Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The vet said that he'd grow eventually, but Irish is NOT growing!! It's been..3 or 4 months since I got him and he was 10 inches long STL and he's grown a grand total of ONE INCH since then. He's parasite free and gets a diet of 2 or 3 diff greens (usually watercress, dandelion, mustard, collard, endive, or escarole) with 2 or 3 diff veggies (diff types of squash, carrots, peas, parsnip, or zuchinni). His food is dusted every feeding with either Miner-All I or Iguana Growth Formula. He's in a sterilite container that measures 30" x 16" x 18" (or something similar to that) and has a hot spot of 95-98 F and a cool spot of 78-82 F. He has a Repti-Sun 5.0 over his cage and gets misted twice a day and baths 1x a week. He's got a water dish and has a couple of branches and a fake vine to climb. I don't think I'm doing anything wrong, but he's not growing at all! He's shed only once on his head. I'm worried, but the vet told me that it's fine and he's just a little stunted from the pet store. Oh.. and he's 8-10 months old. Advice please!

Zephyr has grown 4 inches since i got him on April 25th (i believe) even though he was kept in a 55g and was only 3ft stl. (havnt actually measured svl, he is currently in the bathtub,dont want to disturb him) i did meet a guy who was so admiring of Zephyr and said his iguana was kept in a hex and grew 2 feet longer after being in good care with him for a few months. thats amazing to me. each iguana will grow when they want to, and Irish knows hes so spoiled, he just isnt in a big rush to grow up i didnt see if you included the tank temperatures in your post but ill go see again, but keep in mind that higher temps=higher metabolism, so if its too cool that might explain his lack of growth spurt
Sarah

Does he ever get to bask in the real sunlight? I'm not saying that'll guarantee a growth spurt but. . . real sun IS a magic thing for Iggies. If an outside enclosure is impossible, consider whether you have a sunny windowsill that you could open (screened sun is good. sun through window doesn't count) and let him bask. You probably already know not to put his tank in the sun . . . so you know I mean to let him sit directly on the sill. My 4 big adult Ig's have a big (8'x8'x12') outside summer cage but all I have outside for my Bearded Dragons is a Reptarium (ick!). Sometimes when we're eating breakfast on the weekends...I'll just open the window in the breakfast nook and let the dragons bask there while we're eating and I can watch them. Even a little real sun is better than none at all.
Good luck.
Rebecca

Well I live in an apartment...So I only take out my herps on the weekends when I have time to sit with them outide for an hour or two. I'm afraid to leave Irish on a windowsill. He's so tiny and I'm pretty sure that he could go behind the couch or bookshelf.

yeah, i wouldnt risk it. too much of a loss if Irish got away then the heat (no uv lights from a closed window) basking on the windowsill

now, Zephyr is another story. he loves to roam
Sarah

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