• 1/2 cup green beans, minced.

Selection:

• Fresh green beans free of spots, clear green color.

Preparation:

• rinse well, remove hard tips, stems
• minced with a chef's knife
• chopped fine with a hand chopper
• frozen just til firm, then run through the grater in a food processor

Substitutions:

• pole, string, wax beans
• snow, sugar or green peas
• other legumes

• 1/2 cup orange-flesh squash, grated

Selection:

• Hard skinned (winter) squashes free of discoloration, soft spots,

Preparation:

• rinse well, remove seeds, peel if too hard to process
• hand grated
• food processed with grating blade

Substitutions:

• any winter squash (summer squashes not as nutritious)
• pumpkin
• sweet potato
• carrots (contains oxalates. rotate with other substitutions)

• 1/2 cup parsnips, grated

Selection:

• clear beige color, not discolored or soft areas, root " hairs" ok, peel if they bother you

Preparation:

• rinse well, scrub dirt off crevices with veggie brush or peel
• hand grated
• food processed with grating blade

Substitutions:

• asparagus
• lima beans (use supplements, carries lots of phos.)
• yucca* (my preference, good ca:p, no known binders as far as I know)

• 1/2 cup alfalfa pellets, soaked

Selection:

• Pellets with a fresh dark green color if possible, alfalfa as the first listed ingredient
• hay with a green color, as few tiggy stems as possible (you'll only have to remove them)
• cubes with a green color, as few twiggy stems possible (you'll only have to remove them)
• tea in a not-too fine grind
• course herbal powder, if you get it too fine it may clump

Preparation:

• soaked in water or juice
• powdered in coffee bean grinder or blender, then added to salad prior to serving and misted

Substitutions:

• alfalfa meal
• alfalfa cubesor hay, stems removed
• alfalfa tea
• blue-green algae
• cooked dry beans, used with caution for beans are phosphorous rich

• 1/4 cup fruit, grated, minced or mashed

Selection:

• firm fruit, not overripe, clear color, no rotten spots

Preparation:

• wash well
• if contains seeds or pits, remove
• if a small skinned fruit (ex: grapes, berries) fed whole, squish item or halve so the skins break and the iguana can digest it
• if dried fruit, soak in water and mince

Substitutions:

Preffered fruits are papaya, mango, guava, soaked dry figs for they are the most calcium rich. Any other fruit will also serve well, just use caution or simply avoid acidic fruits like oranges, pineapple, kiwi for they may irritate sensitive iguana stomachs

• canned fruits (packed in pear juice or water, not syrups)
• baby food fruits or applesauce
• dried fruits, soaked

• 1/2 cup leafy greens, cut small

Selection:

• fresh dark leaves, no rust or rotting areas
• as few stalks as possible, you'll only have to remove these

Preparation:

• rinse well, destalk
• torn by hand to small sizes
• cut with kitchen shears
• cut to strips with chef's knife
• if fed mixed in salad, mince small to avoid the iguana picking it out

Substitutions:

Preferred choices are dandelion, escarole, endive, mustard greens and collards. Collards, while high in calcium also contain binders so try to roate it with the others.

Other treat greens may include kale, culinary herbs (basil, parsely, etc), green onion, spinach and cabbages. DO NOT use any of these as a staple, for these foods fed in EXCESS can cause problems in your iguana due to binders or herbal properties. Feeding treat greens once a week, and changing the treat item every week will help you provide a variety but avoid overdoing these "potential problem" foods..