# Skinny Green Iguana - Need Help please



## Jade&Robert (Jan 17, 2011)

Hi i need some help please!!
We rescued a green iguana which we think is male he is about 2.5-3ft long and about 3 years old, he has lost lots of spikes due to burns which i know he can not grow back but would we are concerned about is his weight!
He looks very skinny and hasnt eaten anything but a few bits since we got him a few days ago, temps are correct, he has no parasits or health issues as he has had a vet check. So how can we get him to put on weight?
We give him a variety of greens, vegs and fruits in his bowl to tempt him but he hasnt touched them, the few bites he did eat were when we hand fed him. 
Any suggestion would be a great help!


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## 9Red (May 30, 2008)

Did the vet do blood tests? Did they come back normal or was anything unusual flagged up?


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## Jade&Robert (Jan 17, 2011)

Sorry i don't know about blood test..


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

Dis the vet express any concern over the size of the iguana?
aslo how old is it? and how much dose it weigh do you know...

*do not feed your iguana weeds from outside-fertilizers, pesticides, bacteria, or parasites are the reasons why not. cucumber isn’t harmful, but it’s not nutritious, so i guess in a way it is harmful... same w/ the lettuce. go for dark leafy greens, but no spinach, swiss chard or beet greens. greeniguanasociety does have some helpful advice, and so does this site if you scroll through some of the other posts on feeding. hope this helps!







*

from
Iguanas - fatten up

the reason I posted this was to let you view peoples opinions of what I am now going to post you...
the ig diet on the ig society is the best one to follow read it carefully...
Green Iguana Society

Whats concerning is if the iguana is generally ill and the vet hasnt actually noticed?:whistling2:
I would vary the diet as much as possible giving the gudelines on the linbk above.... dust with a vitamin supplement at least 3-4 times a week.
and good luck!

If an iguana hasnt eating anything there is a need for concern there.... if you beleive he is skinny.
do you know what the temps are you are keeping it at.... and also what is the humidity....
pics would aslo help.... if it is a case the ig is under weight AND the vet did not pick it up I would recomend finding yourself another vet...
My Yoda is a green pig.
It might be worth continuing to try and hand feed him... if its a lack of nutrients he may not have the energy or even feel like it.


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

Jade&Robert said:


> Hi i need some help please!!
> We rescued a green iguana which we think is male he is about 2.5-3ft long and about 3 years old, he has lost lots of spikes due to burns which i know he can not grow back but would we are concerned about is his weight!
> He looks very skinny and hasnt eaten anything but a few bits since we got him a few days ago, temps are correct, he has no parasits or health issues as he has had a vet check. So how can we get him to put on weight?
> We give him a variety of greens, vegs and fruits in his bowl to tempt him but he hasnt touched them, the few bites he did eat were when we hand fed him.
> Any suggestion would be a great help!



How long have you had the iguana? You said a few days.... most iguanas take a week or two to settle, i know max took around a fortnight. So please do not panic just yet about the not eating.
The more you stress and fuss and try and force him, the more you're going to stress him and prolong the settling in period, and therefore the longer hhe will go without feeling comfortable enough to eat.

Did the vet take a fecal sample and test it for parasites? If not you cannot possibly rule parasites out... and if his temps are spot on then parasites could be a worry. If you haven't already, leave him alone as much as possible, just feed, water and spot check for poop. When doing this, take some poop keep it fresh and take it to your vet to check.

The other thing you can do to help your new iggy is offer him a wide variety of foods, but dont force him to eat. Keep him hydrated, and just help him settle into your house and routine. Talk to him, get him used to you being around, and when he feels comfortable his appetite will hopefully return. This with the poop being tested will help wonders.


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> Dis the vet express any concern over the size of the iguana?
> aslo how old is it? and how much dose it weigh do you know...
> 
> *do not feed your iguana weeds from outside-fertilizers, pesticides, bacteria, or parasites are the reasons why not. cucumber isn’t harmful, but it’s not nutritious, so i guess in a way it is harmful... same w/ the lettuce. go for dark leafy greens, but no spinach, swiss chard or beet greens. greeniguanasociety does have some helpful advice, and so does this site if you scroll through some of the other posts on feeding. hope this helps! image *
> ...


She said she'd only had the iggy a few days, give the poor thing a chance to adjust


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

maddragon29 said:


> She said she'd only had the iggy a few days, give the poor thing a chance to adjust


lol true true every ig is different? if it is serisouly underweight though.
I have never had one of my igs go off there food even when I have moved home lol which has been alot... that to me is kinda sending warning bells but again you can only go off personal expireince.

if it is seriosuly underweight which is what I am being led to beleive here?
the sooner it starts eating the better thats all I am saying so if it only takes a couple of bites a day at least its something: victory:


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

Its a young iguana, who's a rescue. he's probably had a lot of trauma in his life, and through working with rescue iguanas i know they can take a while to settle. Pics would be helpful sure, but really the best bet is not to stress the iguana further, get fecals done, and just keep offering food until its comfortable enough to eat. We got max to eat by bribing him with chopped up apple and grapes mixed through his leafy greens. but it took a while.

