Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all I just got a very large Iguana(5'-5 1/2')from someone. I am aware of the proper care, but the former owner was not. They had been feeding him dog food along with "Green Stuff". He seems to be healthy. However, I am concerned that his diet may cause issues at some point. Is this something I should be worried about? I picked up collard greens, mustard greens, endive, carrots, apples, and kiwi. I used this to make an Iguana salad He ate this with no problem yesterday. He is also nice and tame. I am going to build him a better cage here in the near future too.

You should have him examined by a herp vet. Bloodwork will reveal a lot about his true condition. Also, get his poop checked for parasites. Igs are very good at hiding illness. It's a survival instinct. And...check out the website www.greenigsociety.org ...it has all the current information you could ever need!
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Greenwicche
"Whatever you want to do, just do it. Don't worry about making a fool of yourself. Making a fool of yourself is absolutely essential." Gloria Steinem
0.1 Green Iguana; 2.2 Spanish Ribbed Newts; 0.0.7 Newt larvae; 3.2 African Dwarf Frogs; 3.1 Cats; 2.0 Dogs

Having protien in his diet (from the dog food the other people feed him) can cause kidney problems.
Really great indepth information by Melissa Kaplan is avaible at http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/kidneyfailure.html is the direct address for info on kidney problems
also her book Iguanas for Dummies is one of the best book s you can have on hand for reference.
James Hatfield's Ulitmate Iguana Manual is also a great book.

Hope this helps. Good job getting him on a good diet. Iguanas are very special pets.
Kaplan's iguana info