Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, I posted some time in December about how my iguana had changed colors, and it was requested that I had pictures, and finally found a camera, so here they are!

The story is that when I got the igg, he was really pretty green. The picture he is green in was about 5 months after I got him. It has been about a year now (my how he has grown) and he has lost all of his color. He is now a greyish black lizard, and I dont know what to do to fix it and make him vibrant again, or even if it is possible. Any help is appreciated more then any one will ever know. I don't care for him any less, but for the same reason people dye their hair, I just prefer green better Thank you in advance in case my response is limited.

When he was young

When he is old and grey (1 year)

Takes less time to pass a kidney stone than to load up the pictures!

Alright, first off, all baby green iguanas are born, if healthy of course, bright green. Like most reptiles, juveniles are bright in coloration, and with age, the colors dull, and some even disappear.

In iguanas, color and form are often related to origin of the area they come from. Some have more spikes, others less, others brighter, other duller.

Secondly, temperature and lighting are 2 important factors. Warm temperatures yield brighter colors, cooler temps yield darker colors. In addition, proper lighting, with sunlight being the best of all, yields bright coloration.

Third, stress and health. An healthy animal that is not stressed and 'happy' in captivity will often (tho NOT always) display vivid colors.

Fourth, is the envornment. An iguana in a dull, dark-colored environment will not be as vivid as an iguana in a bright-predominantly green environment.

You do not mention your iguana's captive specifications (cage size, lights, feeding, etc.).

Diet also has an affect, tho not to such extent.

An iguana in a VERY spacious, well-lit (as in, proper heat, basking spot, cooling spot, and UV lights) and undisturbed environment should be mostly "green". Do you handle him a lot? Is there a lot of noise in the house or outside? Dogs barking in/out of the house?

The important thing is the animal is healthy. Also consider it is still growing, and they grow fast, so the skin is constantly shedding.

Some iguanas will be predominantly brownish/green, others green, etc. If you have space and resources to build an outdoor enclosure for the summer, you should see a dramatic change, not just in color, but also in behavior.

Hope this helps.

-IJ

If you are a Windows XP user, go here. You'll love how easy it is to downsize any picture size to any dimensions you want.
MS image resizer

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

I have a few questions:

What is his current diet?

What is his current UVB? What brand? Number of bulbs, legnth, one or two bulbs? Does it has a reflector? Is there any plastic, glass, or screening covering the face? How far is it from the back of the iguana? When was the last time it was replaced?

What is his temps? Basking? Ambient? Lowest? Nighttime?

Well maybe more than a few.
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Marie
Baby, Dragon, VLS-Huff, Miss Kitty

I use T-Rex Iguana dust over a variation of Squash, Carrots, Mustard Greens, and Collard Greens. When I run out of food, I usually feed him ReptiCal Juvenille Iguana food for a day or two. I use Reptisafe Decloronation drops in his water refreshed daily. He is currently in a 40 gallon fish tank that has a green background along with two plastic plants, two twigs, and the same skull from the first picture. The UVB I use is about 4 months old, is a Repti Glo 5.0 Trpical Terrarium Lamp 15w 30% UVA 5%UVB. It was suggested that I replaced my old one the last time I posted and havent seen a difference in this new one. There are no loud noises except for when I turn on my stereo (once every three or so weeks) other then the TV which is not turned up lound. I do live in a basement and there is no natural sunlight where I am. I hold him as often as I find time which is about 3-4 times a week, and he poops regularly in the same spot daily. The temps in his cage vary with the lowest being 72, and the basking spot being 92 and the place the usually lounges is 85. There is a screen on the top of the cage, other then that it is a full glass cage. Thanks for the fast replies and the help, and sorry about the picture size, I didnt realize they were that large till after I posted them.

