Proteins are made up of amino acids. They serve several important functions, such as maintaining the structural integrity of cells and organs, and serving as catalysts for biological reactions.

SAY WHAT???

This is pretty simple. Proteins help the body grow. We need to have good protein levels in the Iguana's diet in order for it to grow at a good rate. Iguanas on diets that are low in protein levels are often very sickly, grow very slowly and more often die at young ages. It's pretty simple to say that a diet that is lacking in proteins is probably deficient in all areas of the diet and simply can not support the life of the animal.

A diet that is to high in proteins will cause an iguana to grow very fast. While some will think this is a good thing you need to realize that rapid body growth will often leave undersized organs and once again the iguana will be suffering and be sickly.

SO, What do we need to know about Proteins?

First off, we already know that Iguanas at all ages are STRICT VEGETARIANS. There is no time in an iguana's life that animal based proteins are needed. This basically means that foods such as, dog food, cat food, crickets, meal worms, monkey chow, and the like should NEVER BE USED in an iguanas diet. Animal Proteins will cause the kidneys to work extra hard to break them down and after a few years the iguana will die of Kidney Failure. It is this reason that we often see many large Iguanas that die between the ages of 3 to 6. Certain individuals will die younger and others much older, but it's almost guaranteed that the ig fed animal proteins will die much younger than it should. SO JUST DON'T DO IT!!!

Thinking about using a commercial iguana food? Don't! The Iguana's body is adapted by nature to be able to break down vegetable proteins very easily. Unfortunately since few know how to create or what is needed in a vegetable diet the Iguana often suffers from a lack of proper protein levels. In the past, it has been common practice to add extra protein to an iguana's diet in order to make up for the deficiencies in the overall diet. This was often done by supplementing the diet with Animal Proteins or more recently, foods such as Alfalfa, Whole Wheat Bread, Tofu and others.

The Iguana Den Diet has taken this to a new level where supplementing proteins is no longer needed for any age Iguana. Its not hard to figure out why either when you look at the chart below.

Food name	Portion	Prep	Proteins (g)
Collard Greens	2 Cups	Raw	1.76
Turnip Greens-Tops	1 Cup	Raw	0.83
Arugula	2 Cup	Raw	2.0
Beet Greens	1 Cup	Raw	0.7
Dandelion Greens	2 Cups	Raw	2.98
Escarole	1 Cup	Raw	1.24
Kale	1 Cup	Raw	2.2
Mustard Greens	1 Cup	Raw	1.5
Chickory Greens	1 Cup	Raw	0.8
Watercress	1 Cup	Raw	0.8
Totals	13 Cups	Raw	14.81 grams

Adding these foods once or twice per week will not harm your iguana, so if you feel you want to do so by all means go right ahead. However, for healthy iguanas on a diet such as the IguanaDen Diet, such supplementation is not necessary. If your iguana is in rehab, your vet may recommend adding some extra protein. Many iguanas also enjoy wheat bread or oat grain bread as a snack - it is best to soak these in water before feeding to add some hydration.

Iguanas fed Iguana Den Diet have been returning protein levels in their blood work right at the peak of where they are recommended to be without added supplementation.