What Do Collared Lizards Eat? Wild and Captive Diet

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What Do Collared Lizards Eat in the Wild

What do collared lizards eat? Mostly insects. Grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles make up the bulk of the diet for Crotaphytus collaris, according to the Animal Diversity Web account of the species.

Collared lizards are active hunters. They chase down prey across open rock and grassland rather than waiting in ambush, so their meals depend on whatever is abundant and moving nearby.

Spiders and other arthropods fill out the rest of the diet. The Missouri Department of Conservation adds moths, small snakes, and other lizards to the list for the eastern subspecies. Adults also take smaller collared lizards when the chance arises.

A small amount of plant material turns up in wild diet studies too. It stays a minor part of the diet, not a staple, mostly soft leaves and flowers.

Prey by Season

Insect numbers shift through the year, and a collared lizard’s meals shift with them. In Missouri the lizards are active mainly from April to September, with activity peaking from May through late July, according to the state conservation department.

That peak lines up with the summer flush of grasshoppers and crickets across the range in the central and southwestern United States. Adults hunt hardest during this stretch, and females need the surplus to produce clutches of 4 to 24 eggs.

Feeding tapers off in early fall as insect numbers drop, though young lizards may stay active into October. Winter brings no feeding at all, since the lizards overwinter in burrows beneath large rocks.

Their jaws and teeth suit this diet well. The Animal Diversity Web account describes sharp, pointed teeth at the front of the mouth for gripping prey.

Flatter teeth sit toward the back for crushing insect exoskeletons. A strong bite lets an adult subdue prey nearly its own size, including other lizards.

What to Feed a Collared Lizard in Captivity

A pet collared lizard needs the same basic building blocks as its wild counterpart. A rotation of feeder insects covers daily nutrition, and occasional larger prey items suit adults.

Variety matters more than any single feeder species. Full husbandry details, including temperature and enclosure setup, live on the collared lizard care guide.

The table below lists common feeder options with their pros and cons for this species.

Mealworms work best as an occasional treat, not a staple. Their hard shell digests poorly, and like most feeders they carry far more phosphorus than calcium unless gut loaded and dusted.

Collared Lizard Feeding Schedule by Age

A collared lizard feeding schedule changes a lot as the animal grows. The Merck Veterinary Manual has juveniles and small insectivorous lizards fed daily and adults fed at least every other day.

Adults settle into a slower routine once they reach full size. The table below gives starting ranges by age group; the insect counts are common keeper starting points, not published figures.

These ranges are starting points, not fixed rules. Body condition, activity level, and season all shift how much food a lizard actually needs.

Watch the animal itself, and adjust the schedule rather than following the table blindly.

Portion Size and Overfeeding Rules

The simplest portion guide in reptile keeping still applies here. No prey item should be wider than the space between the lizard’s eyes.

Anything larger raises the risk of choking or regurgitation. Offer only what a collared lizard can clear in 10 to 15 minutes of active feeding.

Remove leftover insects from the enclosure rather than letting them wander. Uneaten crickets and roaches can nibble on a resting lizard overnight.

Collared lizards are unusually food driven hunters. They will strike at almost anything offered, including more than they should eat in one sitting.

A set schedule and amount matter more with this species than with slower feeding lizards. Collared lizards rarely self regulate their own intake.

Gut Loading and Supplements

Feeder insects are only as nutritious as what they last ate. Gut loading is not optional for this species.

Feed crickets, roaches, and other feeders a calcium rich diet of leafy greens, squash, and commercial gut load products. Do this for 3 days before offering the insects to the lizard, the loading period the Merck Veterinary Manual recommends.

The gap it closes is large. Merck puts ordinary feeder insects at 0.03 to 0.3 percent calcium against 0.8 to 0.9 percent phosphorus, and three days on a high calcium diet lifts the insects to roughly 0.8 to 0.9 percent calcium.

Dust insects with a calcium powder that includes vitamin D3 at most feedings for hatchlings and juveniles. Adults kept under adequate UVB lighting need this 2 to 3 times a week.

