Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. I've just acquired a new iggy (that we named Gahzirra)...a male, probably between 1 and 4 years (it's hard to say exactly, since he was malnourished, and more than likely stunted when we got him). He was abandoned at our clinic (I'm a vet assistant), and spent 2 weeks there before getting to come home with me. He's now been with us for about 2 weeks, and he's beginning to show some signs of gaining weight, and his activity level has increased too. He has a monstrous appetite, absolutely loves the MK salad, and will eat whatever you give him! LOL! He's very social, and loves to be held and petted on his head and jowles...especially after a warm bath.
I've helped with lots of iggy's at work, but I've never had one of my own to care for, so any helpful tips, insights, etc., would be wonderful and most appreciated.
I do have one question to start with, if anyone can help. What do you folks recommend regarding multi vitamin supplementation (type/amount/frequency)? I do give him a calcium supplement (Reptocal) 5 days a week (with a UVB bulb in his basking area). I'm not sure what multi vitamin to give him, or if he needs one if he's on a balanced diet....
Thanks!
Meredith

Welcome aboard!

Regarding the use of supplements, if you're following the MK diet (you mentioned using the MK salad) you should be following it to the letter. She does include the useage of supplements in her diet, as far as how much and how often. I would double check that on www.anapsid.org or in her book, "Iguanas for Dummies".

For a multi vitamin, crushed human Centrum tabs have been recommended and are supposed to be sufficient and probably cheaper than reptile vitamins. I, myself, like to use Repcal's Herptevite. I like it because it contains no vitamin D and no vitamin A, but it does contain Beta Carotene which the body can convert to as much vit A as it needs, if that makes any sense. Like yourself, I also use Repcal for a calcium supplement. Make sure you're using the kind that has NO added phosphorous and NO added D3... you just want plain old Calcium Carbonate.

Five times a day seems like a bit much to be supplementing Calcium. Unless it's vet's orders, I would consider decreasing it. You can actually over supplement, so you have to be careful. My 2-year-old ig had a touch of MBD last year, and he still only gets Calcium twice a week (vet's orders). We've expanded that to the multivitamin, too. So, he gets Calcium on Mondays and Fridays and Herptivite on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

But, again, if you're going to use MK's salad, double check on her recommended vitamin and calcium usage. It will be designed to complement the diet, so that's what you should be doing.

Hope that helped!
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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

Alika,
Thanks so much for your help! I just had the care sheet on iguana feeding taken from Melissa Kaplan's site, and hadn't had a chance to check her site out myself yet. I've made sure to try to follow the MK salad recipe as closely as possible.

For the calcium supplement, right now, I'm giving it to him 5 times per week (once daily Monday thru Friday)because he was so malnourished, and in pretty sad shape. We'll be adjusting the amount over time as his overall health and body condition continues to improve.

Our exotic vet (who raises iggys and other herps himself)said that as long as Gahzirra was eating a balanced diet, I shouldn't need to worry about multi vitamins, just to make sure he was getting the calcium supplement...but the care sheet said that we should supplement with vitamins....soooo I wasn't sure and thought I'd get a second opinion (or three...LOL!).

I will be picking up my copy of Iguanas for dummies this weekend, without fail! As you can see, I definitely need all the help I can get!

Thanks so much for your time and advice!
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Meredith
***********
"What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak; What will people do when they find out it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak; Cause there ain't no disguising the truth!"
(DC Talk: Jesus Freak; 1995 Virgin Records)

I'm glad if that helped you.

I wanted to add that I was told the same thing about vitamin supplements: if the diet is wide and varied, you shouldn't need them. However, MK makes a very good point in her book by pointing out that most commercial plants are grown in mineral depleted soil and they probably aren't as nutritious as they should be. After reading and understanding that statement, I added vitamins to my ig's diet, since I don't have the option of growing my own food and I have no idea what the vitamin and mineral content is in the produce I buy.

It is a personal decision, and, before you're done, you'll read a lot of different opinions on the subject. I hope others post so that you have more information and other opinions to base your end decision on.

