Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all.

Back when we adopted Forest we were told by his previous owners that they used to bring Forest home treats like shrimp, lobster, etc & that his favorite treat was chicken. They said he'd run to the kitchen or deck when he got a whiff of it.

This past weekend, we grilled chicken. When we brought it in & sat it on the counter, here came Forest & camped out for an hour & a half in the kitchen. I didn't put it together until later becuase we have never given him chicken (or anything else that's bad for him). Later when I figured it out, I felt bad for him. He could smell the stuff!

Today I got thinking (yeah, yeah...)& the food list I have from the Green Iguana Site has pasta listed as an occational treat. I have pasta, even the no-egg stuff...so I went up to the store & got some low-sodium chicken bullion.

I came home, boiled some pasta in the chicken broth & offered it on top of Forest's normal salad. He went nuts! He loved the stuff. Tastes like chicken, but not chicken. I'm telling ya, he about took off my finger trying to get at it.

I was wondering what you all thought? Maybe I can even find salt free liquid broth to boil it in next time. Maybe once every couple weeks I'll treat him....???

Remember, he was used to being given bad-for-him treats for SEVEN years. Since he's came to live with us, NOTHING but what's good for him. He must really miss it. I could tell that when he parked his butt in my kitchen & all but climbed my cabinets trying to get to the stuff.

What do you guys think? I'd appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Terri

OK, went back to the store today & there is no such thing as sodium free bullion or broth that I could find to boil Forest's pasta in.
Also, when I went to wake him this morning he was smacking his chops so I squirted some water in his mouth from the squirt bottle. He was drinking it just like that & I've never seen him do that before. He was a thirsty boy.
Soooooo...much as he may have liked the pasta boiled in chicken broth, I don't think the lizard will get it except on special days like Christmas...days when I can make sure & be able to hydrate him VERY well the next day.
Bummer. Try, try again..........

Hi,
this is sam-n-ella's wife , after reading your post i did a search on low or no sodium boullions, and found 1 site, for very very low sodium, also they sellno sodium chicken broth, would that work as well? ive included a link for a diabetic food website, also health food stores should carry a no sodium soup, boullion or broth,

i absolutly love the stories and pictures of your iguana, hes very beautiful,
Link

...or chicken, or french fries, or ice cream, or peanut butter - they'll eat just about anything (even newspaper - see above) if given a chance. I know they're considered herbivores, but I wonder if scavenging isn't part of their repertoire. (I've heard that some species that are native to Mexico can be a problem by getting into the local trash.) Even my herp vet gave the OK to feeding my igs a little bit of meat or other stuff, but only in small quantities and only on rare occasions.

I'd be interested to know how other ig owners look at this issue of feeding "non-ig" food. Never? Rarely? Whenever? Are there any particular items that should never be given to igs under any circumstance?
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MichaelB

I've seen too many igs dying of kidney failure from being fed animal protein. Personally I'd rather not take the chance with my Sweetpea. Just because they'll eat it, it doesn't mean it's good for them...kids and candy.
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I'll shut up now!
Angelina, Licensed Veterinary Technician
"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

I was looking for something to mimmick chicken. I'd have never thought twice about it until he parked his hiney in my kitchen for the longest time after smelling it. If it's bad, I didn't & wouldn't but...pasta was an ok treat & chicken broth had no animal protien so I thought I had a grand idea!
Well, my poor lizard about took the water bottle out of my hands because of his thirst that I'm sure was due to the sodium. I guess I'd rather have him miss it than go through dehydration over it.
I figured they got stuff in the wild that they probably shouldn't have....heck, Forest flicks his tongue like a snake when he's outside & scoops up these little love-bugs here in FL. I'm not gonna pick them out of his mouth but I ain't giving him pizza, shrimp or chicken either.
I guess the boy is stuck with a "mean momma" (my sons nickname for me when he doesn't get what HE wants) & lots of fruits & veggies.
LMAO....sucks to be my child or pet.....wish I had it so rough...LOL....Terri

I know what it's like to be the mean momma...been there, done that! Now I'm the mean grandma!
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I'll shut up now!
Angelina, Licensed Veterinary Technician
"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

I was thinking about this & wondering if your guy would go for fake chicken. Morningstar Farms makes a "chicken" nugget that is soy-based. You can usually find their products in the frozen food section of big grocery stores (or places like Whole Foods & Trader Joes).

I'm guessing it's still probably too high in fat & salt to give him regularly, but maybe it would make a safer treat?

Just a thought,

atomic (human) & grass (ig)

You guys have given me a couple good ideas.
I appreciate all your help.

Terri

I run a rescue.

I get in each year many iguanas that are so very ill with renal failure that they can barely function. Last year I had 17 iguanas that came to me with renal failure.

That being said, we know what causes it. This is something we have learned over the years. Each and every iguana with renal failure has been fed animal by-products. Each and every iguana suffers terribly from the disease. It is not pretty.

Knowing what causes it, and know that feeding those items will (not can) result in a painful death, you can do as you wish.

I personally would suggest against it. Iguanas will also eat french silk panties, dog poo, coins, hair, thigh high stockings, kitty litter, ect... None of these things would be in their native home, and i spose the only one resembling food is the poo. That is the biggest reason that loose substrate is suggested against.
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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

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