Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok im starting to get concerned about ozzys hunger strike. Ever since he went into, what im pretty sure is breeding season, he isnt eating much at all. This has been going on for several weeks now and im starting to get concerned. He is still pooping occasionally, but not like he used to. Normally he would eat two nice helpings of iggy salad a day. Now he will barely even touch his salad. The only thing the stinker will eat is blueberries, he just cant resist those. He wouldnt even touch the canatalope, which normally he loves. His main salad consist of collards, mustards, maybe a touch of some parsley, green beans, butternut squash and either some cantalope or blueberries. And the occasional nastursium which he also can not reisist. So how long can he go on like this, i mean i understand this is normal for their eating to drop off during breeding season, but im just starting to get concerned. Its just so unlike him, he is normally a really good eater, loves his salad. The good thing is he is drinking more water than normal. I have actually seen him drink from his bowl several times, and he rarely would do that. Also he doesnt really seem agressive, this is our first breeding season so im new to this. Im being cautious with him of course, but so far so good. Any input you guys have would be great. thanks tami

I wouldn't worry too much yet... My 4-1/2 year old ig Dexter is doing the same thing now. For the past several weeks, he has hardly eaten anything. A bite or two of his main food, and maybe a collard leaf (a day). This is the first year his eating has really dropped off for the pre-breeding season. He is still quite calm, but I know he will be a total wretch in a month or two. Strangely enough, once he starts getting real aggressive, he will start to eat a ton of food again!

My Male will go from eating 2 dinner plates full of food twice a day, to eating just a handful greens a day.
Just keep giving your Ig whatever he will eat at this time and make sure to soak him just as often as you usually do. Keep up with the fresh drinking water too. As long and the Ig stays hydrated it will be ok.
If you see any changes with the poop color or consistancy then have the vet check him out (bring in a poop sample too).

Ok in reading the question and the other posters, i have thought mine is male. Hard to tell because i don't have a mate to compare with. The only thing i can say is he does have two buldges near his vent. Either way, his eating has decreased dramatically also. Is this breeding season for them, and if i'm mistaken and it's a female, do they go through this also?
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Dragonflygirl109

A friend of mine has a female (I have a male) and her Ig goes through the same thing every Autumn too.....

are they supposed to sleep a lot more also? Reason i ask is because my ig recently had an injury on his/her tail. It looked like a water blister. It just suddenly appeared one day. It wasn't there in the morning and all the sudden it was that afternoon. It looks like a burn blister but there is nothing in his cage to have given that to him. I took him to the vet and the vet said to leave it alone, the skin will die and act like a bandaid for the new skin to grow. Meanwhile it is draining the fluid which is a yellow color. I was told to watch it for infection. But last couple of days all he does is sleep. Has anyone had anything similar like this happen? Is he sleeping because of breeding season? Any input would be great. Thx.

P.S. Sorry maybe i should have just posted this as a different topic.
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Dragonflygirl109

breeding season? My female Ig is 6 this fall. Is this what she's going through - I don't recall seeing her experience this before - not eating, and constipated. The constipation is my biggest concern because I am able to coax her to eat a small amount each day. However she hasn't emptied her bowels for a few days. Is this common behaviour for Igs during breeding season? How do I deal with the constipation? Does anyone have suggestions? I give her a warm bath every day and she usually stays in the bath for 30 - 60 minutes... no bowel emptying...
thanks for any suggestions.

Hey Im having the same problem! I just posted then decided to read through the posts...and there was your post!! Do you know if this is breeding season for igs?? How long does breeding season last?

At least we both know we're not alone in the hunger strike!!
Let me know how Ozzy is...
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Austin, & Kaiya)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
3 Red-Eared Slider Hatchlings (Otis, Jasper, & Jade)
1 Southern Painted Hatchling (Milo)
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