Re: losing toes

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Posted by Diana on April 21, 2001 at 21:11:42:

In Reply to: losing toes posted by Kristopher Schmaltz on April 21, 2001 at 19:11:41:

Hi Kristopher,
My name is Diana. I echo those who told you to try and find a qualified vet as soon as possible, but I also wanted to say that the diet you feed her is seriously insufficient and should be changed immediately.

I also wanted to welcome you to the forum and say that I am glad you came here to ask questions! Overall, you sound like a very caring, competant iguana owner, but it also sounds like we could lend a hand to you to make things even better for your iguana.

Concerning the diet you feed:
Romaine lettuce has almost no nutrients in it, and is therefore worthless. Carrots have too many oxalates in them, as does broccoli. Neither one should be fed on a regular basis (on occasion, it's fine to feed them in a pinch, but no more than that)

It's good that you never feed spinach (it is also high in oxalates) but this diet you're giving her is not enough to sustain her over her lifetime.

Instead, feed her:

***Collard Greens (If your grocery store doesn't carry them, ask them to do so for you. So far, two stores I go to have started carrying them because I requested that they do so.)
These should be fed daily, and in abundance. I feed my two iguanas collards about three to four times a day. It's a great staple of their diet, as well as a readily eaten snack midday.

***Green beans finely chopped or shredded

***Green Peas/snow peas

***Acorn Squash

***Sweet potato

***Spagetti Squash

***Parsnips

***Any winter squash (they are usually orange types)

***Yellow squash or zuccini

***blueberries

***blackberries

***strawberries

***raspberries

***melons, (cantelope, watermelon,etc.--sparingly)

The key is variety. Try to feed as many of the "good foods" as possibly on a daily basis. Visit the sites the other people listed for you and revise her diet TODAY! Do you supply her with a drinking bowl of water at all times? If you're feeding her alfalfa pellets, I bet she needs more water than she's getting (those pellets can really dry out an iguana's system.)

I hope you stick around this forum and learn a ton, along with the rest of us. Being on this forum has saved my iguanas' lives--both were adopted from dire situations and I'm confident that if I hadn't found these people on this forum who helped me get the right information on how to properly raise iguanas, they would have both died.

Good luck with your iguana, and please be sure to get her to the vet soon!
By the way, what's her name?

Diana

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: Hi Kristopher, : My name is Diana. I echo those who told you to try and find a qualified vet as soon as possible, but I also wanted to say that the diet you feed her is seriously insufficient and should be changed immediately. : I also wanted to welcome you to the forum and say that I am glad you came here to ask questions! Overall, you sound like a very caring, competant iguana owner, but it also sounds like we could lend a hand to you to make things even better for your iguana. : Concerning the diet you feed: : Romaine lettuce has almost no nutrients in it, and is therefore worthless. Carrots have too many oxalates in them, as does broccoli. Neither one should be fed on a regular basis (on occasion, it's fine to feed them in a pinch, but no more than that) : It's good that you never feed spinach (it is also high in oxalates) but this diet you're giving her is not enough to sustain her over her lifetime. : Instead, feed her: : ***Collard Greens (If your grocery store doesn't carry them, ask them to do so for you. So far, two stores I go to have started carrying them because I requested that they do so.) : These should be fed daily, and in abundance. I feed my two iguanas collards about three to four times a day. It's a great staple of their diet, as well as a readily eaten snack midday. : ***Green beans finely chopped or shredded : ***Green Peas/snow peas : ***Acorn Squash : ***Sweet potato : ***Spagetti Squash : ***Parsnips : ***Any winter squash (they are usually orange types) : ***Yellow squash or zuccini : ***blueberries : ***blackberries : ***strawberries : ***raspberries : ***melons, (cantelope, watermelon,etc.--sparingly) : : The key is variety. Try to feed as many of the "good foods" as possibly on a daily basis. Visit the sites the other people listed for you and revise her diet TODAY! Do you supply her with a drinking bowl of water at all times? If you're feeding her alfalfa pellets, I bet she needs more water than she's getting (those pellets can really dry out an iguana's system.) : I hope you stick around this forum and learn a ton, along with the rest of us. Being on this forum has saved my iguanas' lives--both were adopted from dire situations and I'm confident that if I hadn't found these people on this forum who helped me get the right information on how to properly raise iguanas, they would have both died. : Good luck with your iguana, and please be sure to get her to the vet soon! : By the way, what's her name? : Diana

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