Green Iguana eating problems?

Question

I just got a baby green iguana, and have him in a 30 gallon tall tank, i got him about a week ago... hes a real little guy. the tank has wood to climb, a dish full of food, and a dish full of fresh water. he has his basking light which hits above 90 depending on where he lays, and a reptisun 5.0, UVA/UVB light.

the problem is hes not eating really anything and hes getting really skinny, you can see his ribs. i attempted too even hand feed him, without success. he also sleeps all day and seems unconscious when he sleeps, he even sometimes falls off his log when hes sleeping. he only seems active when i move him outside or into the bath. he was only 10$, and i want to keep him, and i'm considering a vet, but i heard they can cost up to a couple hundred dollars, and i don't know if its worth it.

any help on what to do with this poor guy would be great.

i can also supply pictures if necessary

Answer 1

Also, try chopping up his salad in a food processor so it is in very little pieces--this may be more appetitizing for him. Use a sprinkle of Calcium/D3 several times a week and once a week Reptivite multi vitamin supplement. Up his basking temp to 100 for a baby. The UVB should be within 12 inches of his basking spot. Basking and UVB at one end of the tank, cooler on the other end. Is his water dish large enough to soak in? Very important! And yes, have him checked for parasites. We treat parasites at our practice, and it shouldn't cost you hundreds of dollars--an office visit, a fecal test, maybe antibiotics if infection is found--should be less than $100.00 I would estimate.

Answer 2

I wouldn't go by that list. My iguana is HUGE about 3 1/2 - 4 feet from head to tail and he's not even a year old yet. He loves to eat. I started feeding him store bought crickets, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, dandelions, and I dust the crickets with calcium. He also eats figs, and will sometimes creep up to my plate and try to get something off it like a begging dog lol. I keep the temperature around 85 all the time. And let it go down to about 80 at night time. I don't use special lights. I just use a regular lamp that he basks with. I put an older entertainment cabinet infront of the window for him for living quarters with sticks, branches, etc.... and only use a 10 gallon fish tank for the crickets and food. And for potty he goes in a cat litter box, 1/2 filled with water, I use a heater to keep the water around 85 as well. So, the more room you give them, the bigger they will get. Don't let people scare you about crickets, Charlie eats about 75 a week. Long as there store bought, they are very high in protien and are a good food source for your iguana. They eat them plentiful in the wild. It's the crickets you catch in your yard that's bad because they're filled with pesticides and that can kill your iguana rather quickly. I hope this helps. Good Luck and have fun with your iguana.

Answer 3

Most baby iguanas are loaded with parasites when they are imported into this country. I really recommend you take him to a vet, and fast. The original price of the animal should not be the factor in buying an animal. You must provide proper health care, housing and food.


Diet:
Iguanas are herbivores; they do not eat animal protein of any kind. Commercially available Iguana food is not suitable for use as it usually contains animal protein. An Iguana's primary diet should include collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, escarole, green beans, parsnip, winter squash, alfalfa, strawberries, mangos, figs, cantaloupe and a calcium supplement. The greens should make up the majority of the diet.
The Iguana should be feed early every morning. Additional feedings may be made later if the iguana eats them. Water should be provided, preferably in a dish too small for the iguanas to immerse themselves in.

Size:
Iguanas can grow to 6 foot in length.

Age............... head to vent…..total length
Just hatched……...2 in ………….6-8 in
3 months……...….4 in…………..12 in
6 months…………6 in…………..18 in
1 year…………….8 in…………..24 in
18 months…….…10 in…………..30 in
2 years…………..12 in…………..36 in
3 years……….….16 in…………..45 in
4 years……….….18 in…………..54 in
5 years…………..20 in…………..60 in
6 years…………..22 in…………..66 in
7 years…….up to 24 in….....up to 72 in

Housing:
Where x is the length of the iguana, housing should be x tall, x deep and 1.5 x long. Iguanas are arboreal and need to have something to climb on. A bathing area is also desirable. Iguanas instinctually poop in water and they are likely to consistently use the bathing are to do so.

Heat:
Iguanas need a basking area, normally at the top of the climbing area that has a temperature of 95F. The lower areas of the cages should be cooler as a lizard regulates his body temperature by moving to warmer or cooler areas. The lowest temperature, nighttime, should not be less than 75F. Nighttime heat can be provided using ceramic heaters or night bulbs. Never use heat rocks with Iguanas as they can cause burning.

Light:
Iguanas live in equatorial areas. They should have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. They also require high quality UVB lights (such as reptisun 10) to facilitate vitamin D production to allow calcium absorption. Vitamin D drop are not a suitable replacement due to problems with dosing and lack of evidence on their effectiveness. Daily trips outside, in a suitable enclosure, are desirable when temperature permits.

Handling:
Iguanas must be handled daily to socializing them. As they can inflict injury with their tails, teeth, and claws the purchase of protective gear for the forearms is often considered (my son uses a leather jacket and gloves). They are not domesticated animals so this behavior is instinctual on the Iguana's part. The daily handling is to show them that you are a friend rather than a threat. Never punish an iguana, but at the same time do not let them win. If the Iguana learns that tail thrashing will cause you to put them down, they will always tail thrash when you try to pick them up.

Health:
Iguanas require reptile vets. Regular vets do not have the training needed to understand what is happening in an Iguana, or any other reptile. You can find a list of reptile vets in the US at http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html.

Lifespan:
In captivity Iguanas given proper care can be expected to live 20 years.



Please be sure to visit anapsid.org. It is the website of Melissa Kaplan, author of Iguanas for Dummies.


http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/BabyIguana/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/IguanaDen/
http://stembol.com/Pets/iguanacage.htm

Answer 4

you may desire to make certain the iguana has an below tank heater and a uv easy. make certain he's heat sufficient. devoid of having a heating pad he won't be waiting to digest his food. additionally do no longer feed him celery, iceberg lettuce, parsley, or avocado and confirm he has a lot of sparkling water. As for bedding i could recommend Aspen. (No cedar!)

Answer 5

i dont know if there is a proper ventilation, send me a picture, here's my email add, [e-mail]

Answer 6

ummm what the person above me said...