Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So he hasnt ate in the last 2 days ive had him, How long can they go without eating? I gave him a warm bath, he was moved quite a bit in that Does anyone know if theres any kind of disease that would make him not want to eat or move? does internal parasites do that? he couldnt have.. I think its called mbd at such a young age could he? and plus i would see that wouldnt i ? and if not would that stop him from moving and eating? and how old do you guys think he is ? hes 2 feet. im not really sure if its a male, just calling him that for now thanks ahead.

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0.1 Green Iguana (Skinnered)
1.1 eastern blue tongue skinks (Pixie and Dixie)
1 IndianXBurm (Cuddles, 5foot)
0.1 Albino burm (Lestat 3foot)
2.1 Ball pythons Davey, Burgees, Twinkie (3-4foot)
0.1 Columbian Red tail boa (Chester 4foot)
1.0 Savannah monitor (Dino-LeeZard 1foot)
1.0 Albino Australian Shepherd (Sheepy)
1.0 Parakeet (Trucker)
1.1 Kitties (Jizzer and Miss Kitty)

Hello
MBD is something that can be picked up in the young. I suggest you get a GOOD UVB bulb. I use a Merc. Vapor from Reptile UV (they are a bit expensive). Reptisun 5.0 can be ordered offline for rfairly reasonable prices.

Is your little guy warm enough? If you have a "hot" rock in his cage take it out. They malfunction way too often and end up burning the iguana or lizard that is sitting on it. I suggest a "human" heating pad set on low. One that does NOT have auto-shut-off. Harder to find around here but...

Also, What are you trying to feed him? I have enclosed a link to a "food" website that lists things that are good for him.

Is there a vet in another town that you could take him to? Or even a "warm blooded" vet that is willing to communicate with a GOOD reptile vet and learn?
Good luck and keep us posted
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1.0.1 Green Iguana Andy and Vernie
0.2.0 Cats April and Sugar
1.0.0 German Shepard Dog Router
0.0.50 Fish
And lots of rescues waiting to find homes...

sorry I forgot the silly link here ya go. also
http://www.greenigsociety.org is a WONDERFUL website for information on iguanas and their care. I also suggest you pick yo "iguanas for dummies" I know the title is a little offendish but... Its a wonderful book and many of us here have the book. I use mine often and find it to be very helpful.
GREEN IG SOCIETY FOOD CHART

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1.0.1 Green Iguana Andy and Vernie
0.2.0 Cats April and Sugar
1.0.0 German Shepard Dog Router
0.0.50 Fish
And lots of rescues waiting to find homes...

I know not to use a heating rock, he has a uv light, dunno what brand.. it was 50$ bulb. oh hes got a underheater too.
his basking is 94 degrees his cool side is 79 degrees. I put a paper plate in there with lettuce, strawberrys, blueberrys, sliced carrotts, and celery. is he scared of the paper plate
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0.1 Green Iguana (Skinnered)
1.1 eastern blue tongue skinks (Pixie and Dixie)
1 IndianXBurm (Cuddles, 5foot)
0.1 Albino burm (Lestat 3foot)
2.1 Ball pythons Davey, Burgees, Twinkie (3-4foot)
0.1 Columbian Red tail boa (Chester 4foot)
1.0 Savannah monitor (Dino-LeeZard 1foot)
1.0 Albino Australian Shepherd (Sheepy)
1.0 Parakeet (Trucker)
1.1 Kitties (Jizzer and Miss Kitty)

Angelic,

I'm going to be very blunt with you, because I want your iguana to live.

I see a lot of people in your post below saying it's not your fault that your iguana isn't well. I disagree. You obviously have not done any type of research before buying your pet. For example, the food you are feeding him is really not the best. And what's more, you chose a sick iguana because you wanted a calm and cuddly animal and did not educate yourself enough to know that iguanas are rarely calm or cuddly as juveniles.

Now don't get me wrong, a lot of people who have no idea what they're doing end up being the best iguana keepers. This is because they have no idea the amount of work involved, but they love their iguanas and so will learn to do anything to keep them healthy and happy. You sound like you have a loving heart and really care for your iguana.

