ok, my science teacher has had johanah for four years. now i believe there isnt enough sufficient light. there is only one light source for heat that heats a little spot of a good sized home made cage. she isnt eating very much and doesnt like to be away from the lights. i dont think that the watts are high enough for heating her up to eat. someone told me that lizards will not eat if they dont feel warm enough. i think thats whats happening. [axe] or anyone with an expertese of these cute reptiles please respond!
Hi Natepowers- Poor Ig. You don't mention UVB light exposure. Iguanas need UVB light (a substitute for natural, unflitered sunlight) in order to appropriately metabolize calcium and produce vitamin D3, which helps them digest their food. Without UVB exposure the Ig will develop Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) and will die. So, you see, heat from the bulb means nothing if they are not getting UVB exposure. It's critical to get the Iguana under a UVB light, no more than 12" from her body and to increase calcium intake through a supplement powder. Get the UVB light, make sure it is UVB, nothing less and get a bottle of Calcium Carbonate from the drug store. Feed the Iguana only fresh greens like Collard, Mustard, Turnip, chopped up and sprinkled with the powdered supplement. All this is critical to the Ig living. Once an Iguana shows signs of illness, it's usually too late to help them. Also, get the Ig to a reptile vet pronto. If MBD is developing, the vet will inject her with calcium to jump-start the healing process. Provide the Science teacher with site links in order to read up on what to do. I recommend www.anapsid.org. It has everything you need to know there. Please jump on this right away! This is critical to the Iguana surviving. Keep us posted.
he is using 250W infrared radiation lights from your hardware store. GE brand. dont know if they emit uvb
Hi Nate- UVB is critical. Infrared, to my knowledge, only emits heat. The Ig needs UVB immediately and a vet check. Sorry for the abrupt reply, but it is THAT critical. Regards, Dominick
Yup, I second that. UVB is ESSENTIAL to all diurnal (daytime) lizards. Without it they can develop metabolic bone disease (MBD) and other serious problems.
What is he eating? At four years old, and inactive and wanting to stay warm at all times...could be kidney failure. Same symptoms the first iggy I ever cared for had. She was four when we got her and was being fed canned cat food. I switched her diet, but it was too late. Her kidneys were litterally the size of peas and hard as rocks. Horrible to watch her die like that. We also have a rescue that had MBD. He ate up until he became paralyzed. All the symptoms showed up within three days, very scary too. Sounds like he either may be too cold or maybe he's just slowing down his eating pattern for winter. When was the last time he ate? I agree he needs a UVB light and a calcium supplement ASAP. Even if that's not the problem, it won't hurt in the long run.
Check out www.anapsid.org for some excellent information on iguana care and needs. You will find out what has to be done for them and what never to do. Great education site. I refer people to it all the time because there is so much information and I couldn't possibly cover it as well.