***I use T-Rex Iguana dust over a variation of Squash, Carrots, Mustard Greens, and Collard Greens. ***

An iguana's diet should contain the following each day:
70-80% calcium rich greens: Collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelions, arugula, watercress are the better ones. Kale, beet greens, chicory greens and escarole used in combination with the better greens are also good. Stay away from lettuces (except for a very occasional treat) because they have very very little nutrition if at all and the iguana will fill up on it and not eat the nutritional food--in otherwords it is junk food. Spinach should only be used occasionally because it is way too high in oxalates and phospherous. The oxalates bind with the calcium making it undigestable and the phospherous binds with calcium in the blood making the calcium there useless. But spinach is high in iron so it is good if only used very occasionally (1-2x a month maybe).
20-30% vegetables: Winter squash (acorn, butternut, kabocha, ect..), green beans, snap peas, okra, parsnip, yucca root. Summer squash (zuchini, yellow, mexican or white, ect...) occasionally is good too. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are good color enhancers.
No more than 10% fruit: Blueberries, figs, mango, papaya, and prickly pear (cactus) are the better fruits. Strawberries, raspberries, black berries and melons are good. Flowers should be considered a fruit
percentages based on volume
ABSOLUTELY NO ANIMAL PROTEIN OR BY PRODUCTS

***When I run out of food, I usually feed him ReptiCal Juvenille Iguana food for a day or two. I use Reptisafe Decloronation drops in his water refreshed daily. ***

That really should only be used as a supplement. A tablespoon dried rehydrated in about 1 ounce of water. Dried it can cause dehydration. But soaked it can help with hydration, regularity, appetite, and vitamins/minerals. You do not need any other supplements. You could be oversupplementing if you use other supplements with this.

***He is currently in a 40 gallon fish tank that has a green background along with two plastic plants, two twigs, and the same skull from the first picture. ***

That is too small for him. A 55 gallon is recommended for only up to 1 year of age. After that it is recommended that it's adult cage be built/bought. It saves money to go ahead to build his adult enclosure rather than continually building larger ever year. They grow very quickly. An adult enclosure at minimum should be 5-6'hx 5-6'lx3'D. There is instructions here for building a simple one www.greenigsociety.org/habitat.htm I suggest using plexiglass and wood for the doors though to help with heating and humidity.

***The UVB I use is about 4 months old, is a Repti Glo 5.0 Trpical Terrarium Lamp 15w 30% UVA 5%UVB. It was suggested that I replaced my old one the last time I posted and havent seen a difference in this new one. ***

Well UVB fluorescent lightening should be set up with the following: (from www.cyber-ig-info.netfirms.com/uvb_light.htm )
1) Purchase good-quality, proven fluorescent tubes. We recommend Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 manufactured by ZooMed®. These lights have show to produce the best amount of UVA and UVB for Iguanas and other sun-basking reptiles and are readily available in most reputable pet shops. For a complete comparison of readily available lighting, please see: www.uvguide.co.uk/fluorescenttuberesults.htm
2) Use (2) of these lights in tandem to gain the maximum amount of UVB necessary.
3) Use a good-quality lighting fixture. Low-cost fixtures have a lesser quality ballast that effects UV output form the lamps.
4) Increase UV output by using a fixture with a highly reflective surface. Covering the reflector wings with common tin foil (shiny-side out) will increase UV output by 50%.
5) Place the fixture so that it is no farther than 6"-8" from the back of the iguana while basking. The greater the distance from light to reptile, the less UVB is produced.
6) Replace fluorescent tubes every six-months as a general rule. UVB weakens and disappears after about six-months. It's important to realize that even though the tube is still producing light, there may not be any UVB left. You can readily monitor the UVB amount by using a Solarmeter 6.2 UVB Radiometer. This handy device will allow you to measure the UVB emissions in microwatts per centimeter squared (mW/cm2), allowing you to know exactly when the tubes have become so weak they need to be replaced. This can save you money in the long-run as some tubes will produce UVB up to one year.

One other thing: When was his last wellness vet check?

Hope this helps
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Marie
Baby, Dragon, VLS-Huff, Miss Kitty