A multivitamin powder once a week covers the micronutrients that gut loading and calcium dust do not fully address. Merck notes that insectivorous lizards fed no preformed vitamin A develop poor growth, appetite loss, mouth inflammation, and swollen eyelids. Skipping supplements for more than a few weeks also raises the risk of metabolic bone disease.

Adults housed under strong UVB need less dietary vitamin D3, since their skin synthesizes some of it from light. Keepers who cannot verify their bulb output should supplement more, not less.

Why Not to Feed Wild Caught Insects

Insects collected outdoors can carry pesticide residue, parasites, or the toxins of species not meant to be prey. A single contaminated batch can sicken or kill a lizard that would otherwise thrive on commercially raised feeders.

Fireflies are the clearest example. The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine reports that the lucibufagins in a single Photinus firefly attack the heart muscle and can kill a lizard the size of a bearded dragon.

No amount of gut loading makes a wild caught insect safe if it belongs to a toxic family. Stick to insects raised specifically as feeders, whether purchased or bred at home.

Avoid anything collected from a yard or field that may have been exposed to insecticide spray. The same caution applies to the broader question of what lizards eat as pets in general.

Feeding Tools That Help

A pair of blunt tipped tongs makes feeding easier and keeps fingers away from a fast, food driven bite. Many keepers use a long handled soft grip feeding tongs to place insects directly in front of the lizard instead of dropping them loose.

A shallow, escape proof dish also helps with softer feeders like hornworms or silkworms that tend to wander. A textured sided feeder dish keeps them contained until the lizard is ready to strike.

For supplements, look for a calcium powder with added vitamin D3 for dusting and a separate reptile multivitamin for the weekly dose. Keep both powders fresh and replace them once they clump or lose potency.

Foods to Avoid

• Fireflies and other bioluminescent or brightly colored insects, which can be toxic
• Wild caught insects of unknown origin or pesticide exposure
• Mealworms or superworms as a daily staple, due to a weak calcium to phosphorus ratio and hard shells
• Fruit, vegetables, or commercial pellets as a primary diet, since this species is overwhelmingly insectivorous and carnivorous
• Insects larger than the space between the lizard’s eyes

Signs of Underfeeding and Overfeeding

An underfed collared lizard shows a visible hip bone and spine. The tail base looks thin, and energy stays low compared with the species’ normally alert temperament.

Weight loss over several weeks despite normal feeding attempts points toward parasites or another health issue. This pattern warrants a reptile veterinarian visit rather than simply offering more food.

An overfed lizard carries visible fat pads at the base of the tail and around the limbs. It moves sluggishly and may refuse food for stretches as its system catches up.

This species hunts so readily that overfeeding is usually the bigger real world risk. Sticking to portion and schedule guidelines prevents most weight problems before they start.

Regular handling and observation beat a scale alone as a check. A collared lizard in good condition looks lean and muscular, with a tail base that stays full but never bulging.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do collared lizards eat most often in the wild?

Grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles make up the bulk of the diet, with spiders and occasional smaller lizards rounding it out. Insect availability shifts by season, so the exact mix changes from spring through fall.

Do collared lizards eat other lizards?

Yes. Adults regularly prey on smaller lizards, including juveniles of their own species, when the opportunity presents itself during an active hunt. Their close relatives, leopard lizards, share this same predatory streak toward smaller reptiles.

How often should I feed a pet collared lizard?

Hatchlings and juveniles need food daily, subadults do well every other day, and adults eat every other day to 3 times a week. The Merck Veterinary Manual sets every other day as the minimum for adult lizards, so drop to 3 times a week only for a heavy adult.

Can collared lizards eat fruits and vegetables?

No, not as a real part of their diet. They are almost entirely insectivorous and carnivorous, and any plant matter in wild diet studies is incidental rather than something to offer on purpose.

What is the biggest feeding mistake new keepers make?

Overfeeding is more common than underfeeding with this species, since collared lizards strike at almost any moving insect offered. Set portions and a fixed schedule prevent the excess fat storage that comes with free feeding.

Do I need to gut load feeder insects for a collared lizard?

Yes. Feeder insects should eat a calcium rich diet for about 3 days before being offered, and should also be dusted with calcium and vitamin D3 powder. An unsupplemented insect diet alone does not meet a captive lizard’s calcium needs.