Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, I just noticed something today and I'm really scared and upset. I have an iguana and since I love him so much I decided to grow him collard greens in my garden.. Well, lately he has been sleeping.. in the swimmers position during the day.. ( right now actually im looking dead at him ) and he is very alert when i hold him, like he normally is. But my mom sprayed miracle grow on his collard greens once and i didnt know about it untill after he ate it a few times. i'm like really really nervous and upset.. What should i do??? Will he be okay and everything?? I dont know if he's sleeping because of her doing this.. but all i know is that i noticed him sleeping more. I know that you should never spray food with pesticides oranything like that. But i didnt know. i didnt do it. My mom did. she didnt know though... it rained on the food a few times. And i think she old did it once.. im just really scared. please respond i need all the advice i can get!

My lazy 10 year old Iguana has been taking naps all his life. Probably a better sign that your Ig is sick is if he is not eating rather than taking naps. I'd take your IG to the vet if you want piece of mind. I always learn about my Ig when I take him to the vet so I don't think it'll be a wasted trip.

Brett

hey thanks soooo much for taking the time to write back.. i talked to my mom and she is rlly upset too. my ig is only a baby.. so like..but he had like 3 hours sleep last night.. my brother forgot to turn my TV off and i found him awake in the middle of the night cuz of it and when i turned it off he went to bed.. do you think this could be why he is napping>>>

If he is not alert when you are holding him and not eating is when I would worry and take him into the vet immediately. I'm no vet so this is just my opinion.

Brett

okay well when i look in the cage and he sees me he is very alert. he is alert when i hold him too...and is eating well.. so can this miracle grow hurt him?!?

I would call a vet and ask.

In my opinion since it was just once he is probably ok, i would guess that it would have killed him or made him very ill almost immediately if it was going to. I would say by now it has passed through his system.

How long ago did this happen?

I would keep a close eye on him, and give him extra soaks and sprays to hydrate and help flush any remaining toxins out of his system. As long as he keeps eating ok i would say he is probably fine, but if there is any doubt in your mind, go to the vet.
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Hey thanks for responding you guys have helped me so much. it was about two weeks ago that this happened.. so im hoping he's ok? he is doing everything normal. he did however get a few hours less sleep last night. would that cause him to nap? i mean id think but i dont know... thanks!

n ill call the vet if his behaviour doesnt improve soon.
oh and should i discontinue use of miracle grow on his food or can i just put it on his roots of the food..

Not one normal dose.

Roer

Your ig is ok. It's just fertilizer, and it's a light dose. Use your hose to gently spray your collards and the remnant of your worry will disappear. He's sleeping because it's spring

Roger

Hi. Im not at vet but i think your iggy should be fine. As Roger said Miracle Grow is just a fertilizer and a light one at that. So of all the things mom could have put on it, this is one of the most mild. And actually his collards should do great, its a good product really for plants to give them a extra boost. And just make sure your rinsing his greens before you give them to him and he should be fine. Hope that helps. Tami

Hey, ohh okay.. so i can still put miracle grow on it or whatever? or should i stop? i hope thats why he is sleeping.. but if you say so. thanks!

No i dont think i would continue to put the miracle grow on. What i do is when i first get my gardens going in the spring and the seedlings are still small i give everything a good dose of Miracle grow, but thats it. I just do it the one time. You could always check with the vet to see what they have to say. Or maybe theres a 1-800 number on the box of Miracle grow that you could call to get more info. Hope all is well with your iggy. Tami

okay im really confused now.. i told my mom to discontinue the miracle grow. she only did it once though so he really shouldn't be affected. but the only thing i have changed since he has been sleeping is his UVB bulb. i bought a new one. and now he is like sleeping all the time. and he is in the swimmers position.. when he has his arms behins to his sides.. like when iggys swim.. but yeah he has never dont that. only since i changed the bulb. it is from petsmart...repta-usum 5.0.. UVB.. could this be it?? if so ill get out and get a new one.. from the first plce i bought his blulb from..

Is your Ig awake any time during the day?
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Sheryl

Touch passion when it comes your way, it's hard enough to find as it is. Don't turn away when it calls you by name......B5

Happily Enslaved to Green Iguana Master G'Kar ~~24/7~~

Hey, yeah he is awake sometimes during the day.. like he sleeps sometimes .

Iguanas, like humans, need near-darkness to sleep. If the television is on, or there is a very bright streetlight right outside the window, or it is loud, he will be sleep deprived and will be less active and more grumpy. His lights should not be on at night, ever. Does he have a non-light heating source when he sleeps? That might clear it up.

Now, that said, as Roger mentioned, it is Spring. Depending on your iguana's mating cycle, this could mean that he is a crazy mating-machine, or that he is in a lull leading up to that. Although you did say your ig is a baby. (How old is he?)

My iguana has been relentlessly sweet for the past 6 weeks, even though I know he is an angry little bucket of hate under all that sweetness. It is almost like he is doped, even though he is in his beautiful breeding colors and eats and poops normally and bobs his head at everything. I know from past experience that he is just ramping up to being a testosterone crazed monster come summer.

What really helps me is that I try to keep an Iguana Diary. I write down if he pooped each day, if he ate normally, how he's behaving, if he's shedding, that sort of thing. And anything I notice that is out of the ordinary.

It has really helped me to determine when he's ill and when he's just acting appropriately for the time of year. I don't keep it all the time, but I try.

Anyway, I also use a fruit-and-vegetable soap that is specially made for washing produce. I found it at the regular supermarket, and it is nontoxic and edible but removes waxes dirt and pesticides from fruit, veg and greens. It makes me feel just a little bit better about everything I feed him.

Hope everything goes well!!

-Erin

okay, first off I want to thank you for responding in depth like you did. You really helped me out. I appreciate it. But anyway, to answer your questions.. no, not all the lights are off at night. he is in my room. That is where him cage is at. but the only thing on is the T.V. and it is on a low setting. I usually cannot sleep without falling asleep to the T.V. You can barely hear the sound of the television.. you just know it is there. I have the curtains closed at night because I dont want people looking in.

My iguana is around a year now. He is about 17 inches long since his tail broke.. Every week or two his tail grows around a half of an inch!!!! It's amazing! But last night I changed his UVB bulb and he is NOT sleeping at all!!!! I think that might have been it because I read the book iguana's for dummies. And
it mentioned that sometimes different UVB bulbs can make them act differently. But yeah maybe that was it. .

You could use a light timer and set the TV to turn off at say, 1 am after you fall asleep?

You're probably right about the UV light too, it's most effective right after it's bought, and the UV output drops quickly after that although it'll probably be good for about six months.

Best of luck!

-Erin

Yeah, I happen to have an extra light timer.. So thats a good idea to get one. But i fall asleep at different times.. so i dont know.. but ill try n set that up. thanks for the advice!