About a month ago, I purchase a baby green iguana. When I first got him he was very feisty and pretty much never slept. He ate a lot. Recently I've noticed a change though. I've always fed him Romain Lettuce or grapes, just as the pet shop instructed. However, he's not eating much now. I feed him the same diet at the same times. I'm really worried about him and I don't know what to do. Can anyone give me some advice?
Your diet is extremely incomplete - thats likely one of the issues here. You mentioned, however, that you are following the petstores instructions - i suspect that they gave you a lot of wrong info, such as the diet info they gave you. Its extremely important that you do your own independant research when you get a new animal. Could you give a complete run down of your set up? -Tank size? -How is it heated? -What is the basking spot temp? -How are you measuring the temps? -How is the tank set up - tank arrangements, etc? -What brand of UVB bulb do you have? How close is it to the iggy? How old it is? -What supplements are you using and how often? Romaine lettuce is not very nutritiontial - neither are grapes. Staple green veggies should include: collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, turnup greens, endive, escarole. Squash is also excellent. Most important, you need to do some serious research - and fast on iggies. The best resource on the web for iguanas is www.anapsid.org - download her iguana care sheet pdf - its more like a book than a care sheet, but its extremely detailed, thorough and excellent information. If you give us a run down of your set up we can help you make sure that your husbandry is correct. Proper husbandry is key to iguana health and appetite. Its important that any issues with husbandry gets fixed quickly, as baby iguanas are pretty delicate...reptiles are very good at hiding issues, and by the time you start seeing symptoms they are often very stressed or ill.
I figured that was the case. I have a 10 gallon tank. On one side I have the water & food dishes and on the opposite I placed a log which he can climb up towards the heat lamp. I place a thermameter near the (clamp)heat lamp and the usual temp is around 85-95 degrees. The bulb inside the heat lamp is 75watts. I looked at the UV bulb and the only thing I found on it was 7% UV. The UV light rests right on top of the tank, so it's pretty close to him. As for the age, the pet store wasn't able to provide us with any information. I've only had him a month and he still fits in my palm. Right now the only supplements that I'm using is Calcium and I was told that I should only use a pinch at every meal. The only thing that I have found on iguana is that they shouldn't be fed anything citrus and iceburg lettus. He doesn't like bananas all that much. He loves grapes though. I've also noticed that he doesn't like to be in the heat...is that normal? Does the sound level effect them at all?
What kind of thermometer are you using? If its not a digital thermometer then you definatly need to get one - the temps could be a lot higher or lower than you think they are. You can buy a digital thermometer with a probe at walmart, home depot or petco. Tape the probe on his basking spot. The basking temp should be 100-105degrees. However its important not to mess around witht he temps unless you have a good digital thermometer. A 10gallon tank can be difficult to get the high basking temps you need, because they are so small. Its easy to "cook" your iggy in a tank that small. Using an elevated branch that allows your iggy to get close to the lamp will help you have a high basking spot while not overheating the whole tank. However, a better option is to get a 20gallon long. you also want to have a shallow but large water dish - big enough for the iggy to sit in and move around (another reason why you may need a bigger tank) When you say "log" do you m ean one of those half logs? Iguanas are climbing lizards and should have a basking branch to climb on. what does the UVB lamp look like? Is it a coil? or is it a long tube? If the bulb is not a long tube then you should get a new one. In fact, if you are not sure of the brand then i would get a new one anyway. The 7% bulbs are often the Slimline ESU bulbs - ESU uvb bulbs are very poor quality and do not give off much good UVB. I would go and buy a Repti-sun 8.0 or 10.0. High quality UVB is ESSENTIAL to your iggys wellbeing. Iguanas also need a high humidity - if you are not already spraying him down you should start spraying him daily. Soaking him daily at this point is probably not a bad idea. Get some better veggies for his diet too, as this will help. You really should read some good care sheets - such as the information on anapsid.org - its important you get some good iguana info. An iguana as small as the one you are describing is extremely fragile and its extremely important that you get the husbandry fixed asap. Please make the corrections you need immediately and hopefully he will pull through. If, after adjusting his care he does not improve then you should take him to aa good reptile vet for a check up. If your iguana does make it through this time, keep in mind that they live for many many years and get very large. You need to be committed to these guys for the long haul. An adult Iguana can easily reach 6ft and requires a very large cage, or ideally a small room to accomidate them. Please do some research - its great that you re looking for help on these forums and i hope that your iguana improves with the improved husbandry you are going to provide. Good luck!
I agree with everything MimC has said, change his diet to a more nurtritional one is vital. I would even say a bigger than a 20g tank is essential with a correct thermal gradient, with plenty of climbing branches. A water dish big enough from him to gett into they very often "poo" in it, mine did. UVB should be at least a 10% the repti sun is ideal and it should be able to get within 6 inches of it to be effective. A fully adult iggy needs a minimum size cage of 6x4x2ft, bigger if possible. As it's a baby it could be a wild caught, if thats the case a fecal sample should be taken to a vet and tested for parasites etc. If you make these changes then it should become a healthy iggy. Good luck with it.
