cstamper

Hello Sherri ... welcome to the world of iguanas. Thank you for adopting an iguana ... especially one that lost his home in such a tragic way. I am glad your experience with George has been going so good. I am sure you will get a lot of people responding to your questions in search of information on the best ways to help George.

First ... what is in the litter box? If it is cat litter or bark or chips, it needs emptied immediately. Iguanas can eat litter, bark or chips. Ingesting these things can cause a blockage in the ig's digestive system. If the blockage doesn't kill the iguana ... the vet bills to get the blockage out can be incredible!!... and the iguana could still die. Iguanas like to go to the bathroom in water. People allow their igs to use a bathtub and then clean the tub afterwards. Some people have tub-totes available in the rooms or cages where the iguana lives. If there is a separate tub/tote for the iguana, it needs to be cleaned daily and rinsed well.

One BM a week ... some iguanas actually do only go one time a week but most of them go several times a week and some every day. My own 2 are every day goers. Reasons for George going only once a day could be many. Iguanas don't always do well with stress and it sounds like George has had plenty of it' maybe when George was wandering he ate something he shouldn't and is constipated; maybe George isn't getting enough food AND WATER. Iguanas need to be well-hydrated inside and out.

Have you taken George to a reptile vet for a check up? If you haven't I would suggest you do that ASAP. Get a fresh fecal sample and take it to the vet for testing for parasites. As the vet to let you bring it in on the day that George does it. Testing on fresh samples works better. A vet check is a must for an iguana. You can find recommended vet listings at http://www.herpvetconnection.com and http://www.anapsid.org/vets

While on the topic of tubs, iguanas usually enjoy soaking in lukewarm water. Some of them like to soak for absolutely hours!! In their natural tropic environment, they use streams and rivers. They are good swimmers. Don't be surprised if George puffs his body up for floating ... they do that. With my iguanas I keep the depth of the water high enough they can enjoy it BUT low enough they can stand up on all 4s with their neck and head out of the water if they want to. If you are misting George, it should be done many times a day. Depending on where you live (I live in the north of the US) you may need to have humidifiers going to keep the humidity level high enough for George.

You didn't say how big George ... or where you live. That information would be helpful so the people here at 'We Love IGs' know how to help you better.

An iguana can't overeat and get fat. To find out how much George likes to eat ... check out the diet here at http://www.iguanaden.org ... make a ton of it and keep feeding him until he stops. If you do this for several days in a row that should give you an idea of how much you have to buy and prepare. The correct diet is critical for an ig's health.

Please feel free to ask questions. That is why this group is here. There is no stupid question when we're concerned for the health of our green friends.

Again, welcome to the group and the world of iguanas.

Linda a/k/a Country

Our Iguana's name is George and we've had him now for about a month. The lady we
adopted him from said she thinks he's around 9 to 10 years old. We adopted him from a
woman in Houston. He was found in New Orleans after the hurriacane roaming the
streets. This is our first Iguana and it has been a fun experience so far. He's very friendly,
gentle and he loves to sit in your lap. He lives in our guest bedroom and he seems to
really like it. He sleeps on the bed under the heat lamp every night. He comes out every
evening and joins us for a while. I feed him every evening after he's had a while with us.
I'm scared I might be doing things wrong and I want to make sure I'm taking care of
George in the best possible way!
Questions:
1) How many cups of food do I need to feed George each day?
2) I'm having trouble with him using the litter box on his own, I have to put him it so that
he will use it. Another concern is that he's only having about one bowel movement a
week. This is probably what I'm the most concerned about! I know it can't be healthy for
an Iguana to only have one BM a week.
3) How often do I need to mist him with water?
Thank you, Sherri

love007457

potiskanje, tako lepo temo dobro delovno mesto

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