Re: Head seizures & Tremors.. sorry so long but pls read :(

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Posted by BabyHerp on May 17, 2001 at 13:03:56:

In Reply to: Head seizures & Tremors.. sorry so long but pls read :( posted by Chris on May 17, 2001 at 10:34:20:

Hi Christina and welcome aboard!
Syd is in good hands! Sounds like he's making progress already. Some iguanas go thru breeding season in the early fall, others early spring. Depends on where you live, climate and correlation of their breeding seasons where they originate from in the wild...I live in California and my igs go thru breeding season at twice a year. In early spring and fall.Forgive me but something is not jiving here. Many things can impede calcium absorption (hi fats, hi fiber, not enough Vitamin D, magnesium in diet) Most common calcium deficients can be from feeding chronic foods that are hi phosphorus, low calcium, or little to no exposure to uvb (either direct unfiltered natural sunlight or artificial uvb).They get Vitamin D from sunlight/artificial uvb. Its a fat soluble vitamin (actually acts more like a hormone) that is NECESSARY for calcium to be metabolized. Spring is when MAJORITY of cases of MBD occur. Iguanas don't generally get out much thru the winter for sunlight due to inclement weather or no artificial uvb/ or an old lamp has been used. Nekton-Rep is really not known as a reptile calcium supplement but a vitamin supplement. I cannot remember the ingredients off hand..Syd needs a phosphorus & Vitamin D3 FREE calcium supplement (since he'll be coming home soon he'll need it added to his food everyday for a couplea months). Go over his diet again...you'll see that the items you feed him are more hi phosphorus than hi calcium. Supposedly iguanas need a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio from the foods they eat. I believe it to be more like 6:1.
An adult iguana's diet should look something like this(1 item only from each category can vary it week to week):
60-70% dark leafy greens: collards, dandelion, mustard, turnip greens.
20-25% hi calcium veggies like diced or minced nopales (cactus), grated or butternut squash
20-25% Hi calcium fruits like papaya, fresh figs, oranges, red rasberries, prickly pear (cactus fruit).
For iguanas younger than 2 years of age...they require more plant protein in their diet...for growth
For veggies part of salad...add legumes (fresh beans and peas), tofu, even Ensure liquid supplement pour a little over his salad every few days for soy protein and multi-vitamins.
WATER is very important to add to their salad as majority of green iguanas also suffer from chronic dehydration~~~~~> kidney disease.
For calcium supplementation go with Tums the rep-cal is a very good product as is Miner-All O . Crush the Tums or if using RepCal spinkle on salad (as you would salt your own food) several times a week. At this point with him I'd provide it everyday for the next 2 months. Get that bone density up there! Thank you for caring enough about your igs to post your concerns. You did the right thing ...getting him to the vet as fast as you did!
Here are a few websites I would recommend you go over for more info on green iguana care.

http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas
http://www.greenigsociety.com
http://www.icomm.ca/dragon/napoleon.htm
http://www.icomm.ca/%7Edragon/gnhealth.htm
http://www.milagros.net/caiman/wongs.htm

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: Hi Christina and welcome aboard! : Syd is in good hands! Sounds like he's making progress already. Some iguanas go thru breeding season in the early fall, others early spring. Depends on where you live, climate and correlation of their breeding seasons where they originate from in the wild...I live in California and my igs go thru breeding season at twice a year. In early spring and fall.Forgive me but something is not jiving here. Many things can impede calcium absorption (hi fats, hi fiber, not enough Vitamin D, magnesium in diet) Most common calcium deficients can be from feeding chronic foods that are hi phosphorus, low calcium, or little to no exposure to uvb (either direct unfiltered natural sunlight or artificial uvb).They get Vitamin D from sunlight/artificial uvb. Its a fat soluble vitamin (actually acts more like a hormone) that is NECESSARY for calcium to be metabolized. Spring is when MAJORITY of cases of MBD occur. Iguanas don't generally get out much thru the winter for sunlight due to inclement weather or no artificial uvb/ or an old lamp has been used. Nekton-Rep is really not known as a reptile calcium supplement but a vitamin supplement. I cannot remember the ingredients off hand..Syd needs a phosphorus & Vitamin D3 FREE calcium supplement (since he'll be coming home soon he'll need it added to his food everyday for a couplea months). Go over his diet again...you'll see that the items you feed him are more hi phosphorus than hi calcium. Supposedly iguanas need a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio from the foods they eat. I believe it to be more like 6:1. : An adult iguana's diet should look something like this(1 item only from each category can vary it week to week): : 60-70% dark leafy greens: collards, dandelion, mustard, turnip greens. : 20-25% hi calcium veggies like diced or minced nopales (cactus), grated or butternut squash : 20-25% Hi calcium fruits like papaya, fresh figs, oranges, red rasberries, prickly pear (cactus fruit). : For iguanas younger than 2 years of age...they require more plant protein in their diet...for growth : For veggies part of salad...add legumes (fresh beans and peas), tofu, even Ensure liquid supplement pour a little over his salad every few days for soy protein and multi-vitamins. : WATER is very important to add to their salad as majority of green iguanas also suffer from chronic dehydration~~~~~> kidney disease. : For calcium supplementation go with Tums the rep-cal is a very good product as is Miner-All O . Crush the Tums or if using RepCal spinkle on salad (as you would salt your own food) several times a week. At this point with him I'd provide it everyday for the next 2 months. Get that bone density up there! Thank you for caring enough about your igs to post your concerns. You did the right thing ...getting him to the vet as fast as you did! : Here are a few websites I would recommend you go over for more info on green iguana care. : http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas : http://www.greenigsociety.com : http://www.icomm.ca/dragon/napoleon.htm : http://www.icomm.ca/%7Edragon/gnhealth.htm : http://www.milagros.net/caiman/wongs.htm

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