Posted by iZ's mom on June 23, 2000 at 14:11:35:
In Reply to: concerning health posted by kris on June 23, 2000 at 11:48:40:
check out Melissa Kaplin's site for literally *tons* of info on igs ... housing/environment, food, health issues (inclucing mites), etc, etc etc! you're right about all the conflicting info out there! pretty much, any info that's older than 5 yrs, is probably wrong, most printed info from the library is wrong ... it USED to be thought that ig's need animal protein to be healthy and now the majority of ig-perts are agreeing that the opposite is true ... Melissa + jen Sowfford (more on her below) are 2 widely accepted + respected igs-perts ... them and the wonderful people here, i'd believe! (not to imply *i'm* wonderful, byut i am here ... heheheh)
if you're on a short budget, you may want to re-think being an ig parent ... Gonzo's gonna need a pretty huge enclosure in a fairly short amount of time ... igs can get pretty expensive even if they stay healthy ........
vet prices vary sooooo much, depends on the vet/clinic and what you have done ... call 'em + ask! at the *very least* you want to have a fecal tst done + check for parasites, igs have worms until they are treated (like kittens + puppies!) ...
diet ~ stick mainly with greens: collards, mustard, dandelion, endive, escarole ... shed it into smaller pieces since your iglet is so small ... go easy on the fruit, it should be in small quantities, as a treat maybe ... the T-Rex stuff ~ use is as 'salad sprinkles' on the moistened greens if yo want ... mostly tho, commercial ig-food is a waste of money, not really all that good for them ...
Jen Swofford has good info on diets ... her's is an offshoot of MK's and a bit easier to follow ... both are a good basis for feeding ... (you'll hafta cut + paste this one)
http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas/
a healthy ig with a good diet doesn't necessarily *need* vitamins ... since Gonzo has had a bit of a rough start tho, it might not be a totally bad idea ... what i use for iZ is SUNKIST CHILDREN'S multivitamins ... they have only vitamins, NO minerals (that's good!) ... iZ takes a 1/4 tablet a day, he's 5' long + weighs 10 pounds ... keep the weight differences in mind when dosing your iglet!!! i'd suggest mebbe 1/8 to 1/4 tab every 2-3 days for him ... a good, safe calcium source is TUMS ... the TUMS extra has nummy fruit flavors that iZ doesn't mind crushed up + sprinkled on his fruit ... his dose is 1/2 tablet per day ... again, keep the weight difference in mind and probably only give it to Gonzo ever 2-3 days ... too much is almost as bad as too little ...
does the aquarium have a cover??? igs are good jumpers!! you want to be very very sure he can't possibly get to the light bulb + burn himself!!!
speaking of aquarium ... it's already really too small for him ... igs need to be able to climb and to be as high up as possible, remember they live in trees in the wild! especially a little ig like yours needs to be able to get to higher than eye level of you so he feels safer ... also some sort of hiding place ... can create one with fake plants easily ...
the fish light is worthless for igs ... you need a full spectrum light such as ZooMed's ... (check forum down below a bit, there's some posts about them)
well, my fingers just fell off + your eyes are prob'ly bugged out, so i'll stop rambling for now ...
let us know if you have any more ??'s