HI. my 4 month old ig isn't eating. or at least when I look at his bowl it looks like he isn't eating. I thought it was because I wasn't giving him enough variety in his diet so I went out this morning and bought some mint leaves, some sorrell, some terragon and some alfalfa sprouts for his salad today. it doesn't look like he even touched it. i tried putting him near the bowl and all he did waslook at it then walk away. i tried hand feeding but as I said in another thread that he won't eat from my hand. does anyone know why he might not be eating. he looks green and healthy so I don't think hes sick. sorry about worrying so much but it's my first reptile so I don't know if this is normal. if anyone can give me any advice on this that would be muchly appreciated. thanks in advance.

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Chris Kerr.

2.0.0 Dogs-Taz and Sandy
0.2.0 Cats-Whiskers and Squirelly
0.0.1 Green Iguana-Spike

Iguanas can go for some time without eating, mine went for a week right after I got him just because of stress. As long as he looks healthy and is defecating with some normalcy, don't get too concerned right away. Correct me if I am wrong, but you just put him into a new enclosure not that long ago so it may just be stress from the change. If it goes longer than a week, or the iguana starts to get noticeably different looking or there is a change in behavior then a vet check is probably in order. When in doubt a call to the vet can be reassuring. As long as everything medically is up to date, and the fecal looks okey, then you really don't need to panic at this point.

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TKE:TT:118

okay thanks

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Chris Kerr.

2.0.0 Dogs-Taz and Sandy
0.2.0 Cats-Whiskers and Squirelly
0.0.1 Green Iguana-Spike

Be sure to check his temps too, even a little fluctuation can cause them too go off of food. Also look around for things that can be stressing him out, like is he in a high traffic area? does he see his reflection? Do you have a cat that wants to eat him?

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~Lacey~

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And I would stop changing the food around. Go with the greens on the list. Once the ig is eating well then you can offer different things to see what he likes.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I may be wrong but I don't remember seeing any of the things you mentioned on any ig diet list...especially the alfalfa sprouts. I thought those were a no-no. Maybe he just doesn't like your selection .. I'd stick with mustard greens, collard greens, dandelion ... and mix in some veggies like green beans, snap peas, acorn squash (mine loves that) ... and make sure you cut everything up real tiny. For a baby, that's important.

Also, perhaps he might be getting ready to shed? I've noticed when Einstein doesn't eat all his meal, a few days later I notice signs of shedding.

oh okay. i thought all of those foods were good for my ig. i did some research and got a chart of foods that are good for him. i will try to find the url for it and post the url for it sometime soon. oh and lacey he is in a high traffic area and he can see his reflection and he used to have the cats coming to visit but I smacked them and they haven't done that in a while. but his reflection hasn't bothered him so far same with the high traffic as long as he is in his enclosure he's happy to see people. he is very people friendly surprisingly but I never fully trust him nd noone can touch him unless I am there just to be safe.

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Chris Kerr.

2.0.0 Dogs-Taz and Sandy
0.2.0 Cats-Whiskers and Squirelly
0.0.1 Green Iguana-Spike

Moving him to a more quite part of the house and reducing reflections might help to get him eating again. Most iguanas like a little entertainment but constant traffic might make him nervous (some igs dont like to eat while you watch) and that whole not liking to be watched while eating can also have to do with him seeing his reflection and being stressed out thinking its another iguana too. my ig wont eat whe nyou are looking at him but he'll na a peice of food as soon as you turn away.

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“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

~Lacey~

My Photos

okay. the only traffic that goes through the house is my moms piano students and that is every hour or two someone new comes through but thats all and they are the same people every time. other than that the only traffic is me and my family. i used to have him in my room but I wanted him to get used to seeing alot of different people so that when I have friends over he would be somewhat friendly. And there was no form of entertainment in my room for him. my aunt and my mom go and talk to him during the day and make sure his temps and humidity levels are fine too. How can I cut down on him being able to see his reflection without getting rid of the glass so we can see him?

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Chris Kerr.

2.0.0 Dogs-Taz and Sandy
0.2.0 Cats-Whiskers and Squirelly
0.0.1 Green Iguana-Spike

You could try putting paper on the sides of the tank and the back so you only have the front open, or sometimes just adjusting the lights will help, or putting up a barrier like a fake plant or something.

__________________

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

~Lacey~

My Photos