Yes every ig is different but the need to settle is a common problem for iguanas not eating, and a few days isn't much to worry about just yet. And if he was THAT bad even a bad vet would be suggesting something like injecting fluids etc, but i'm guessing the vet would have said to take him home and give him a chance to settle as stress free as possible.


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## Jade&Robert (Jan 17, 2011)

Hey thanks for the replies, iv uploaded a picture on to my album, we are going to get him checked next week to see if he has any concerns about him.
He is about 3 years old, will get him weighed but i cant do it at the moment, partners at work and spikeys viv aggressive, so i just spend time with him watching me round the room lol. 
Last night we gave him a bath he swam around enjoyed himself and drank so not worried about dehydration. He chomped on about 10 grapes yesterday hand fed . The bowl was at the bottom of the viv, but we put it at the top to see if he noticed it and he was scared of the bowl? bobbing at the bowl and tail whipping at the bowl :/ so we bought him a new bowl today and hes not aggressive towards that bowl and took one bite out of it lol. which is a bit more progress, yes we have had him nearly a week now we got him from a women that recues animals and she was trying to get him back to healthy so he has put on weight since she got him a few months ago. so again thats progress.
We have given him a variety of foods in his bowl, carrots, parsnips, grapes, mango, melon, apple, bok choy, green beans, kale, watercress and rocket to see if he fancies any of them. 
Temperatures are 95 for basking spot, 84 for middle and 75 right at the bottom, we have a 7ft hight viv. 
Does this all sound ok for him?


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

All sounds okay, and if he was putting on weight with her i'd put his current non-eating down to the stress of moving.

Well done on taking on a rescue iguana :no1: More people need to.

He doesn't look that bad to me! So i wouldn't worry so much. His skin is a little flabby but thats okay.

the food you are feeding sounds okay but i'd up the amount of leafy greens you give him as well. Alfalfa is also good for his diet and can be added in the form of dry food (commercial bought) that can be added in with the fresh stuff.

Green leavy stuff that is packet bought can be added into the diet, however i'd avoid spinach, kale (which is similar to spinach) and iceberg lettuce that has nothing but water in it, so is not nutritional. If you do feed any of these things feed very small amounts but really, i wouldn't bother.


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## Jade&Robert (Jan 17, 2011)

Brilliant! Thankyou for the Advice


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

maddragon29 said:


> All sounds okay, and if he was putting on weight with her i'd put his current non-eating down to the stress of moving.
> 
> Well done on taking on a *rescue iguana* :no1: More people need to.
> 
> ...


At my end there arnt alot of iguanas that need rescuing lol it is a good thing really last year I droped a couple of rescues a pm mentioning if an ig came availible I had a spare iguanarium due to zilla passing away mOST REPLIED they dont have any igs and never have...

So I just thought oh perhaps people are becomming sensible these days I know there is a few out there still but I dont think there is a massive issue with them up here these days lol

Good luck however they are rewarding animals in the end I spend alot of time with Yoda he still has hos off days but he is daft as a brush lol im sure he thinks he is a dog tbh lmao


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

Not a problem. There is something in the chemical make up of spinach and kale which binds to calcium. Which means you supplementing the diet has no effect. which is why i do not feed it.

Lynda


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## balmybaldwin (Mar 17, 2010)

maddragon29 said:


> , kale (which is similar to spinach) .


 
Really? Curly Kale is one of the best feeders according to the nutrition link I keep seeing (and can't find now) - is this just an issue with Iggies or all vegie reps?


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

balmybaldwin said:


> Really? Curly Kale is one of the best feeders according to the nutrition link I keep seeing (and can't find now) - is this just an issue with Iggies or all vegie reps?


I never feed it to any of my animals, simply because its chemical make up is similar to spinach. I may be wrong about it, but to be on the safe side I just avoid it.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

balmybaldwin said:


> Really? Curly Kale is one of the best feeders according to the nutrition link I keep seeing (and can't find now) - is this just an issue with Iggies or all vegie reps?


 
I suppose its okay like for variation once in a blue moon but why feed it something when there are pleanty of other more nutritonal foods they can eat: victory:


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> I suppose its okay like for variation once in a blue moon but why feed it something when there are pleanty of other more nutritonal foods they can eat: victory:


This is my theory. If there was nothing else but bagged salad that had kale in it, and i was desperate, they'd get it. But the rest of the time i just leave it out and I give them a good variation of lots of other things. i also chop up fresh herbs to add into the food aswell.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

maddragon29 said:


> This is my theory. If there was nothing else but bagged salad that had kale in it, and i was desperate, they'd get it. But the rest of the time i just leave it out and I give them a good variation of lots of other things. i also chop up fresh herbs to add into the food aswell.


yeah I beleive you helped me out with an ig diet when I had some problems with my vet... I am sure it was you lol


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## balmybaldwin (Mar 17, 2010)

Just had a look: Nutrition Content 

You are right its an occasional feeder high in oxcelates which can bind calcium. Not as bad as spinach tho. 

Will cut it out

Glad I asked the question:whistling2:


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> yeah I beleive you helped me out with an ig diet when I had some problems with my vet... I am sure it was you lol



Probably, always had a soft spot for iggys. Shame they do not tend to return the sentiments :blush:

Balmybaldwin glad you asked the question too, for the sake of your iggy


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