I took my baby to the vet with the tank and all of the items that I have for him. The vet said that for his size I have the right equipment. They did an intestinal parasite exam and well he hasn't been eating because the bacteria in his tummy is coming out when he uses the bathroom. After the exam the vet said he got sick from his own feces and said I would have to clean his cage out more than once a day. i was only cleaning his tank once a day. We switched certain things out in the tank so he could have more room to roam around. He gave us two different medications and we've been giving it to him. We've been force feeding him as well. He's still hanging in there but we won't know if he's going to make it until he can actually get eat on his own again. The vet also said we had to treat the water, which I wasn't inform about. Either way, I just hope my baby makes it because i would be saddened if he dies
A 10 gallon tank is too small. Even for a hatchling. While your vet has many many years experience in diagnosing problems in animals.. I doubt he or she has spent much time as a reptile keeper. In such a small tank your iguana has little choice but to walk over its own wastes.. and by doing so it can and usually does get introduced to their food and water. This reinfection and too small of an enclosure can very quickly become too much for your lizard to handle. If you add handling / moving / cage cleaning to that.. the lizard is probably completely stressed out. Get a bigger cage. A 20 gallon long would be a good choice if he is small. give LOTS of hiding places to hide. This can easily be done with artificial plants. consider using an artificial background of some time on the back or even on the back and the 2 sides. vary its diet...a lot. you can even give it a cricket every now and then. yes iguanas are considered vegetarians but as babies and juveniles they have little trouble dealing with a few bugs, it really helps them maintain weight, and in the wild they will chase down and try to eat most bugs they come in contact with. if your lizard is eating on its own.. absolutely do not force feed it... many times.. once this practice is started it can never be stopped.. the stress just becomes too much and most lizards will refuse to eat on their own after being force fed for a period of time.
Well my iggy isn't eating or drinking water anymore. He's become very weak and it saddens me to see it this way. The medicine seemed to be working fine, but yesterday he just wouldn't move and won't touch his food. We're not force feeding him anymore either. He doesn't want to be near the heat just stays away from it and refuses to go near it. I've made many alterations to his tank, but i guess nothing is working. I'm preparing myself for the worst now.
Im very sorry that your iggy is not feeling well... Did you get a new UVB, uvb can do wonders for their attitudes. Also, have you been soaking him in warm water? Im not sure what medicine he is on, but most medicines will dehydrate them and often make them feel poorly...soaking for 15-30minutes daily will help counteract this. Soak him in shallow warm water, refresh the water as needed to keep him warm. DO NOT leave him unattended, especially since he is so weak or he could drown. Also, a probiotic is very helpful in counteracting the negative effects of medication. You can order some from www.reptilesupply.com (acidophiliz+) I would get it shipped overnight since your iggy is so critical. Try to get some food into him "force feeding' can be very stressful - but if you dribble some food onto his lips, he may lick it up. What have you been force feeding him? I really hope he makes it - he is definately critical, but keep working with him and hopefully he will pull through. If he does not, im sorry...baby iggs can be tough, they are very specialized in their requirements and can be very delicate...
It saddens me to say that my iggy died last night. I wasn't home when it happened but my bf was. We called the vet yesterday morning and he said there was nothing that we could have done, he was going to die either way. Which by the way pisses me off cause he just gave me false hopes to begin with. And he could have just told us that instead of having us buy the medicine. It's really hard because I feel as if it were my fault. I will not be purchasing a new iguana until I get better euipment and get over the fact the my 1st one died. Now I know what I was doing wrong, and I've learned. Thanks for the advice though. It really helped me understand more about iguanas.
We would do that, but he wouldn't lick the food. He'd just turn away and he wouldn't want to be in the heat....We were soaking him also. He actually loved to swim which was fun to watch him. I didn't realize how hard they were to take care of. We thought we were doing good since he was getting better... but like i said, he passed away.
I am so very sorry to hear he passed away, my thoughts are with you. Please dont beat yourself up, you did everything you could to help him. You say you had him a month, it may well have been he was sick before you got him, reptiles are "experts" in hiding any problems they have. May be in time, when you get over this and you feel you want to try again, you may wish to try looking at rehoming or from a breeder or specialist reptile shop, rather than your average petshop that sells everything. You made his last days comfortable and he probably knew you really cared. R.I.P. little guy.
Yes, I've been watching all the videos i have of him and going through all the pictures. I'm going to read up more on iguana before I decide to get a new one.
You need to read these instructions from a the most highly qualified reptile vet, Dr. Boyer in San Diego. He helped write the book on Reptile medicine and Surgery http://www.pethospitalpq.com/ieducate/?op=...FFnVf/c6pc/FLI= The best advice you can get.
Make sure to get a bigger cage. If your going to get another baby iguana around the same size as your last one, you need to get at the smallest a 55 gallon tall aquarium. This is the smallest size cage that even a juvenile iguana should be kept in. It is large enough to maintain a basking area 95-105 degrees, a moderate 82-86 degree area, and a place to hide to cool off. Also it is taller than most aquariums and gives the small iguana more room to climb. Around the 1year mark, the iguana will outgrow this cage and you will need to upgrade to a new one. At this point you will more than likely need to build or have someone build you a custom enclosure. At the very least 6ft tall, 4ft long, and 3ft deep. Diet and lighting are the most important! Without uva and uvb iguanas cannot digest food or absorb the nutrients from the food. Also without proper lighting your iguana will become weak, bones will not absorb calcium and the bones will deteriorate. Most Iguana keepers use a cat litter box for a water dish. Its big enough for your iguana to get its whole body in if it wants. Just make sure the water is shallow enough for your iguana to stand up, some juvenile iguanas have been known to actually drown. Water should be changed daily because of 3 reasons, 1) Iguanas drink the water 2) will more than likely poop in the water and 3) Bacterial reasons. Do not ever trust what a pet store tells you. 99% of the time they are just trying to make a sale. When you decide to get another Iguana please please please, come to this forum and ask questions on here if you have them! We are more than happy to help you out. I am a member of 4 different forums now (just found this one today). Forums are a great way to get ideas for decorating cages and to get answers to questions you may have.
Also here is a link to Melissa Kaplans Iguana care website. She is the author of "Iguanas for Dummies" which is the #1 Iguana care book. She is very knowledgeable about Iguanas and is a good safe place to get your facts on caring for an Iguana. Melissa Kaplans Herp Care Also here is a pic of my lil ig, Tyann, she is almost a year old.
