Rescue of a rescue, Iguana advice needed

[varanio]

Coura, I did not say to put dry vitamins alongside dry iguana food, i said to put it on his veggies. I did not say that a hot rock is a good way to keep the iguana warm, I said he has two levels, one for basking, and one with his hot rock. The upper basking area has his regular light, a uvb light, and a night time light made iguanas. His hot rock is not "hot", it puts out a steady warm heating area without no dangerous "hot" spots. My comment about the lettuce was that green leafy lettuce it better than most lettuces. Ice berg lettuce is the worst thing you should feed your iguana. OBVIOUSLY i need to do more research, since my several guide books aren't adequate. Or perhaps, you need to read the a post carefully before commenting.
COFF COFF COFF

I think the point Coura was trying to make is that heat rocks have a tendency to burn out or overheat. They have no real thermostat to really shut off when it gets too warm or to turn up when it gets too cold. I have seen alot of bad burns on animals' underbellies that were caused by the fluctuations on the hot rock. Take it out, the heating youre providing will suffice.

Back to the feeding, it its eating iguana diet and taking other veggies and fruits, then youre definatley on the right path. The diet is varied and Im sure the iguana will get healthier and healthier as time goes by. Its not a desperate need to have them eating collard greens or romaine lettuce, if the diet is being supplemented by something else it is ACCEPTING. Just remember to keep the animal hydrated, which is the key to keeping it on a good appetite.

 

[coura]

Coura, I did not say to put dry vitamins alongside dry iguana food, i said to put it on his veggies. I did not say that a hot rock is a good way to keep the iguana warm, I said he has two levels, one for basking, and one with his hot rock. The upper basking area has his regular light, a uvb light, and a night time light made iguanas. His hot rock is not "hot", it puts out a steady warm heating area without no dangerous "hot" spots. My comment about the lettuce was that green leafy lettuce it better than most lettuces. Ice berg lettuce is the worst thing you should feed your iguana. OBVIOUSLY i need to do more research, since my several guide books aren't adequate. Or perhaps, you need to read the a post carefully before commenting.
COFF COFF COFF

Or perhaps you need to thing before feeding and posting
First for the heat rock Varanio has sumarized it pretty well here
I think the point Coura was trying to make is that heat rocks have a tendency to burn out or overheat. They have no real thermostat to really shut off when it gets too warm or to turn up when it gets too cold. I have seen alot of bad burns on animals' underbellies that were caused by the fluctuations on the hot rock. Take it out, the heating youre providing will suffice.
Second if your giving your ig a good diet(wich you arent you lack the absolute priority the dark leafys for wich letuce isnt for any means a substitute, thouse other vegs are simply suplements too high in phosphorus and low in calcium) and if its healty you dont need to include all thouse vitamins, iguana pellets already have thouse that would satisfy all of its needs already. So your missing the point, its not about including vitamins or not in the salads, if you already give ig pellets there is no need for suplements, except perhaps a litle calcium if you have a gravid female. Igs in general dont take well high doses of thouse because they are ment to eat lilte more then leafs and liposoluble vitamins like vit A and vit D, wich are absent in plants(they are present in diferent forms like betacarotene wich is then transformed by the organism in the exact amount of vit A that the body needs) can really overdue their sistems. That alongside excess protein and lack of water is the main cause why so many igs die of kidney, liver and heart failiure in which should be their prime(early teens, when is more then proved that igs can make it to their tweentys). Its also important to understend that a varied diet cant be substitued by a suplement rich poor one. If you have a ig you have to have a refrigerator and garden full of greens no way around it. Check this tread out, you have great food choices here and there
As for my "favorite" vegetable of all times Letuce You are rigth green letuce its higher in protein then iceberg, but your missing the woule point just as exacly the same is very low in calcium and fiber and very high in phosporus, oxalates and nitrates, nothing but "good stuff" Is this what do you want to feed your iguana?! This is the vegetable in story more to blame regarding the DEATH and severe deformacion and stuning of countless iguanas, turtles ,tortoises and lizards, just because their owners didnt know what it does to them or simply because they were to lazy to ofer a more varied diet...and what harm could it be? The critter eats the thing so heartly it must be good for it rigth? Wrong, so wrong

 

[varanio]

Sheesh can you space out your paragraphs!!!!!!!?

