sophie remisova

My vet says that it's a good idea to occasionally give a teaspoon of
diluted red wine to an iguana. He said in the wild they look for
alcohol in fermenting fruit(which is also ok to give once in a while
according to him).I have never heard/read about it before. What do you
think?

vancocon

--- In IguanaMail (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com, "Sophie Remisova" <ephrosinya@...>

Ethanol. Rotten fruit. Why is it a good idea to feed that stuff? I'd
need to see the results of a study before i fed any of that. Even then,
I'd wonder what were the befefits of those ingredients in the diet. I'm
sure an iguana would not miss those foods. Now that your vet has told
you that bit of info, I would doubt anything else (s)he says.

Roger

nancy gillett

Robins love to eat fermenting olives. They get drunk as skunks (and I
wonder where that phrase comes from?). I actually saw one fall off a roof
once. Instict and his wings saved him, and he did land on his feet,
looking very bemused.

Other animals do eat things that make them "high". I know I've seen bits
on the nature channel.

Nancy

melissa kaplan

In a word, no.

Yes, some animals do seek out rotting fruit and get drunk. As with
intoxicated humans, getting drunk makes animals more prone to accidents and
getting killed. In the case of animals, if the injuries don't kill them,
being drunk reduces the likelihood of successfully evading predators.

Just because some animals seek out rotting fruit, others may eat it as there
is no other food available. Since you're going to be feeding your iguana a
healthy, properly constructed diet, there is no reason why he should be
forced into eating things he would otherwise not eat - in captivity or in
the wild.