Re: Baby Green Iguana not eating! (WAY long!)

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Posted by Jamie/JBug on August 08, 1999 at 22:38:26:

In Reply to: Baby Green Iguana not eating! posted by Chris on August 08, 1999 at 21:12:13:

Hi there!
First off, we'll need some more details to be able to help you the best. Here goes:
What are you feeding him? (In detail)
What is the temperature in his habitat like? (Specific temps needed)
How long have you had him? (A new iguana will often need lots of time to settle in before he will eat, and also before he will become friendly.
Is he a baby or an older iguana? (I'm assuming baby)

Some reasons why he might not be eating:
He's still not adjusted to living in a brand new place
He doesn't like/want what you are feeding him (If this is the case, you're either feeding him something inappropriate, *or* he's not accumtomed to a healthy balanced diet and will need to get used to it)
He's not warm enough
He's intimidated by something he can see or hear (dog, cat, human, loud tv, loud music, etc)
His food is not chopped up fine enough for him to eat. (for a baby iguana, it is best to combine the foods you feed him and chop them super-fine in a food processor.)
Most likely, he's brand new and hasn't settled in yet. Give him time, and make sure he is quiet and warm, etc

As for taming him and making him more sociable, it depends on when you got him. If you've had him, say, less than a month, the best thing you can do is leave him be for the most part and lket him get comfortable with everything else before he needs to become comfortable with a big funny liiking and smelling monster (you(:) trying to grab him and possibly eat him. Some ways that you can help convince him you are a friendly funny looking and smelling monster is to adempt to give him treats of good food from your hand (try whole wheat bread, papaya, mango, raspberries, or a freshy leafy green like dandelion or collard greens), talk to him softly and calmly, don't make any sudden movements, stroke him gently, never try to grab him from above if you can help it (that's what their predators do, you see), and to just have a lot of patience with him. It can take up to nine months or occasionally even more to totally "tame" an iguana.

Here's a couple urls that will help you more than you could guess. It'll also keep you busy for *at least* a week. Just highlight them, and cut and paste them into your browser.

Melissa Kaplan's ICFS :http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/ig_care.html

Jen Swofford's Iguana Pages (actually and online book) http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas/

I hope that helps! When you reply with the answers I asked for, we can help you even more.

Welcome to the Kingsnake Iguana Family. We're a tight bunch, for the most part, and we have some good times together!

Best,
Jamie/JBug

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: Hi there! : First off, we'll need some more details to be able to help you the best. Here goes: : What are you feeding him? (In detail) : What is the temperature in his habitat like? (Specific temps needed) : How long have you had him? (A new iguana will often need lots of time to settle in before he will eat, and also before he will become friendly. : Is he a baby or an older iguana? (I'm assuming baby) : Some reasons why he might not be eating: : He's still not adjusted to living in a brand new place : He doesn't like/want what you are feeding him (If this is the case, you're either feeding him something inappropriate, *or* he's not accumtomed to a healthy balanced diet and will need to get used to it) : He's not warm enough : He's intimidated by something he can see or hear (dog, cat, human, loud tv, loud music, etc) : His food is not chopped up fine enough for him to eat. (for a baby iguana, it is best to combine the foods you feed him and chop them super-fine in a food processor.) : Most likely, he's brand new and hasn't settled in yet. Give him time, and make sure he is quiet and warm, etc : As for taming him and making him more sociable, it depends on when you got him. If you've had him, say, less than a month, the best thing you can do is leave him be for the most part and lket him get comfortable with everything else before he needs to become comfortable with a big funny liiking and smelling monster (you(:) trying to grab him and possibly eat him. Some ways that you can help convince him you are a friendly funny looking and smelling monster is to adempt to give him treats of good food from your hand (try whole wheat bread, papaya, mango, raspberries, or a freshy leafy green like dandelion or collard greens), talk to him softly and calmly, don't make any sudden movements, stroke him gently, never try to grab him from above if you can help it (that's what their predators do, you see), and to just have a lot of patience with him. It can take up to nine months or occasionally even more to totally "tame" an iguana. : Here's a couple urls that will help you more than you could guess. It'll also keep you busy for *at least* a week. Just highlight them, and cut and paste them into your browser. : Melissa Kaplan's ICFS :http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/ig_care.html : Jen Swofford's Iguana Pages (actually and online book) http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas/ : I hope that helps! When you reply with the answers I asked for, we can help you even more. : Welcome to the Kingsnake Iguana Family. We're a tight bunch, for the most part, and we have some good times together! : Best, : Jamie/JBug

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