Re: "Winter appetite"

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Posted by JasonZ on January 02, 1999 at 17:13:07:

In Reply to: "Winter appetite" posted by Jeff on January 02, 1999 at 16:20:06:

Hi,

I've struggled with similar appetite problems with my 5 year old iguana every winter of his life. Increasing the overall basking temps. to account for the drop in ambient temp. in your home can help. However, I haven't found a solution that will keep him in summer condition. Granted, a cooling period (the rainy season in s. america) is normal for them but not the length of our winters. In fact, an unusual warm-up in the middle of winter will often be enough to induce his spring grumpy (mating) attitude. What I do is offer warm baths on a daily basis and only his favorite foods--he is more picky and less likely to experiment this time of year--you'll probably have to intice him to eat. All-in-all, he always enters the spring a little thin but no worse for the wear and one warm spring day he'll go back to eating like a pig! This cycle used to worry me but now I expect it.

One more thing...I've found that constant running of the furnace in your home will really dry the air and can make things uncomfortable for your iguana--use humidifiers to keep it humid.

Good Luck,

Jason

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: Hi, : I've struggled with similar appetite problems with my 5 year old iguana every winter of his life. Increasing the overall basking temps. to account for the drop in ambient temp. in your home can help. However, I haven't found a solution that will keep him in summer condition. Granted, a cooling period (the rainy season in s. america) is normal for them but not the length of our winters. In fact, an unusual warm-up in the middle of winter will often be enough to induce his spring grumpy (mating) attitude. What I do is offer warm baths on a daily basis and only his favorite foods--he is more picky and less likely to experiment this time of year--you'll probably have to intice him to eat. All-in-all, he always enters the spring a little thin but no worse for the wear and one warm spring day he'll go back to eating like a pig! This cycle used to worry me but now I expect it. : One more thing...I've found that constant running of the furnace in your home will really dry the air and can make things uncomfortable for your iguana--use humidifiers to keep it humid. : Good Luck, : Jason

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