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Post by zachbondi on Mar 10, 2008 14:45:35 GMT -5
My iguana, Sidd, has looked like he is going to shed for a few weeks now but only shed the skin on his nose and a little on his neck. For the duration of this almost-shedding he has eaten very little. I was wondering if there was a way to encourage eating and/or force-feeding. He has gotten pretty skinny and i thought he would shed fairly quick then start eating again. Help!
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Post by prismwolf on Mar 10, 2008 22:16:34 GMT -5
Although shedding can result in a loss of appetite - Sidd shouldn't be getting thin because of it. Could you tell us about the care your giving him such as lighting, heat, UVB and diet?
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Post by zachbondi on Mar 11, 2008 18:49:39 GMT -5
He has one heat lamp pointed to a basking piece of wood and another light that gives UVA and UVB, he has an under the cage heater on an open spot for him to lay against, and right now i'm feeding him acorn squash and green beans as base food, and alternating between green peppers, apples, carrots, and broccoli. He has 2 dishes of water that don't take up too much space.
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Post by ChamZilla on Mar 12, 2008 16:17:32 GMT -5
Hi Zach and Sidd,
You could add a few more things to Sidd's diet to make it better for him. What you are feeding now isn't all that bad. Some greens like, Collard Greens, Dandelion, mustard greens, kale, swiss chard (white or red) are more leafy greens you should be feeding him as well. This should make up 80% of his diet and the rest can be what you stated earlier.
Around what age is Sidd? This could have something to do with his not wanting to eat. Can you name the brand of UV lighting you are using. A lot of pet stores will say a brand is good when its not and they just want to sell it to make money. It really is a sad thing they do to innocent people and animals.
To entice your iggy to eat, you may offer some small pieces of fruit, watermelon is good and helps keep your iggy hydrated. My iggs like muskmelon (or I think its called cantaloupe) a few strawberries or a few slices of banana. You can also feed some SMALL pieces of whole wheat bread soaked in water to bring up hydration as well.
Hope to hear back about the age of Sidd and this may help us help you. Also did you get him at a petstore or what was his story before you got him. Ty and hope to hear back
Chamzilla
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Post by zachbondi on Mar 12, 2008 19:36:19 GMT -5
I got him from a pet store and judging by his length i'd say hes still under a year old. I'm not sure exactly what brand the UV light is, but its a 13 watt coil bulb. His basking light is Zoo Med.
Great idea about soaking bread and giving him watermelon. I'm going to add the greens to his diet too.
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Post by prismwolf on Mar 13, 2008 20:24:30 GMT -5
The coils aren't meant for iguanas, unfortunately. These don't put out high enough amounts of UVB for them to be useful in the small area they cover. Iguanas need either the UVB fluorescent tubes of 5.0 or higher and 4' in length - or a good merc vapor bulb. With the spiral - an iguana can still get MBD...
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