Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my iguana is currently having some sort of odd problem where whenever he tries to go to the bathroom, it gets stuck. I end up needing to pull it out with tweezers. I give him calcium and feed him fruits, vegetables, and peletted foods. Does anyone know what this problem could be?

My heavens, I believe a vet visit is in order...be careful useing tweezers to pluck anything from the vent area...sounds dehydrated to me....diet should be mostly dark leafy greens (collard, mustard, dandelion, escarole) and then mixed veggies and minimal fruit...I spray all my food with water before feeding for added hydration because they usually depend on their food for water and rarely drink...Pelleted foods usually contain too much protein to be of any good to an iguana...good luck...and let us know what the vet says....also could he be impacted with something? what kind of substrate do you use and double check temps....Lyn

I agree with Lyn, sounds like a vet visit is definitely in order, and your diet needs work.

But, another thing to keep in mind (depending on the amount of calcium you're supplementing) is that excess calcium can cause constipation.

However, I would lean more towards dehydration and a vet visit, along with changes in your diet (try the greens Lyn mentioned, as well as different types of winter squash).

Good luck,

Wendy
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"It's not a matter of IF...but WHEN" ~Bill Haast~

"Joy unspeakable...to be holding death in your hands..."

What you could see hanging out of an iguana's vent, and causing constipation, are semenal plugs. If your iguana is male, and in season, having a SEVERE backup of these semen plugs can constipate him... either way, it's vet time.