I liken it to my "nail clipper" story....

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Posted by Mr. D on August 21, 2001 at 19:03:17:

In Reply to: hi. I'm new and I wonder if anybody can answer this.... posted by Tim L. on August 21, 2001 at 11:37:38:

We were clipping Mel's nails one night shortly after getting into a rather lengthy discussion with someone about the whole "insect" debate. Just as we were finished with Mel, she took a particular interest in the nail clippers... Looking, licking, pawing and finally trying to eat them. If we were to take strict cues from igs then, judging by what we witnessed that night, Mel's diet should be supplimented with nail clippers on occassion......

Fact is, as far as we have been able to tell, no one has been able to prove or DISprove the "hatchling/insect" theory. Igs, in general, may in fact eat an occasional insect in the wild either intentionally or simply because something is attached to the leaf they're eating... In captivity they eat the occassional penny, paperclip, hair tie, nail clippers and even attempt to snack on dog feet... Yes, we almost lost Jack to a rare "dog eating" iguana.

Doc was out roaming as best as he can (rear paralysis) when he came across Jack lying on the floor. Now, whenever we have anyone out we always supervise and Jack (without having to be trained) always goes out of his way to be careful around the lizards. He even lets us know if someone gets out of their enclosure.
Well, Doc saw Jack's foot just lying on the floor while the rest of Jack napped. After a few tongue flicks Doc actually tried to eat Jack's foot. Wasn't out of self defense - Jack was dead to the world at the time. He just wanted a better idea of what it was. Fortunately for Jack, we were able to move his foot (and wake him up to escape) just in time.

Getting back to the point (there's a point here?). Igs may occassionally eat things. Research (or maybe sheer numbers of emergency vet calls) have shown that captive igs should not be fed large amounts of animal protein (insects, dog food, cat food, monkey biscuits, parrot biscuits, etc). This includes any diary products as well - especially cheese. There are no iguanas indigenous to Italy..... Animal protein causes kidney and liver damage amoung other things...

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: We were clipping Mel's nails one night shortly after getting into a rather lengthy discussion with someone about the whole "insect" debate. Just as we were finished with Mel, she took a particular interest in the nail clippers... Looking, licking, pawing and finally trying to eat them. If we were to take strict cues from igs then, judging by what we witnessed that night, Mel's diet should be supplimented with nail clippers on occassion...... : Fact is, as far as we have been able to tell, no one has been able to prove or DISprove the "hatchling/insect" theory. Igs, in general, may in fact eat an occasional insect in the wild either intentionally or simply because something is attached to the leaf they're eating... In captivity they eat the occassional penny, paperclip, hair tie, nail clippers and even attempt to snack on dog feet... Yes, we almost lost Jack to a rare "dog eating" iguana. : Doc was out roaming as best as he can (rear paralysis) when he came across Jack lying on the floor. Now, whenever we have anyone out we always supervise and Jack (without having to be trained) always goes out of his way to be careful around the lizards. He even lets us know if someone gets out of their enclosure. : Well, Doc saw Jack's foot just lying on the floor while the rest of Jack napped. After a few tongue flicks Doc actually tried to eat Jack's foot. Wasn't out of self defense - Jack was dead to the world at the time. He just wanted a better idea of what it was. Fortunately for Jack, we were able to move his foot (and wake him up to escape) just in time. : : Getting back to the point (there's a point here?). Igs may occassionally eat things. Research (or maybe sheer numbers of emergency vet calls) have shown that captive igs should not be fed large amounts of animal protein (insects, dog food, cat food, monkey biscuits, parrot biscuits, etc). This includes any diary products as well - especially cheese. There are no iguanas indigenous to Italy..... Animal protein causes kidney and liver damage amoung other things...

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