i just got a year old female from a friend of mine. He rescued it from someone who was neglecting it. Luckily they were feeding her mustard greens and collard greens instead of lettuce, but there was nothing else in her diet. I've tried giving her sweet potatoes, canteloupe, and several other veggies, But she won't eat anything new. I'm trying to supplement with alfalfa and calcium too, but she wants nothing to do with it. Now she's not eating any of her greens either. I'm assuming she's just stressed out, but if anyone could give me any tips to get a picky eater eating healthier (or get her eating at all) i'd appreciate it.
try giving her like kiwi or something sweet/sour. my iguanas always like that as a treat.you might just have to give he some time, but make sure she knows where her food is. you could always try to hand feed it
What is the temperature in her cage? Does she have a basking site where the temp is 90 - 95, and a cooler area to go to if she gets too warm? What type of lighting are you using? If it's too cool in her cage, or she doesn't have proper lighting that provides UVB, her appetite can decrease, or might stop eating altogether. These things are very important for her health and well being.
her overall temp in the cage is about 80-83 and her basking spot is right at 95. She has a daytime and an infrared light for heat. The daytime bulb also provides UVA and UVB, but it's getting too cold outside to let her get much real sunlight for now. She doesn't seem to like Kiwi either. I tried handfeeding her last night, but i don't think she was handled much at her previous "home" because this only seemed to stress her out more. Thanks to both of you for your help. I'm determined to bring her back to health, so i know she'll come around eventually.
Are you using a mercury vapor lamp? Your temps are fine, so she might just be stressed out like you thought. How long have you had her? Alfalfa's a great staple green, both leaves and flowers, so are the collards and mustard greens. You could also try dandelion greens(might be hard to find in grocery store at this time), endive, parsley, escarole. I've never had an iguana turn down green beans or snap peas. You said she's only a year old so finely chop up the veggies. Good luck, iguanas make great pets if given the proper care.
I think the 95 degree basking spot is a little warm. I'd knock it down to around 90. The other temps sound fine. You might also want to try turnip greens and kale as well as bananas, grapes, apples, and other fleshy fruits. You can also try fruit baby foods. Just a teaspoon or so on top of her greens. Also keep in mind that even though you have her temps monitored indoors, animals will still pick up on the change of seasons and with the temps dropping, a lot of reptiles will cut back on their eating big time. So that, combined with the stress of a new home, could be contributing to her not eating. Give her some time and space. Don't mess with her too much, make sure she's out of the flow of traffic and loud noise, offer her fresh food everyday even if she's not eating it just in case she decides to start, and try not to handle her too much until she has started eating regularly. Good luck!
Turnip greens and especially kale are very high in oxilates and goitrogens which are calcium blockers, and should only be fed on occasion mixed with other greens. The fruits that biochic mentioned are great, just remember they should only make up about 10% of her diet, the rest being greens and veggies. Your temps are fine, if she gets too warm in her basking area she'll move. I've been raising iguanas since 1985 and breeding them since 1990 when only a few people thought they could be bred in captivity. My oldest "bubba" lived to a ripe old age of eighteen years. Good luck and enjoy.
You should never just offer one type of green. They should always be mixed with other green to get the best mix of all nutrients each offers. I've always said that fruits should make up about 25% of their diet. They do get a lot of the nutrients they need from fruit and it is just as important that their diet is varied and each meal is a good mix of greens and fruit.
Thanks everybody. Sala's doing great. I covered her cage and it seemed to reduce her stress a lot. She ate a bunch of greens this morning and even tried a few pieces of sweet potato. I'm picking her up a variety of fruits and veggies today to see what she likes best. I've only had her a week, and she already seems to be improving, so we'll see if i can keep her around for the next 18 years too.
i have a new boy iggy.. ive had im for a day .. and he hasnt touched anything ive given him yet.. dont know what to do either... hes just a baby tho.. so i dont know if he is just shy or what any ideas
New environments really stress lizards out so I wouldn't worry too much yet. Our 6 yr old still gets stressed sometimes since she's on display at a university so we have bamboo blinds that we let down so she can get some relief from the high traffic. So you may just want to try covering her up at night or making sure he's in a low traffic area to reduce stress. Just keep offering him fresh greens and fruits everyday so they are there when he's ready for them. You may also want to take him to a vet for a wellness check-up. I always recommend that for new arrivals, especially if they're your first of that species. Good luck! BTW: I love the names of your igs guys...Sala and Gohan...very cute.
lol thanks for the compliment on the name.. hehe.. and ya i will try the food stuff. im also gonna make an apt. here with a vet next week again thanks and have fun
