What do garden lizards eat? If you’re thinking about this question, you probably want to keep lizards as pets or feel curious about them after seeing them in your garden.
In general, different species of lizards may have varying food requirements. Some of these reptiles eat insects, while others eat meat, vegetables, and fruits. Read on for more details.
Table of Contents
Foods Lizards Eat
1. Insects
Common lizards eat insects like flies, mealworms, crickets, larvae of hornworms, and grasshoppers. They will also consume earwigs and grubs.
Therefore, these reptiles are effective pest control for gardens and help limit the use of pesticides.
Some lizard eating bug species are the leopard gecko, anole, and garden skink.
On the downside, backyard lizards eat wasps, honey bees, and maggots, insects that benefit gardens.
Wasps are pollinators and will eat pests like aphids and tomato hornworms. Maggots, aside from the root fly larvae, can speed up the creation of compost.
As for honey bees, they are some of the most effective fertilizers in nature, pollinating 80% of all flowering plants.
These are facts to keep in mind if you grow vegetables or flowers. Otherwise, if your yard has an abundance of the aforementioned bugs, just feed them to your lizard. Alternatively, you may also buy insects from pet shops for convenience.
2. Fruits
Do garden lizards eat fruit? Apparently, yes. You may have seen a bearded dragon, crested gecko, or agama do so. These species will eat grapes, melons, pineapples, peaches, blueberries, apples, and pears, among other fruits.
Eating fruits provides these reptiles with some of the water they need.
Interestingly, garden lizards eat and drink, unlike their counterparts in the desert. The latter likes the same foods (insects, fruits, etc.) but only absorbs moisture through the skin because water is scarce in their environment. As for yard lizards, drinking water protects their body from drying out and becoming wounded.
3. Vegetables
Do lizards eat plants? Yes. They consume kale, carrots, squash, collard greens, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, endive, and peas.
You will also norice lizards eat leaves of hibiscus, banana trees, citrus trees, and bamboo shoots.
However, vegetation takes up a tiny part of their diet, and these creatures cannot consume every single plant type out there. Hence, it’s unlikely that lizards will eat up all your crops if you’re a gardener.
What vegetables can these reptiles not eat? Avocados, onions, acorns, and juniper berries are some of the foods they should avoid.
In addition, if you’re a pet owner, some processing should be done to vegetables before giving them to lizards.
For example, removing the stem of turnip greens and collard greens is necessary. Yellow squash, celery, and other large food chunks should be chopped into small pieces to prevent choking hazards.
4. Meat
It’s easy to see garden lizards eat wasps and other bugs, since these reptiles are primarily insectivorous, but did you know that some of them also eat meat?
It may surprise you, but these creatures consume eggs, baby snakes, and in some cases, even birds, rats, deers, goats, and monkeys (if the lizards are big like the Komodo dragon and tegus).
What Do Baby Garden Lizards Eat?
Little lizards eat pretty much the same foods as adult ones. That means they’ll feed on insects such as fruit flies, fruits like grapes, kiwis, or peaches, plus vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, and spinach.
Omnivorous and carnivorous lizards will also eat mice and frogs. These facts apply to both lizards kept as pets and in the wild.
However, unlike adult lizards, small ones will need to eat more frequently, specifically, daily for their first three months of life.
How Do You Get Rid of Garden Lizards?
Are garden lizards scaring your kids? Or perhaps, these reptiles that eat plants are gathering in large numbers in your yard, and you fear an infestation. Whatever the case may be, there are things you can do to get rid of these creatures.
1. Use a spray
In a spray bottle, combine cayenne with water. Lizards dislike the smell of this solution and will avoid places where you sprayed it.
Alternatively, you can buy a commercial deterrent. Just make sure it has a non-toxic formula that won’t harm lizards or plants (if you use the product in your garden).
2. Use plants
If your garden has space for new plants, fill it with peppermint and eucalyptus. These additions will not only make your home smell pleasant but will also keep lizards away.
3. Eliminate shelter
Seal cracks on your doors and windows and trim bushes and shrubberies where lizards may frequent—these creatures like cool, dark places, especially areas with water for them to drink.
4. Use insecticides
As mentioned above, many lizards like to eat insects. Therefore, removing their favorite food is one way to make your home unappealing to these reptiles.
You can use neem oil to kill insects and larvae. This substance has the benefit of controlling mites and fungi as well. Plus, it is safe for plants and suitable for organic farming.
5. Use a mice trap
Purchase a humane catch-and-release mouse trap. If you don’t know where to put the trap, find areas with lizard poop (which looks predominantly black with a white tip).
Then, place some bugs inside the trap to attract lizards. These reptiles will move inside the trap, and you can release them later in another location away from your home.
6. Use an ultrasonic device
One effective way to remove garden lizards from your house is by installing ultrasonic devices. These gadgets won’t require much work since you only have to plug them into outlets and turn them on.
On the downside, if your house is big, the cost of this method will be prohibitive, as one ultrasonic device can cover only one room.
It’s also necessary to check the range of the product; if your kitchen is 120 square meters in size and the device works in an 80-square-meter area only, you’ll need two repellents just for one room.
Conclusion
What do garden lizards eat? We hope you can answer this question now. If you own a lizard, give your pet the right foods to ensure its health and growth. On the other hand, if you want to remove these reptiles from your residence, choose a humane method that won’t hurt the animals.
Thank you for reading. Please share this article with others if you like it.
Read more: What is the food of garden snails?
Hi, I am William – Floridayards’ digital content creator. My job is to find answers to all your concerns with thorough research and our team’s expert advice. I will also bring you honest reviews on the best products and equipment for raising your beautiful garden. Please look forward to our work!
