A few pointers....

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Posted by JohnT on December 03, 2001 at 14:54:56:

In Reply to: Please someone help! Need advice on new baby green iguana posted by Raylene on December 03, 2001 at 12:09:57:

Raylene, first, don't worry about drinking. Keep fresh water available, and he'll drink if he needs it. Iguanas get much of the water they need from thier food. You should only feed fresh foods, and stay away from dry pet store foods. This can lead to dehydration. Your ig should get 70-75% of his daily diet as leafy greens, and these greens should be confined to: turnip, collard, dandelion, and mustard. 20-25% vegetables, such as green beans, sugar snap peas, butternut squash, parsnip, okra, green onion tops, alfalfa, and green pepper. 5% fruits, such as figs, blueberries, raspberries, and mango. Be sure you wash the food, do not shake dry, and shred or chop it finely. Little igs need small bits of food. The idea is to make a salad from the above ingredients, and the moisture from the washing provides water in the diet.

The idea here is to feed foods with a high calcium to phosphorus ratio, as igs in captivity are subject to problems from a lack of blood calcium. Proper lighting is also essential, and flourescent tubes such as zoo-med's iguana lights are absolutely necessary, along with a heat light. Without them, serious bone problems are assured.

Better not to feed avocado at this time, they are very high in fat, which he doesn't need now. You can branch out from this basic diet as he grows, but this will start him right. Also, stay away from spinach, cabbage, kale, broccoli, carrots, bananas, and many more foods... The point of which is stick to the above for starters.

He will need fairly high temperatures, (75 in the coolest area, and 90+ in the basking area. and supplimental humidity, but you can find this in your books. Which books do you have?

Best to remove all plants from his area, as many houseplants are toxic. Too many to list here, and if it's green, and iguana will pretty much try to eat it.

At any rate, good luck, and feel free to ask many questions. Here's a linfk for research.

: Hi all,
: I really need some help here. My son has recently gotten a baby green iguana. We rescued it from a man selling them at a market. Now, I have gone out and bought all the books etc but, seriously there are some questions I still have that need answering.can anyone help me??
: 1. I have recently been told that avocado is poisonous for them? Is this true and are there other foods I should stay away from?
: 2. We have had Godzilla nearly 2 weeks now and yet he still has not drunk any water,,,not that I have seen, No matter what I do to try and coax him to drink he just will not.
: 3. Poop and pee....lol...sorry but gotta know! He has only done this twice since we got him, or that I know of, and the once was on my shoulder! eeeeewwww!! Should this be a daily thing or what?? help? (need to know things like texture color etc??? )
: 4. His nails are really long but dont know how old they should be before clipping them (and how) dont they need the nails for climbing?
: 5. Are there any plants or tree branches that I should remove from his area(he has free reign at the moment!)
: thanks I would really appreciate a response

Basking Spot - iguana

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: Raylene, first, don't worry about drinking. Keep fresh water available, and he'll drink if he needs it. Iguanas get much of the water they need from thier food. You should only feed fresh foods, and stay away from dry pet store foods. This can lead to dehydration. Your ig should get 70-75% of his daily diet as leafy greens, and these greens should be confined to: turnip, collard, dandelion, and mustard. 20-25% vegetables, such as green beans, sugar snap peas, butternut squash, parsnip, okra, green onion tops, alfalfa, and green pepper. 5% fruits, such as figs, blueberries, raspberries, and mango. Be sure you wash the food, do not shake dry, and shred or chop it finely. Little igs need small bits of food. The idea is to make a salad from the above ingredients, and the moisture from the washing provides water in the diet. : The idea here is to feed foods with a high calcium to phosphorus ratio, as igs in captivity are subject to problems from a lack of blood calcium. Proper lighting is also essential, and flourescent tubes such as zoo-med's iguana lights are absolutely necessary, along with a heat light. Without them, serious bone problems are assured. : Better not to feed avocado at this time, they are very high in fat, which he doesn't need now. You can branch out from this basic diet as he grows, but this will start him right. Also, stay away from spinach, cabbage, kale, broccoli, carrots, bananas, and many more foods... The point of which is stick to the above for starters. : He will need fairly high temperatures, (75 in the coolest area, and 90+ in the basking area. and supplimental humidity, but you can find this in your books. Which books do you have? : Best to remove all plants from his area, as many houseplants are toxic. Too many to list here, and if it's green, and iguana will pretty much try to eat it. : At any rate, good luck, and feel free to ask many questions. Here's a linfk for research. : : : Hi all, : : I really need some help here. My son has recently gotten a baby green iguana. We rescued it from a man selling them at a market. Now, I have gone out and bought all the books etc but, seriously there are some questions I still have that need answering.can anyone help me?? : : 1. I have recently been told that avocado is poisonous for them? Is this true and are there other foods I should stay away from? : : 2. We have had Godzilla nearly 2 weeks now and yet he still has not drunk any water,,,not that I have seen, No matter what I do to try and coax him to drink he just will not. : : 3. Poop and pee....lol...sorry but gotta know! He has only done this twice since we got him, or that I know of, and the once was on my shoulder! eeeeewwww!! Should this be a daily thing or what?? help? (need to know things like texture color etc??? ) : : 4. His nails are really long but dont know how old they should be before clipping them (and how) dont they need the nails for climbing? : : 5. Are there any plants or tree branches that I should remove from his area(he has free reign at the moment!) : : thanks I would really appreciate a response

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