iguana questions
Lance Gregory
OK I have read in several places that iguanas are a source of
salminella(spelling?). How serious is this?
Also when I got my Ig we were feeding him what the pet store told us
to(lettuce mostly), but after a couple of days we found out that the
stuff we were feeding it was worthless. So we naturally started feeding
it the stuff we were told to from the faqs and other books we read. And
now my Ig has almost stopped eating. He eats very little compared to how
much of the other stuff he ate. What do I do? Is this normal? How do I
get my Ig to eat the stuff that is good for him? I do give him some
lettuce still so that he won't die of starvation.
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from Lance Gregory
If you build it she will destroy it
lxgr...@bert.cs.byu.edu
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Kenneth Donahue
: Also when I got my Ig we were feeding him what the pet store told us
: to(lettuce mostly), but after a couple of days we found out that the
: stuff we were feeding it was worthless. So we naturally started feeding
: it the stuff we were told to from the faqs and other books we read. And
: now my Ig has almost stopped eating. He eats very little compared to how
: much of the other stuff he ate. What do I do? Is this normal? How do I
: get my Ig to eat the stuff that is good for him? I do give him some
: lettuce still so that he won't die of starvation.
Iguanas are creatures of habit. Any change freaks them out. You almost
have to train them that the new stuff is food. One way to do this to
give him a small piece of some thing he will eat and while his mouth is
still open place a large piece of what you want him to eat in his mouth.
Once he starts to eat it, he will finish it. Eventualy, he should learn
the nw stuff is food and go for that right off. If you put the food in
a food processor, you can put a small bit on his lips(?) and when he
licks it off, shove some of the processed food in. A word of warning
about this method, Igs have VERY sharp teeth and they will bite anything
thats in there mouth.
Good luck,
Kenny, Lisa & Stu
da...@lehigh.edu
>: Also when I got my Ig we were feeding him what the pet store told us
>: to(lettuce mostly), but after a couple of days we found out that the
>: stuff we were feeding it was worthless. So we naturally started feeding
>: it the stuff we were told to from the faqs and other books we read. And
>: now my Ig has almost stopped eating. He eats very little compared to how
>: much of the other stuff he ate. What do I do? Is this normal? How do I
>: get my Ig to eat the stuff that is good for him? I do give him some
>: lettuce still so that he won't die of starvation.
>
ig up without nourishing it, it is not "harmful" per se, in and of itself.
This permits a different approach than would be possible if it were directly
harmful. Instead of removing *** all *** the lettuce from its diet, begin by
mixing it with small quantities of more beneficial greens such as mustard
greens or turnip greens ( collard doesn't "mix" well and the ig will tend to
pick and choose, but the mustard greens and turnip greens do ), and add a
little dry food, vitamins, and calcium lightly "salting" the mixture. Then
gradually, based on how the ig eats it, increase the "good" mixture and
decrease the iceberg. Once it is decreased to nothing, begin to add other
beneficial foods such as collard greens to the mix. This method generally
works with lettuce junkies. The mustard greens and turnip greens have almost
the same consistency and feel to the palate as does the iceberg, so they help
the transition.
Don O
DA...@NS1.CC.LEHIGH.EDU (Don)
Uriel
>OK I have read in several places that iguanas are a source of
>salminella(spelling?). How serious is this?
> Also when I got my Ig we were feeding him what the pet store told us
>to(lettuce mostly), but after a couple of days we found out that the
>stuff we were feeding it was worthless. So we naturally started feeding
>it the stuff we were told to from the faqs and other books we read. And
>now my Ig has almost stopped eating. He eats very little compared to how
>much of the other stuff he ate. What do I do? Is this normal? How do I
>get my Ig to eat the stuff that is good for him? I do give him some
>lettuce still so that he won't die of starvation.
Well you can make a mix of good stuff and lettuce and then start
decreasing the amount of lettuce. This usually works well for me
I can't see a better way of doing it any other Ideas out there?
There is also that horrible stuff stimulap. I don't like the idea
of giving the little guys chemicals to make them hungry to me it
seems dangerous. But you could also just offer them the good stuff
and nothing but I guess the will eventually eat it when they get
hungry enough.
Edward
nick_bell
>
>Lance Gregory <lxgr...@bert.cs.byu.edu> writes:
>
>
>>OK I have read in several places that iguanas are a source of
>>salminella(spelling?). How serious is this?
>
>> Also when I got my Ig we were feeding him what the pet store told us
>>to(lettuce mostly), but after a couple of days we found out that the
>>stuff we were feeding it was worthless. So we naturally started feeding
>>it the stuff we were told to from the faqs and other books we read. And
>>now my Ig has almost stopped eating. He eats very little compared to how
>>much of the other stuff he ate. What do I do? Is this normal? How do I
>>get my Ig to eat the stuff that is good for him? I do give him some
>>lettuce still so that he won't die of starvation.
>
>
geed beans and cut them really small or even try to mash it up.
I have never heard of someone getting salamandra from a "ig" but
just wash your hands after handeling it.
nick
Richard D Dickinson
There are documaented cases of young children and babies getting
salmonella from igs. They are more susceptible because the lining of
their digestive systems are more permeable to bacteria and such. I
wouldn't be overly concerned about it, but you should always wash your
hands with antibacterial soap after handling your ig. There is really no
way to tell if your ig is a carrier of salmonella (that I know of).
As far as diet is concerned, that pet store owner is wrong!! Feeding your
ig just lettuce may keep it alive, but its not enough if you want a
healthy, lively ig. Try feeding it a variety of vegetables (broccoli,
tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, etc.) from day one. If the pet store owner
has been feeding it only lettuce its whole life, it may take some time to
get your ig to eat something different. Igs are very particular about
what they eat. I found that if an ig is hungry enough, it will eat just
about anything you put on its plate.
Rich D.
KARCH MARZIAH ELIZABETH
:
As I already emailed him, I suspect the ig does indeed have mites.
Loss of apetite for a sick ig is not uncommon; however, a lizard spoiled
on lettuce is not easily going to give it up, even if it's bad for it.
Stop giving it lettuce! Maybe later as a treat, but not for a picky eater.
Try mixing all the food up in a big mush, so it can't pick favorites.
Also try colorful foods, like carrots or edible flowers from the supermrkt.
I started feeding mine on vegie baby food mixed with commercial dry food.
Draco now eats dry food exclusivly, and even prefers it to lettuce.
: nick
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