Or perhaps you need to thing before feeding and posting
First for the heat rock Varanio has sumarized it pretty well here
I think the point Coura was trying to make is that heat rocks have a tendency to burn out or overheat. They have no real thermostat to really shut off when it gets too warm or to turn up when it gets too cold. I have seen alot of bad burns on animals' underbellies that were caused by the fluctuations on the hot rock. Take it out, the heating youre providing will suffice.
Second if your giving your ig a good diet(wich you arent you lack the absolute priority the dark leafys for wich letuce isnt for any means a substitute, thouse other vegs are simply suplements too high in phosphorus and low in calcium) and if its healty you dont need to include all thouse vitamins, iguana pellets already have thouse that would satisfy all of its needs already. So your missing the point, its not about including vitamins or not in the salads, if you already give ig pellets there is no need for suplements, except perhaps a litle calcium if you have a gravid female. Igs in general dont take well high doses of thouse because they are ment to eat lilte more then leafs and liposoluble vitamins like vit A and vit D, wich are absent in plants(they are present in diferent forms like betacarotene wich is then transformed by the organism in the exact amount of vit A that the body needs) can really overdue their sistems. That alongside excess protein and lack of water is the main cause why so many igs die of kidney, liver and heart failiure in which should be their prime(early teens, when is more then proved that igs can make it to their tweentys). Its also important to understend that a varied diet cant be substitued by a suplement rich poor one. If you have a ig you have to have a refrigerator and garden full of greens no way around it. Check this tread out, you have great food choices here and there
As for my "favorite" vegetable of all times Letuce You are rigth green letuce its higher in protein then iceberg, but your missing the woule point just as exacly the same is very low in calcium and fiber and very high in phosporus, oxalates and nitrates, nothing but "good stuff" Is this what do you want to feed your iguana?! This is the vegetable in story more to blame regarding the DEATH and severe deformacion and stuning of countless iguanas, turtles ,tortoises and lizards, just because their owners didnt know what it does to them or simply because they were to lazy to ofer a more varied diet...and what harm could it be? The critter eats the thing so heartly it must be good for it rigth? Wrong, so wrong

 

[cudatim68]

Coura....bear with me hear for a minute, As i understand what your saying is as long as he's on adult iguana food, i can cut back on the vitamins?
I completely agree about the various vegetables....some are good some aren't....he gets them as treats usually about twice a week. Going to start a garden in spring, veggies are outrageously priced here.
The heat rock is coming out......it can be very confusing sometimes cause everybody has a different take on it .....i'm not gonna take a chance though.
I do have a heating pad, but have no way of putting it under glass since the enclosure is primarily wood....it does have different settings..so would it be safe in the cage? As far as as water he has a cat dish with fresh water every day and his water pool. He has been real healthy but recently has gotten the ugly tail, fat and brown looking.....Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[Mike D]

i kept a heating pad wrapped in a t-shirt in with my iguana up until recently.. that worked out real well. he used it at night.

 

[ms_ramie22]

Check out this website http://members2.boardhost.com/greenigsociety/msg/53971.top Click on the green iguana message board at the top of the page. You will find everything you want to know about iguanas there, plus lots of great people!! I just had my female spayed about a month ago, and I couldn't have asked for more support.

 

[Mike D]

Check out this website http://members2.boardhost.com/greenigsociety/msg/53971.top Click on the green iguana message board at the top of the page. You will find everything you want to know about iguanas there, plus lots of great people!! I just had my female spayed about a month ago, and I couldn't have asked for more support.

may i ask why you got your igg spayed? i know the obvious reason of not having to deal with egg laying.

its not something i would do with my iggs

 

[coura]

Coura....bear with me hear for a minute, As i understand what your saying is as long as he's on adult iguana food, i can cut back on the vitamins?
I completely agree about the various vegetables....some are good some aren't....he gets them as treats usually about twice a week. Going to start a garden in spring, veggies are outrageously priced here.
The heat rock is coming out......it can be very confusing sometimes cause everybody has a different take on it .....i'm not gonna take a chance though.
I do have a heating pad, but have no way of putting it under glass since the enclosure is primarily wood....it does have different settings..so would it be safe in the cage? As far as as water he has a cat dish with fresh water every day and his water pool. He has been real healthy but recently has gotten the ugly tail, fat and brown looking.....Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.

Well looks like thouse husbandry skills aint that great aint it In order for your ig to recover you need to analise the situacion. First you need to do what we already told you to do: improve its diet(for now no more pelleted ig food) emphasing on the food choices I already mesioned on this post, get a decent sorce of nigth time heat and no more letuce or hot rocks. Check if the uv bulbs your using are still young that is they must not be older then 6-11moths. Also for the kind of simptoms your ig is showing I think a exotc vet trip is reallly needed. Much thing can be going on. Also is your ig a boy or a girl? If she is a girl by that kind of simptoms she could be gravid wich happens with or without a male and can mean big trobble. A x-ray and blood work may be needed

 

[coura]

may i ask why you got your igg spayed? i know the obvious reason of not having to deal with egg laying.

its not something i would do with my iggs

Maybe its ig got egg blocage wich was nearly happening to my female the past year, had she not absorved her eggsUffffffff thankfully she did not become gravid this year

 

[passiontiger]

Hi all .... sorry for not updating sooner
Got to the "big" store on Friday and got dandelion (I am male ..no flowery crap), endive (no thanks) and watercress (Oh My nom nom nom Gawd! what is nom nom nom this heavenly nom nom nom stuff)
He has started having almost solid bowel movements now as well and drank on his own.
He has a rather nasty habit of pooping in his bathtub but I guess it makes it easier to clean out.

To respond about a separate heat source other than the ceramic... we do have a red heat lamp as well. It is above the cage on the chicken wire roofing.
My main concern with how his current habitat is would be that he seems to think he is a sugarbaby when it comes to going down levels. Broken bones are something I don't want to have to try and set on an ig.