Do you have pictures? I wanna see your baby
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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

You know, that really makes sense about the foods being deficient in some nutrients, due to depleted soil from over use. Living in the boonies of farm country, I've seen that around here when farmers have tried to plant one single crop type in their field for several years in a row instead of rotating their crops. I hadn't even thought of that applying to our supermarket veggies too!

I do have pics of Gahzirra that I took the day I brought him home. I have to get my film developed still (don't have one of those new-fangled digital cameras...yet), so I'll post them when I get them. Then I'll get some new photos of him....he's really done some changing just in the 2 weeks he's been here! He's shedding right now, so he looks a little ragged, but at least he's not so thin any more.
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Meredith
***********
"What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak; What will people do when they find out it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak; Cause there ain't no disguising the truth!"
(DC Talk: Jesus Freak; 1995 Virgin Records)

Hi. Welcome to the board and congrats on the new iggy. Sounds like your doing everything right and this iggy will be fat and happy in no time. Working for a vet will have its advantages too i can imagine. Now as far as suppliments alika brought up a good point about the nutrient issues with soil. I had never thought of that either. I was sort of under that impression that my Ozzy is eating a good diet and is healthy so they werent really necessasary. But now im questioning that. Problem is he flat refuses to eat his food if i put the calcium suppliment on it. I have tried it many many times. My ozzys a picky boy sometimes. LOL Now most of his food I grow myself in the summer months, and can only guess that this is better than the quality at the grocery stores. But when i start to buy his food again, maybe i will have to try suppliments again. I am curious did you have to go to school to be a vet assistant? I am dental/orthodontic assistant now, but am considering a career change. Love to work with animals and this is a idea i have toss around. Im currently unemployed so considering my options right now. Or better yet a combination of the two, i know cats and dogs get there teeth cleaned and is that something that only the vet does? Or can a assitant do it? Sorry for all the questions just something i have been wondering about. Thanks and good luck with your iggy. Tami

Hi Tami,
Wow! I think it's awesome that you grow some of your iggy's food! If I didn't kill every plant I tried to grow, I'd give it a try! LOL!

Gahzirra didn't like the taste of the calcium supplement either at first, but I guess his stomach finally over-ruled his taste buds and he just decided to go ahead and eat it (now nothing stops him from chowing down!). It's gotta have a chalky taste though, so I can't blame Ozzy for not really liking it. I really hope you have luck getting him to finally take some.
I wonder if maybe you might be able to mix it in with a little bit of natural fruit juice and just make like a "fruity-calcium-gravy" to pour over his food? I don't know if that's even a feasible solution, but maybe worth a try?

When I became a vet assistant, all my training was O.J.T. I started out as a kennel attendant in '96, and helped out the techs and Drs whenever they needed assistance. I finally moved up as a full time assistant a few years ago, and now I'm taking courses to become a registered vet tech.
There are places where you can take courses and receive a certificate to become a certified veterinary assistant(CVA), which might be a big asset on your resume when applying for a job. Some clinics are happy to train you on the job, others may expect you to have some expierence/training (especially AAHA accredited veterinary hospitals, which are the creme de la creme).
As for doing dentals on the animals...some clinics do allow their assistants to do them, others will only allow technicians to perform them. It really depends on the hospital.

Anyway, I hope this helps you out. If this is something you think you'd really want to do, I say go for it! It can be the most rewarding thing you've ever done...and sometimes the most heart breaking....but always worth it.
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Meredith
***********
"What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak; What will people do when they find out it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak; Cause there ain't no disguising the truth!"
(DC Talk: Jesus Freak; 1995 Virgin Records)

If you give your ig a balanced diet, he won't need a vitimin suppliment. Here is my wife and our ig, Iggi.

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

Wow! Iggi is gorgeous! How old?????
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Meredith
***********
"What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak; What will people do when they find out it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak; Cause there ain't no disguising the truth!"
(DC Talk: Jesus Freak; 1995 Virgin Records)

Thanks! I think both of them are gorgeous! Iggi was 4 years old in that picture. Now she is 4 1/2. We try to keep her happy as well as healthy.
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

Well, it certainly seems you're doing great at both!!! She's beautiful!
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Meredith
***********
"What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak; What will people do when they find out it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak; Cause there ain't no disguising the truth!"
(DC Talk: Jesus Freak; 1995 Virgin Records)