However, I see a dangerous pattern starting. You chose your iguana because "all the other ones were crazy and mean." If you really love your iguana, then understand this right now: In Iguana Terms, crazy and mean = _Healthy_. Lethargic and calm, especially for juveniles = _Sick_. Healthy iguanas wriggle, whip, and bite when they are little. They hate and fear you and want to escape, because to them you are a predator. Anyone who tells you something different is misinformed, or trying to sell you something. Perhaps a sick iguana.

But the good news is that if you take your iguana to the vet, and you handle him every day, and you feed him the right food, he will learn to trust you and will let you care for him. He may even learn to like it. And you will have a wonderful friend for (hopefully) the next 20 years or so.

No matter the sex of your iguana, if you do things right and s/he becomes sexually mature, there will be many months out of the year that he/she is moody or even violent. You will not be able to trust him around your face, your kids, or anything green, because s/he will bite and hiss and scratch. S/he can not help it. That is just how healthy iguanas are in breeding season.

So I am telling you this now: Get ready. Read everything you can find. Go to anapsid.org and read everything. Go to the library and ask them to find copies of Melissa Kaplan's book on iguanas and James Hatfield's "Ultimate Green Iguana Owner's Manual". Go to the grocery store and the web and learn what the right things to feed your iguana are. SAVE UP SOME MONEY. As much as you can. You will need it for vet bills and the giant cage your iguana will need in about 18 months.

Others will tell you "It's not your fault". Do not fall into the trap of believing that because you didn't know what you were getting into, or because you rescued an iguana, that you don't have to do everything your iguana needs. "Hey, a life with me and no vet care/correct food/UV light is better than dying in the petstore, right?" Not true. At least dying in the petstore is quicker.

This rant is not directed only at you- If you know other iguana owners who think this way, don't let them get away with it. Rescuing an iguana, or being an ignorant new owner, does not entitle you to slacking on the iguana's care.

You are off to a good start now, because you have found the wonderful people on this forum and you are headed to the vet.

Here's to many years of happiness with your new green friend.

-Erin K.

She has already stated she is looking for a vet. There are vets in her area but they are wildly expensive.

She is also using UVB. She knew she needed UVB so she apparently did some research somewhere.

Her diet isnt the best but I have provided links and information that she can use to better her diet.

You didnt bother to offer any information. All you did was ranted and raved about how she did the wrong thing. It is almost like you havent been following her posts over the last few days. Maybe her ig isnt even sick. But he is scared. How would you feel if you had beenc aught in a net? After being abused and mistreated in a cage full of other igs? I would imagine it is quite tramatic. I agree that it sounds like he isnt the healthiest of all critters. But most animals that come from pet stores ARENT healthy. Even the WILD ones. We must remember this. I am sorry of this sounds like a personal attack on you. It is not.

How many of us have taken in a sickly rescue because we felt sorry for them?

She is willing to learn about what needs to be done. They say hindsight is 20/20 and I do believe that. But, this iguana is in her care now so we need to combine our knowledge on this board and help her in any way we can and not be Blunt or attack anyone. We all make mistakes and we all have to learn from them. So we can either attack the new generation of iguana owners because they bought a less than healthy iguana. Or we can be teachers of sorts and help them learn.
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1.0.1 Green Iguana Andy and Vernie
0.2.0 Cats April and Sugar
1.0.0 German Shepard Dog Router
0.0.50 Fish
And lots of rescues waiting to find homes...

I agree. The vast majority of new iguana owners don't know what they're doing. Even if they make an honest attempt to do some good research, there is so much bad information out there that it's easy to stumble across the wrong information and do everything wrong... which is what happened to me.

angelic_eyes, the important thing is that you're here trying to learn. Getting set up the right way and into good iggy habits is the hardest part. Things get a little easier once you get everything down and get them healthy.

I haven't seen anyone recommend the book "Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owners Manual" by James Hatfield III. I bought it and use it in combination with "Iguanas for Dummies", and I believe it's the best book combination you can own. It's a little pricey, but I believe if you go to his website at www.iguana.com, he's offering a reduced price on the 2nd edition. It might be worth checking out.

