Ducks are well-known for their love of vegetation, but they also have a taste for meat. In fact, ducks will happily tuck into almost any small animal they can find.
They will eat lizards, snakes, and other reptiles with gusto. And that’s a good thing because it means they also eat pesky insects as part of their diet.
Ducks and Geese tend to be active both during the day and at night, so they can catch lizards that are most active at dawn and dusk.
Table of Contents
Do Ducks Eat Lizards?
Let’s start by confirming that ducks of all types will eat lizards and other reptiles. They might even eat small mammals, too, if they can get away with it.
Ducks are quite opportunistic, and they will go after just about anything they can catch! Ducks will also eat fish, invertebrates such as crickets and caterpillars, and even eggs – but only if they can get them without any hassle.
Is It Healthy For Ducks To Eat Lizards?
Lizards are considered fine for ducks to eat, they provide nutrients the ducks need to stay healthy. Here’s a breakdown of what lizards give them:
Fatty Acids: Spinach contains omega-3 fatty acids and linolenic Acid, which is an omega-6 fatty acid. Ducks can use this to help keep their feathers healthy.
L-Carnitine: L-Carnitine is an amino acid that helps with the metabolism of fats in your body. It also contributes to the overall health of your heart. You can find it in fish, pork, beef, chicken, and even dairy products. The good news is that you will find it in lizards as well!
Cholesterol: Our bodies need cholesterol on a regular basis to stay healthy; we just don’t need very much of it at all! We absorb most of our cholesterol from what we eat; however, there are some animals that have high levels naturally occurring in their bodies such as lizards and amphibians.
Calcium: There are lots of great sources of calcium that you can feed your ducks, some examples include leafy greens, broccoli, kale and other veggies that are high in calcium. Your duck’s bodies absorb up to 90% of the calcium they consume with just 10-15% being passed as waste – that’s why it’s a good idea to give them extra calcium if they don’t seem to be getting enough.
What Should Ducks Eat?
A lot of what we consider leftovers and table scraps are good also for ducks, here are the most popular and healthy ones:
-Vegetables: Lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, peas, corn and cauliflower are all great choices.
-Fruits: Most fruits are good treats for ducks, for example Apples, bananas, and grapes are healthy treats to offer them.
-Grains: Grains are one of the most important food to feed ducks, it helps to keep their stomachs full until their next meal. It is also good for their digestion, and it helps to absorb the nutrients in the food they will eat next. Some popular foods are brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, wheat and it’s are all great options.
What Ducks Shouldn’t Eat?
Not exactly everything that is good, or can be eaten by us, is also recommended for ducks.
Many things can be dangerous or deadly to the health of a duck, the list below of foods you shouldn’t feed to ducks is really just a guideline. You should always check with your vet if you have any doubts. But I advise you to avoid feeding them these!
What is the food to stay away from?
– Citrus Fruits: Due to their high acidic levels will cause problems to their digestive system.
– Raw rice: I advise to always give them cooked rice and not raw, it could ferment in their stomach.
– Chocolate: yes, you read it right, chocolate is bad for your ducks because it contains toxic elements (caffeine) for ducks.
– Coffee: I know, it’s a little bit harder to imagine that the duck could eat coffee, but you should avoid giving them any.
– Eggshells: It can be healthy, but that might confuse them and lead to a wrong behavior: eating their eggs after being laid.
– Sugary and/or Salty Foods: ducks have a very low tolerance for salt and sugar.
– Raw Meat/Fish: They can transmit disease and lead ducks to uncharacteristic behaviors like high aggressiveness, always give them cooked!
Conclusion
Ducks will eat lizards, and they will eat other small reptiles, too. If there is a large population of frogs and lizards in your pond, the ducks will have plenty to eat.
Ducks will also eat a variety of insects and pests, which will help to keep your pond healthy.
