Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have an 11 yr old lizard that has started sleeping most of the time. So I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or he's just getting old. His appetite hasn't changed and he gets heaping bowls of romaine, collards, dandelions, red leaf, and kale (which have been soaked in water and dusted with calcium and vitamins) His enclosure is 6 ft high 4 ft wide and 3 ft deep and his temp is 85 to 90. Over 3 months I have moved 3 times, which has been a little stressful for him. He has wrinkled skin, so He might also be dehydrated but I can't keep water in the enclosure with him since he's terrified of it, so I constantly mist and soak his food.

I'm worried that the first 3 yrs of his life will shorten his life span since he was fed a leaf of iceburg every other day with pringles and fritos. Many of his bones had been broken by children playing with him (most of his fingers and some ribs) He was given no heat or UVs and lived in a 40 gallon tank. I would like to do everything right so that he lives long. Hes my first ever little buddy so I want him around, I don't want him to get old.

Have you looked at getting him into a vet?
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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There are not many knowledgeable vets in my area on reptiles. Many who say they are but none that actually know what they're doing. I figured asking on this site might be beneficial since there are people that have raised and bred iguanas.

There *are* a lot of knowledgeable people but that isn't a substitute for good vet care. A good vet could make a proper diagnosis, but none of us have ever seen the animal or know anything about it. Someone might be able to help you give the vet an idea of what to look for, but not much more than that.

Where are you located? Maybe we can help you find a good reptile vet.

I think you should cut out kale and collard and feed him this diet that I'm about to post the link to. I think you are feeding too much kale and collard which is causing him to developed hypothyroidism. they contain a lot of goitrogenic compound these two leafy greens. And please take an experience reptile vet.
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/igdiet.html

Here is a good link to a list of vets that may in your area.
http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html

Here is a good article for you to read:
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/hypothyroidism.html

COLLARD GREENS ARE FINE,AND THEY ARE NOT ON THE LINK YOU RECOMENDED, SO WHATS UP???? VM

It might be a problem with animals that are sensitive... Some animals, just like people, are more sensitive to this stuff than others.

And besides that we are trying to lower the amount of goitrogen in the diet.

According to my vet (herp vet for 40 years)there is new research on collards and they are higher in oxylates than originally thought. He no longer recommends them as the main staple, though they are fine a few times a week. He recommends dandelion first and foremost, followed by mustard and turnip as the big three.