MY GODS...(more)

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Posted by chikkensht on February 01, 2003 at 22:53:29:

In Reply to: Re: Help needed...pretty long post. Sorry! posted by Annaka on February 01, 2003 at 21:44:52:

THAT IS A GORGEOUS CHUNK OF MASSIVE MASCULINE BUTCH IGUANA I HAVE SEEN YET...wow, keep up the great job! He knows he's alpha male!!!

:I'm glad you realise that the iguana's diet is terrible. Lettuce and strawberries have very little nutrition, and have only trace amounts of calcium. Not good foods for a growing iguana. Another thing you didn't mention is whether the iguana has any UVB (ultraviolet)lighting. Iguanas need ultraviolet light exposure to synthesise vitamin D3, which enables them to USE the calcium in their diet. Basicaly, without ultraviolet lighting, any amount of calcium supplementation will be worthless.

:Best sources of UV light are:

:1) Direct Sunlight - not filtered through glass, plastic, or overly fine screen mesh.
:2) Fluorescent reptile lamps - such as Zoomed Reptisun 5.0.
:3) Mercury Vapor reptile lamps - such as ActiveUV and Powersun.

:If the iguana was "running around freely" inside the house, and didn't have basking areas that provided UV, the MBD could be a direct result.

:The enlarged lower jaw is a pretty advanced sign of MBD. Be careful - when iguanas ale lacking a lot of calcium, their bones become very thin and fragile. They may break bones by simply falling off a low perch! I think a visit to a qualified herp vet is probably nessesary - the vet should be able to check the iguana's condition, perscribe antibiotics for mouth rot if nessesary, give it calcium injections, etc. I have no idea what shape the iguana is in, so I'll leave the giving of advice to the vet!

:As far as diet - you realise it's got to change ASAP. Best foods are mostly dark leafy greens (collard, mustard, turnip, dandelion, chicory/endive) with some small amount of healthy veggies (squashes with orange flesh, green beans, bell peppers, parsnip, yam/sweet potato,)

::Hey all!
::I am new posting to the iguana forum, for i don't own one. My friend owns a beautiful iguana (about 3 ft. long) that has MBD. She has been trying everything with her iguana, including supplementing it's diet with calcium etc., and I was wondering if there could be any other reason for the poor little guy to be looking the way it is. It's lower jaw it very enlarged, and I think it has a case of mouth rot as well. It still moves around fine and is very active, but I dont know if it could have anything to do with the temperatures dropping. (The iguana was used to running around freely during this past summertime since she lives in LA and it is warm enough.) Now it is winter, and the iguana has to be in it's cage.
::If anyone has any decent info, or sites with decent info I would be very happy to hear it. That, or information on a diet to boost calcium intake substantially. (This iguana is a very picky eater and only likes to eat lettuce and strawberries...this is obviously a problem. Any ideas on this?)
::Thanks a lot guys,
::-Artie

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