Also, reptiledirect.com, bigappleherp.com, and reptiledepot.com sell reptile supplies for much cheaper than you'll find them in petstores. I just bought my replacement ReptiSun bulbs from reptiledirect for about $16 each, when my local PetCo was asking $35 a piece for the same bulbs. I also buy my calcium (RepCal) and vitamins (Herptivite) there. I'd suggest you talk with your vet, once you find one, about supplementing calcium and how often for your specific ig. Hopefully you are able to buy online so you can have access to the best of everything at a reasonable price; None of our local petstores even carry RepCal or Herptivite. If you do decide to order online, get all your supplies at once to save on S&H, or it won't be worth it.

Oh, I'm not sure what kind of cage you have, but if you are looking to build one but aren't the best construction/designer (like me!) Hatfield includes detailed instructions on how to build his "Ultimate Iguana Habitat" at the end of his book, which I recommended above. Hubby and I are seriously considering building it in a few years when we buy a house, because the quality looks good and the instructions seem easy to follow.

Before you go to the vet, get a fecal sample. That way, you can test for parasites while you're there. My vet recommends that all reptiles have a fecal once every six months. You'll have to talk to your vet to see what he/she thinks is best for your ig.

Finally, if your ig likes fruit, try figs. If you can't find the fresh kind, look for the dehydrated kind in the produce section. Then, stick a fig in a bowl of water and microwave it for 1 minute to rehydrate it. Cut it up and wait for it to cool, then serve it to your ig. Mine LOVES figs, and it's good for getting moisture into him. Figs are also one of the only two fruits that contains usable amounts of calcium... the other is papaya. Don't offer it every day... you'll want to give time for those little seeds to pass through his system. Oh, and sometimes wetting the salad with the water you cooked the figs in can stimulate a healthy appetite

I hope those tips helped you. I tried to give some that you don't normally see on a board like this. You'll hear plenty about what kinds of foods to feed, what UVB bulb to use, how big a cage should be... etc. etc. The rest are little tricks I've kind of picked up over the last couple of years.

I've been where you are. Don't let anybody get you down. Good luck!
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~Alika~
1.0.0 green iguanas
0.1.0 cockatiels
1.0.0 senegal parrots
0.1.0 blue-fronted amazons
0.0.1 red belly piranha

Well thanks again with all of your help, he is moving a bit now, when i leave and come back he'll be in different spots. still not eating, and i did add several more things to his dish from the link! (thanks!) Im still taking him to the vet monday even if it puts me in the hole. I'm sorry I didn't do my research, its just so many keep iguanas as pets, and I have monitors, and snakes, i figured it wouldnt be that hard, I mean I knew all his requirements.. I know alot of people say dont buy that crap at the petstore, but whats the difference from adopting one or buying one at the petstore, thats just were they end up when people dont take care of them right. Then theres people who say go to a breeder... But thats still not giving the guys at the petstore a good home.. oh well.. Im sure everything will be okay with him. Thanks again for everyones help!!
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0.1 Green Iguana (Skinnered)
1.1 eastern blue tongue skinks (Pixie and Dixie)
1 IndianXBurm (Cuddles, 5foot)
0.1 Albino burm (Lestat 3foot)
2.1 Ball pythons Davey, Burgees, Twinkie (3-4foot)
0.1 Columbian Red tail boa (Chester 4foot)
1.0 Savannah monitor (Dino-LeeZard 1foot)
1.0 Albino Australian Shepherd (Sheepy)
1.0 Parakeet (Trucker)
1.1 Kitties (Jizzer and Miss Kitty)

Not making a personal attack here...but...

The reason I feel you shouldn't buy from petstores is that by purchasing animals or supplies from them you are supporting an industry that is responsible for the suffering and deaths of hundreds of thousands of iguanas every year. I refuse to buy ANYTHING from petstores, because I'm sick of seeing corn snakes being fed crickets, iguanas housed with desert tortoises, and people walking out after being "taught" immensely inaccurate information that will inevitably result in the death of their newly purchased pet.

Just a personal opinion, but one I feel very strongly about.

I haven't been following your threads, but from the few posts I have read, I believe that you need to purchase both Iguanas for Dummies and The Ultimate Owner's Manual and read them cover to cover if you want your new pet to thrive. There are good sites on the internet as well, but a lot of them are rather inaccurate, so be careful where you take your information from. Research, research, research!!!

