Am i hurting my iguana?

Question

i got my husband an iquana when he graduated fromcollege in febuary. they said he was about 5 months old. i have been haveing the hardest timegetting him to eat. tryed putting green chopped up with fruit in his bowl he wouldn't eat that. i got the soft jell iquana food, he ate a little of that not much. i got the canned iguanna juvenile food he did ok with that but still not great. So i tryed pureeing the fruits and vegys and putting it in sugar free jello. he loves it but i am afraid it might be bad for him. Am i doing more harm than good for elivis the iguana?

i thought that might be the problem but he moves around his custom built tank he has lots of toys, he swims in the tub once a week. he will eat out of my hands but only rasberrys. thats they only thing he likes. and jello

Answer 1

The first two answers are both right and both wrong to a degree. Iguanas are very social, and like many reptiles, they are affected by subtle changes. These changes can have an adverse affect on them which results in everything from not eating, to having reduced immune disfunction leading to illness. In reptiles we call this stress. Stress in reptiles is a killer, and though it can loosely manifest itself in a way that the layman might call "depression", it is not depression like we think of it in humans. They may become scared, or uncomfortable, but reptiles don't have the depth of emotion that mammals do and therefore they can't be "depressed". That requires a broader range of emotion than the Iguana has.

Anyone who would charge money to give a diagnosis of depression, and give you pills to treat it, is just a snake oil salesman who's found a pure sucker! Besides the fact that ( same as in people ) these pills don't solve anything. They just make you care less about the crap that is wrong around you. In order for any stress in a reptile to be treated, the conditions that have caused the stress need to be changed.

Based on the pure fact alone that this Iguana is eating SOMETHING...stress probably is not the leading cause of the problem. Sounds like he is just a spoiled youngster who has not been fed properly since he hatched.

The things you are feeding him are unhealthy, and since he is young and growing YES, they are harmful. It could be FATAL in fact. A growing Iguana needs a very healthy diet which consists of veggies high in calcium, low in phosphorus, and fruits only as occasional treats. If you continue to feed him the wrong diet you could cause him to develop metabolic bone disorder ( MBD ) which can have him grom up deformed, and possibly die a painful death.

Over use of vitamins and minerals is just as dangerous, so don't just jump into following everyone's advice to give more vitamins and minerals. That's just an uninformed guess, and if they are wrong it could have negative consequences for your animal. More is not better UNLESS you KNOW the animal is not getting enough to begin with.

Same thing I tell everyone with an Iguana: Go see Melissa Kaplan's information at www.anapsid.org
There's more there than you will find anywhere else on Iguanas, and she's about the best in the field on captive husbandry on Iguanas. Here's a link right to her care sheet on it.

http://www.anapsid.org/pdf/icfs.pdf

Iguanas are very demanding and I would urge you to consider strongly whether you have the experience, time and willingness to commit to research and money that it will require.

P.S.>>>A "5.0" UVB fluorescent light is not enough for an Iguana. Your Iggy will grow up with MBD. You need to get him a mercury vapor UVB ( Mega-Ray or T-Rex Active UV Heat ), or use several fluorescents. Serious herp keepers use mercury vapor, and the Iguana is definitely not for a beginner, so you you need to start out with the right UVB lighting. http://www.reptileuv.com/

Read my answer on UV lighting here:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AppTJgltdaZh.CQ6BTyOjjEAAAAA?qid=20070316074443AAT63NH&show=7#profile-info-e83386793fda4776690d36954ba697f3aa

Though it wasn't picked, it was the best answer regardless. No offense, but Yahoo answers allows the person asking the question ( who didn't know the answer to start with ) to pick the best answer.

Answer 2

Yes, you are hurting him. Iguanas can go through depression. This is what you need to do.

They should be feed:

45% leafy greens such as escarole, dandelions, endive, mustard, and collards, NO lettuces or spinach! They aren't good for him.
45% hard mixed veggies such as an orange flesh squash the harder the better(acorn,pumpkin,butternut... fresh green beans, fresh peas, parsnip, and green bell peppers, NO broccoli or cauliflower, or avocado!
10% fruit such as figs, papaya, mango, pear, and berries. NO bananas, only very rarely as a treat.
NO ANIMAL PROTEIN such as bugs, meat, eggs, or cheese!

Cage size:

Minimum length (side to side): 2-3 x
Minimum depth (front to back): 1.5-2 x
Minimum height: 1.5-2 x


Temperature:

They need a basking area of 95-100 and normal temps of 75-85. NO heat rocks!

Lights:

They need a 5.0 UV light.

Hydration:

They should also get baths everyday or so. And should have a water bowl in their cage.

Vet:

You should take Your Iguana for regular vet checkups to make sure it is in good health. Reptiles can have internal parasites that can harm them so you should make sure the vet checks that.

Here are some good sites, the first one was recomended by my vet.

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html
www.greenigsociety.org
www.triciaswaterdragon.com/igcare.htm
http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas/igbook/
http://www.reptilecare.com/IgCare.htm

Answer 3

as long as he gains weight and eats and drinks a little bit here and there then he will be fine and iguanas dont go through depression, thats crazy talk, i have an iguana but he is a picky eater but instead of giving him to much sweets give him more of the supplements like iguana Calcium it will prevent MBD.

Answer 4

Did you know that iguanas and all other animals can go through depression, they can be feeling down, get him some toys that he enjoys sit down with him,play with him, try to cheer him up.
I have an iguana, his name is shamrock, i bought him together with another iguana which he was really close too, but the other iguana died and now he is two years old, he was really sad when the other iguana died, i was scared that he would also die.I took him to an animal psychiatrist and she gave me some depression pills for animals, he wouldnt eat. it was so hard for me, now he is much better, he eats, and plays. Im thinking about getting him another iguana, maybe your iguana needs someone like himslef or herself to relate to