Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My iguana only eats lettuce, maybe apple and mushrooms. He doesn't seem to be taking to much. Any ideas as to why?

It appears healthy, just shedded. I've got a basking light for it, keeping it warm and all, a semi-spacious tank for it too. It seems active, likes to sun itself. But its eating habits are pretty skimpy. Are iguana supposed to eat a lot at once? Or is this normal?

Dude, you are joking right?

My iguana only eats lettuce, maybe apple and mushrooms. He doesn't seem to be taking to much. Any ideas as to why?

Have you read any literature or caresheets on iguana-care? If yes, why are you feeding it lettuce and mushrooms???

It appears healthy, just shedded.

Reptiles shed no matter what.

I've got a basking light for it, keeping it warm and all, a semi-spacious tank for it too. It seems active, likes to sun itself. But its eating habits are pretty skimpy. Are iguana supposed to eat a lot at once? Or is this normal?

Do you have a full-spectrum light also? They do need that ye know. And what's with the semi-spacious tank? Why would you keep it in a cramped place? Eating habits are skimpy probably because it is living in a cramped place, has a horrible diet, probably has internal parasites, and probably lacks the proper UV lighting as well.

Either you found the basic "Don't Do" things on the list and posted them for kicks, or you're way off the right track.

Visit this website, and read a few threads on this forum to get an idea on what to do, and what not to do.

-IJ
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/icfs/index.html

IJ, you needn't reply to my posts.

To others, I DID READ THE CARE SHEETS!! The "lettuce" I meant was leafy greens. Mushrooms have been cited for their diet by others; I feed it hyacinth leaves, tomatos and appled; banana, carrots, collared greens and some store-bought iguana pellets. He only touches the "lettuce."

I WONDER, ONCE AGAIN, IF THIS IGUANA IS NORMAL? I can't really get him to eat a variety.

As for the "semi-spacious tank" I found a rubber maid for it, SINCE THE GUY WHO BOUGHT IT KEPT IT IN A FIVE GALLON AQUARIUM AND I COULDN'T AFFORT AN EXTRA HUNDRED BUCKS. I've also put it outside during the hotter months but NO, SORRY IJ, I DON'T HAVE EXTRA CASH TO GET IT A 'POWERSUN.'

My observations is that it's surviving okay, could do better. Anyone else besides IJ please let me know if this is normal, for a juvenile not to eat voraciously.

just because an animal is surviving doest mean it's healthy. i have a younger iguana that would eat her own weight in iggy salad every day if i let her. she lives in the guest bathroom on a jungle gyme i built on top of the counter. i likewise havent had the money to afford a spacious enclosure for her, but i think i have improvised well. she also has a space heater (set up where she wont get too it and burn herself), a basking lamp and her UVB lamp. she comes down to the counter to eat and get water.
i havent heard anything about how well they work, but i found a fixture that comes with a 5% or 7% UVB light that only cost about $35. i believe it is called "slimline", and is made by ESU Reptile. thats really not that much when you compare it to the vet bills you are looking if your ig gets MBD from lack of sunlight.
as far as your ig only eating "lettus" (also commonly refferd to as "greens), this is what they do in the wild. a study was done on the contents of about 20 iguanas' stomachs, and veggies were only found in one, fruit in one, and the remaining 18 only had greens. they are a specialized herbivor that eats mainly leaves and flowers. http://www.anapsid.org/iverson.html and http://www.anapsid.org/tracydigestion.html for more info on iggy diet and phisiology.
and dont get mad at IJ. it really is very frustrating when you have such a passion for these green pains in the ass, and do everything you can for the ones you have at home to make their lives better, and hear about another iguana that you believe is recieving impropper care.
the majority of iguanas in captivaty dont get to die of old age; they suffer for years from their owners ignorance or indifference, and eventually die at a young age. its what this forum is here for, to provide information and tips on propper care, and can get a bit, ummm, tense at times.

Chill out dude,

just look at how you wrote it:

you mentioned lettuce, you did not mention UV lighting, and you mentioned "semispacious". You were very vague, hence why it looked like either your post was a joke, or you were off the right track.

Iguanas, young or old, can be picky eaters, especially after a traumatizing previous ownership. In general, a healthy juvenile will eat "well", not necessarily voraciously like a carnivorous lizard, but with good appetite.

But until its captive conditions are at their ideal, required levels, as well as its physical and "emotional" health, you'll have a finnicky eater, and a very lethargic animal.

Good luck,

-IJ

how big is your iggy and how big is the enclosure, how much and how often does he get natural sun., i belive above the physical needs there is a mental side to it. several hours of uvb a day are needed for there mood as well, also if he dosnt have enuff room to play and burn energy he wont eat properly. hes not useing the energy so why replace it? there are cost effective ways to give an iggy what he needs. but really if an iggy is for you than giveing him what he needs shouldnt be a problem, cages can be built instead of bought and hardware store light fixtures are much cheaper than petstore ones. alot of effort and mantainence go into a pet like yours, so you need to decied if high mantainence is for you, if not consider a leopard gecko or a cornsnake, either way good luck to you.

Listen to them! Iguana are not like other reptiles, they need UVB lighting for strong bone and for mental health. They don't eat that much, compare to herbivorous mammals, but they do deficate everyday just before eating... mine does it every morning. So you need to feed food that are good for them! You are going to end up a sick animal if you don't change your husbandry! Go to this site! It has every info you need!
www.anapsid.org