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..."

I have to agree here. I've seen some pretty horrible things happen to iguanas with owners who had no clue what they were doing. Iguanas are sold at petstores almost in the same manor as hamsters or mice. So, I think people may think that they are easy to care for, or that they are "expendable" pets. (Ya know, like when parents get a first pet for their kid, thinking it'll be a great starter pet, but turns out to be the opposite.) I have over 15 yrs experience with iguanas and about 20 with reptiles, and I still don't consider myself an expert. I'm continuously hearing about different things with other peoples' iguanas that I've never had any experience with myself. A relative of mine actually had his iguana put to sleep because it was getting too big. These animals should be in the same category as dogs and cats, and should get the same amount of care, but they don't. They are like the goldfish of the reptile kingdom, and it's very, very depressing.

This is why I think that in order to own an iguana, a person must have a permit, just like they do with ferrets. This would just make a person know that they are taking on a serious responsibility before they get an iguana, and they would do their research. I rarely ever hear about ferrets being abused like iguanas. And if you don't have the money to care for your pets, you really shouldn't have them. I used to work 3 jobs (1 full, 2 part-time) in order to keep my pets at their very healthiest. That's just my opinion.
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~*Chibi*~
Sir Iggy ( 1.0.0 El Salvador Blue Iguana), Ryo-ohki, Orion, Bud, & Finnegan (3.1.0 crazy kitties), Rosebud (0.1.0 cockerspaniel), and Kayko (0.0.1 leopard gecko)

More like hes not interested in that kind of food. read the link I provided. Greens NOT lettuce. Turnip, mustard and collard are a MUST at every meal. These are to be taken off the stems and the larger veins taken out of them and finely chopped. the pieces of greens should be no larger than his head. NO LETTUCE. Fruit should only be used for water intake and treats. No wonder the poor little guy doesnt feel good.. Hs hungry, but apparently doesnt want to eat what you are serving. Celery is full of water but none of my igs will eat it. If you are gonna use fruit (and if I were you since hes so dehydrated I would) I woiuld use Grapes or maybe a bite of banana to get him to eat. Not a whole banana. Just a few bites mixed in with his greens to get him interested. I would mash this up

You can also pick up CALCIUM at the pet store. Its CA rate should be 2:1. 2:0 is much better if you can find it. I know some pet stores sell it and others dont. read the directions on dosing a little ig. I would just sprinkle a "pinch" into the banana as you are mashing it.

Acorn squash can be fed as well at every feeding. My guys love it. Peel the hard outer rind off of it and grate the cantelope colored flesh with a cheese grater.

Mango is very good for them. It contains alot of water and its calcium levels are great! Mine dont care for the tastebut they will drink the juice from the fruit if I smash it.

Print out thepage I haveattached and take it shopping with you
Your STAPLE veggoes and fruits are the ones that you use all the time.

OCCASIONAL are for treats and some color or something additionsl.

Good Luck Keep Us Posted. If You Have Any Questions Please Feel Free To Post Back
Green Ig Socirty Food Chart

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1.0.1 Green Iguana Andy and Vernie
0.2.0 Cats April and Sugar
1.0.0 German Shepard Dog Router
0.0.50 Fish
And lots of rescues waiting to find homes...

We can't really tell you what could be wrong with him. We could take a few stabs at it, but it would prob be the wrong diagnoses. He could be just petrified right now and doesn't want to move. Or something could be wrong with him. If he had MBD you could tell, swollen bones and such, but if it's an early stage it shouldn't restrain all his movement. right now you just need to let him get acclimated and used to his cage. Try not to handle him. That will stress him more if he is in fact stressed. There are countless things that could be wrong, or nothing could be wrong at all. Just get him to a professional and see what he says is wrong. you should take him in for a first-time check-up anyways. To check for parasites and anything else. Good luck with him/her..
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1.0 Savannah Monitor - Artimus
2.0 Emerald Swift - Jesus, unnamed
1.0 Baby veiled Cham - Sir August De Winter 1-20-05 RIP
1.0 Green Iguana - King Arthur
1.0 Rose-hair tarantula - Bill
1.0 Basilisk - Adam
0.1 Water Dragon - Lady