How do you ascertain the health of your iguana pet?

If you are one of those who is well informed on how to attend to an iguana and has read the right literature on its upkeep, you would ensure that your iguana does not suffer from any ill health.  However, in the event of it falling ill, you should be able to quickly recognize any problem that it could be facing and take adequate measures to alleviate the problem.  This article is an attempt to share some of the tell tale symptoms exhibited by a sick iguana and what you can do to counter them.

Food Habits and Appetite

Over a period of time, you would definitely get to know about your pet’s eating habits and the moment there is a perceptible change in this schedule, you must realize that there is something wrong.  Typical signs are decreased intake of food or sometimes taking in more than normal, wishing to opt for something different than the usual menu and a reluctance to eat moist food.  These are sure signs that something is amiss and it is time to seek medical help.

External Look

You need to look for the texture of the skin and its color of your iguana to determine if there is any looseness or discoloration.  Though discoloration does occur occasionally due to change in temperature or stress, that condition is temporary and it is only when an iguana is really ill that the change in the skin color remains irreversible. It is worth mentioning that the skin usually takes on a brownish hue and that is a definite sign of sickness and time for you to rush him to the vet.

General Countenance

Your iguana’s behavior should also give you certain pointers on its health.  If it appears withdrawn and prefers to hide in a specific place within the terrarium, you should know that there could be something wrong with it.  The other scenario is when a normally passive iguana suddenly acts aggressive and that again is an indication that you need to show it to the vet at the earliest.

Iguana Health Care Is Important For Your Pet

The health of your iguana can go for a toss if you do not adhere to certain recommendations about its care and you can do this easily by referring to some well known books on this subject. We will however, cover some of the problems that typically occur with an iguana.

You need to be very careful about the breeding of internal parasites and a condition known as the metabolic bone disease.

While the presence of internal parasites is difficult to detect without the assistance of a vet, taking the iguana for a check up as soon as you get it home should prevent the further breeding of any parasites that may be present within the iguana.

If for some reason, you are not able to visit a vet, then the tell tale signs of such a parasitic attack manifesting in your iguana is a lack of appetite, runny motion and sudden loss of weight. This should prompt you to immediately take him to the vet.

The second condition of the metabolic bone disease is far more worrying as if they are not getting fed right proportions of calcium, phosphorus and UV light, they could exhibit stunted growth and would not be able to show the correct development. The ideal proportion of calcium: phosphorus should be 1:1. Growth deficiency in an iguana is serious as they tend to exhibit quick growth and rapid development if taken care of properly.

The deficiency starts showing in the manner the iguana attempts to move around and you will observe that the bones can crack quite easily resulting out of swollen joints in the hind legs, which tend to exhibit weakness immediately. This is a sure sign of deficiency as the iguana is an active reptile that likes to climb and keep moving.

It is therefore important to provide the right lighting, diet and temperature conditions so that these problems do not manifest themselves and your iguana can lead a healthy life.

Green Iguana Care Is Not An Easy Task

It is a shocking fact that more than 50% of iguanas do not survive beyond four years of age and that is only because majority of people do not know how to attend to these wonderful reptiles.

The implications are not difficult to understand. When you buy your pet iguana from the store, the dealer could give you advice that is misplaced and that could cause severe problems to your iguana. It could be something as inane as advising you to only feed your iguana with cricks or recommending you to keep the temperature of the enclosure at 25 degrees Celsius; both of these may not be the right advice and you may not realize it until too late.

You therefore must be well prepared with information that you can pick up from specific literature about reptile care and must ensure that you buy your iguana only from experienced breeders. The need to identify the right vet and consult him prior to making your purchase will equip you with the correct information and put you in the right frame of mind, when you approach the pet store.

You must also be aware that iguana care is much different from the care you would extend to other animals. It can be very demanding and unless you are prepared mentally to go the distance, you should not look at the iguana as your pet. Hence you need to know about all the different aspects of Iguana care ranging from its terrarium, diet, lighting and temperature before venturing out to buy your iguana.

If during this learning process, you harbor any doubts about how you are going to manage all of it, then you need to relook at your decision. You must also remember that the physical space required for a growing iguana is huge and unless you can ensure this space, you would be guilty of improper iguana care and that could prove quite costly in terms of the mortality of this reptile. Finally, even if you can manage all the other requirements to satisfaction, you need to ask yourself one more time, whether you will be able to stay with this animal for an extended period of time and give it your personal attention and love. Only if the answer is an emphatic yes, you should go ahead with your purchase.