so it can swallow them easily. Many keepers mix several kinds, dust them with calcium and throw away anything uneaten after a day.

Yes, dandelions, clover and plantain from unsprayed areas are excellent food for tortoises and dragons. Avoid roadsides, dog-walking areas and treated lawns, and wash the plants you collect.

In winter, tortoise keepers buy various leafy greens, grow sprouts or grass in pots and use weeds collected and dried in summer. Some keepers grow dandelions or clover on the windowsill.

Dried herbs and flowers are a good source of fibre and variety, but they contain less moisture and fewer of some vitamins. So they are used as an extra, while fresh greens remain the staple.

No, green iguanas are herbivores, and animal protein can damage their kidneys over time. Their diet should be leafy greens, vegetables and a little fruit.

In a warm terrarium greens quickly wilt, dry out or start to rot, and a reptile eats stale food less willingly. Fresh greens replaced daily keep more vitamins and moisture.

Iceberg lettuce is mostly water with very little fibre, calcium or vitamins, so it is poor nutrition. Dark leafy greens and weeds suit tortoises and dragons better.

Most lizards and tortoises get fruit only occasionally and in small amounts, because the sugar can upset digestion. Some species, such as rainforest tortoises or fruit-eating geckos, have more fruit in their diet.

Bearded dragons are sometimes given a little berry, papaya, mango or apple without seeds. Fruit is chopped up and given rarely, while greens and insects remain the staple.