I haven't had any iguana related questions in a long time, but I was curious if it was normal for an iguana to shed like crazy for a few months, stop shedding for a while, and then go back into shedding like crazy a few months later. Ira is current on all vet exams, and is looking really healthy, his eating and defecation patterns are normal, about a cup and a half to 2 cups of food per day, which is all that he will eat, and he defecates one sometimes two times per day, always in his water, unless I am late about changing it, then it is all over his cage, which I know is his way of telling me it is time for a good cleaning.

Is it normal for an iguana to grow rapidly then slow down to not really noticeable growth for a while? Is the described shedding pattern normal? Should I be feeding more?

He is about 36-38" snout to tail length, and about 16-18"snout to vent length, he really likes honey dew, which he gets a few pieces of before bed; he is on a steady diet of collards and squash, a mix of yellow and zuccini (he won't eat any of the hard squashes, I don't think he likes them, he'll leave them in there and eat everything else); I feed green onion at times, and the very rare piece of wheat bread (half a slice every other week). He lives in a large enclosure and spends most of his time in the bathroom where he can climb around all he wants, and gets a bath once a day.

I follow all the instructions on all the care sheets, I am just wondering about growth, so many people talk about insane growth rates, but mine doesn't seem to be growing nearly that fast, and I was curious if it was something I should be concerned about, the vet always says that he is doing great.

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“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…'"
- Isaac Asimov



TKE:TT:118

He sounds pretty big to me....how old is he??? Iguanas go through growth spurts like we do....they will shed constantly for a while and then break off for a while....sounds pretty normal.....and kudos to you for having him up to date on vetting......best wishes......

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

It sounds fine to me. Diz will shed constantly from March until October and then he will only shed his head and jowls through the winter and then resume the pattern again. He never had an incredilbe growth spurt as far as I can tellm but I see him every day and people who only see him every few months notice a marked difference.

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Thank you all, I was just getting curious looking at some of the monsters that are around Ira's age. Ira has all the bite, but none of the bark I guess he is just the scaley Napolean for his age.

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“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…'"
- Isaac Asimov



TKE:TT:118

Sounds normal to me also but what do I know..

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Colleen