Reptiles Eating Baby Food?

for those of you who own reptiles that eat vegetables.
instead of veggies would I be able to use baby food? I have been wanting to get a lizard that eats veggies and my dad used to own iguanas and he would just feed them baby food and they were absolutely gorgeous, but I was just wondering how would it turn out? and could I do that for its whole life? I was just wondering because it seems like a lot easier and idk just curious about the whole thing too

 

AJE CanadianFishFan Velma you're the only ones I know to tag with reptiles

 

In my personal opinion, no reptiles should be fed baby food. It’s kind of in the name, baby food is intended for babies. I purchased a gecko from a breeder who fed baby food and they all have metabolic bone disease because baby food isn’t properly supplemented and lacks the necessary vitamins, nutrients, and minerals/calcium. It was an “acceptable” thing to do in the past because there wasn’t much research on reptiles (it’s honestly still lacking) but the “old heads” are stuck in their ways and don’t want to acknowledge their care is incorrect.

Baby food would be more expensive for you to feed in the long run anyways. Buying organic produce IS expensive, but for a single lizard the expense isn’t too drastic. For example blue tongue skinks eat (grain free) dog food with the occasional fruits and veggies (ALWAYS make sure they’re approved foods!! Always!), and unseasoned meats. We just set things aside for our reptiles when we’re cooking dinner.

What type of lizard are you interested in exactly? Iguanas? Because they get absolutely MASSIVE if kept properly (which unfortunately they often are not), and can honestly use an entire room to themselves.

Don’t get a reptile because it’s “easy.” Get one because you want it and you’ll put the care in to it. No reptiles are easy and you should never try cutting corners in regards to their care. They’re complex animals and it takes dedication to the hobby to learn about them and their individual needs. I know quite a bit about commonly kept reptiles so if you have any questions, I’d be happy to help you out!

(I’m not trying to sound harsh in this post, just got carried on to several other topics I figured were worth mentioning).

 

I have iguanas, you can feed them yogurt when they are babies. But once they grow a little, they need real veggies

 

In my personal opinion, no reptiles should be fed baby food. It’s kind of in the name, baby food is intended for babies. I purchased a gecko from a breeder who fed baby food and they all have metabolic bone disease because baby food isn’t properly supplemented and lacks the necessary vitamins, nutrients, and minerals/calcium. It was an “acceptable” thing to do in the past because there wasn’t much research on reptiles (it’s honestly still lacking) but the “old heads” are stuck in their ways and don’t want to acknowledge their care is incorrect.

Baby food would be more expensive for you to feed in the long run anyways. Buying organic produce IS expensive, but for a single lizard the expense isn’t too drastic. For example blue tongue skinks eat (grain free) dog food with the occasional fruits and veggies (ALWAYS make sure they’re approved foods!! Always!), and unseasoned meats. We just set things aside for our reptiles when we’re cooking dinner.

What type of lizard are you interested in exactly? Iguanas? Because they get absolutely MASSIVE if kept properly (which unfortunately they often are not), and can honestly use an entire room to themselves.

Don’t get a reptile because it’s “easy.” Get one because you want it and you’ll put the care in to it. No reptiles are easy and you should never try cutting corners in regards to their care. They’re complex animals and it takes dedication to the hobby to learn about them and their individual needs. I know quite a bit about commonly kept reptiles so if you have any questions, I’d be happy to help you out!

(I’m not trying to sound harsh in this post, just got carried on to several other topics I figured were worth mentioning).

If they were Geckos, a lot of breeders don't use UVB lights, and then give others the impression that they aren't needed, which leads to metabolic bone disease.

 

What are you planning on keeping?

 

Well I don't own any reptiles who can eat veggies but I can share my thoughts on it.
Baby food was something very much used for reptiles back in the day before we had all this research and great products. Baby food is like eating popcorn. You can eat it and maybe get full but it does not have anything good or healthy in it. Not sure what the vitamins are but you get the point.
So, this is why we have Pangea & Repashy. Its like baby food but x5 the price but extremely healthy. Pangea is mainly made for some geckos but Repashy has foods for a variety of reptiles such as Skinks, Geckos and bearded dragons.

 

If they were Geckos, a lot of breeders don't use UVB lights, and then give others the impression that they aren't needed, which leads to metabolic bone disease.

I’m not sure about other species but I know crested geckos do not require UVB as long as you supplement their insect feedings with calcium +D3 powder, OR feed a reliable crested gecko mixed diet. They get D3 from the UVB, but if you have UVB you still need to use added D3 in your calcium powder supplement. BUT crested gecko diets such as Pangea and Repashy have everything a crested gecko needs in appropriate portions.

With all of this being said, we still use UVB on most of our tanks. They’ll still benefit from it but it’s not needed. The gecko I purchased in my case was fed strictly baby food with no added supplements leading to MBD. I would assume baby food would act similarly with other reptiles because not only would you need to mix in calcium, multivitamins, and D3, but baby foods are sometimes high in sugars and you don’t want your reptile getting a sweet tooth. They very often refuse other food types after being fed something too high in sugars.

 

I was interested in uromastyx or something like it I haven't done too much research on them yet mainly because I haven't picked the species of one I like the most (lol). I'm not too set on a certain one yet, I own other reptiles but I just want one that is a little more challenging than what I own.
and I own pretty basic ones like a leo a couple ball pythons and some sliders and I just want to step in to something more fun I suppose and thank you so much about the topics about baby food and such, I find it really interesting I asked a few other people and they said it was fine but I was still unsure and was just curious about the topic. if anyone knows about any other like intermediate lizards let me know I'm up for a challenge (and need help deciding lol)

 

You can eat it and maybe get full but it does not have anything good or healthy in it. Not sure what the vitamins are but you get the point.

I think you meant they're bad for reptiles only in this case. I'm sure they're okay for people. At least I hope so.

 

I’ve been really interested in them too but my boyfriend and I have so many projects going on, can’t really commit to anything right now.

But their diet consists of mostly greens (not like iceberg lettuce, that’s basically water). But here’s a food pyramid which gives you an idea of what and how much they should be fed (baby food wouldn’t work, they need some substance to their foods. A mush probably wouldn’t be appealing or very healthy for them). :

 

oh wow that is really helpful thank you!