Jenna
Full Member
Posts: 31
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lettuce
Mar 17, 2004 16:40:45 GMT -8
Post by Jenna on Mar 17, 2004 16:40:45 GMT -8
My iguana only eats lettuce and cantalope. I have tried to feed him collard greens and other greens but he refuses to eat any of them. Is there anything i can do to get him to eat something else?
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lettuce
Mar 17, 2004 17:07:04 GMT -8
Post by Lyn on Mar 17, 2004 17:07:04 GMT -8
well Jenna, you really have to stop the lettuce all together...because it just isnt doing him any good...just keep feeding the greens like collards and mustards and in time, he will start to eat them....in time lettuce could actually kill him because of the no nutrition thing....good luck...Lyn
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Jenna
Full Member
Posts: 31
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lettuce
Mar 17, 2004 17:11:41 GMT -8
Post by Jenna on Mar 17, 2004 17:11:41 GMT -8
thanx a bunch:)
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lettuce
Mar 17, 2004 17:12:15 GMT -8
Post by Tesa on Mar 17, 2004 17:12:15 GMT -8
Ditto what Lyn said. Stop feeding the lettuce and canteloupe. Keep fresh greens available and wait him out.
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lettuce
Mar 17, 2004 17:25:00 GMT -8
Post by Yoda on Mar 17, 2004 17:25:00 GMT -8
Try Butternut squash...through the smallest holes on a cheese grater ...using the smallest holes really brings out the moisture in the squash...
Then take some collards and chop Them into that it is all a orange slop... chop them in really well...so all you see is green specks through the squash...
I haven't heard of a Iggy yet that wont eat Butternut squash..
once you get him eating this ...introduce some other greens into the mix ....keep everything chopped really fine so if he wants the squash he has no choice but to eat some greens with it.. You can slowly cut back on the squash , leaving the greens in slightly bigger pieces until the mix is around 70% greens ...
Also you may want to think about providing a calcium supplement ...if all this Iggy has been eating is Lettuce and Cantalope....
Dont offer the lettuce anymore ...Its like Crack Cocaine to a Iggy ....Highly Addictive and offers no nutrients at all...
Keep us posted...
James and Yoda
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lettuce
Mar 17, 2004 19:05:03 GMT -8
Post by dominick on Mar 17, 2004 19:05:03 GMT -8
Hi Jenna- Well, I think we pretty well drove home the no lettuce ever thing. ;D James' method is excellent and the Ig won't be able to resist it. Many times, we get scared that our Igs would starve themselves to death rather than eat what we want them to or what they need to. Truth is, the IG, as long as there are no apparent parasitic infections or other maladies, will not starve. They will begrudgingly eat what is in front of them. It's tough love, but sometimes that's the way you have to correct bad habits (apparently works for crack-cocaine addicts to, LOL). It was this very survival behavior that lead early Iguana researchers to surmise that Iguanas eat bugs! It was later deduced that the Ig was eating what it could to survive, but given the proper food, the Ig would not touch a bug. Hence, from then on we realize they are true herbivores. So Jenna, write down your goals here. Resolve yourself to correct any husbandry issues, one at a time, using the tough-love methodology. Prepare the food as suggested, plop the plate in front of the Ig and walk away. Leave it there, stand your ground and don't give in. It may take a few agonizing days, keep remembering that we are the smart humans and the Ig is just battling our willpower. Replace the plate with a plate of fresh "food" every day. Same time. The Ig will eventually eat the food. When they do, give them soft praise. Let them know what they did was great. Maybe even offer a small hand fed treat. It will work. So many others have been through it and can attest to it. Igs have been weaned off of chicken, and dog food and a whole host of other "bad" foods. They did it, so to will yours. Good luck, be strong and remember, WE are smarter.
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lettuce
Mar 17, 2004 22:31:36 GMT -8
Post by SurvivorSteph on Mar 17, 2004 22:31:36 GMT -8
Amen! Preach it, Brother!
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lettuce
Mar 18, 2004 8:44:06 GMT -8
Post by prism_wolf on Mar 18, 2004 8:44:06 GMT -8
I like James's way best. I've never stopped feeding cold turkey and "wait them out". They still need food...even if it's not exactly healthy for a time. Their bodies are already lacking nutrients and starving them until they do eat will not help. James way is excellent. I've got an article on the Iguana Den I'll go ahead and post the link for real quick and you can choose which one you prefer. Personally I think the cantelope recipe is great... ;D. Squeezing grape juice is another good trick to use. www.iguanaden.com/diet/lettuce101.htm
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lettuce
Mar 18, 2004 10:45:06 GMT -8
Post by dominick on Mar 18, 2004 10:45:06 GMT -8
Hi Veronica-
Fair enough. Tough love isn't for every body. LOL
I rehabbed two baby Iglets last year who spent the first 5 months of life on a nasty, red gelatinous mush (some pet store commercial food). There poor mouths and bodies were stained from the nasty stuff. They had never had a fresh green or vegetable in their short lives.
I brought them home and did some research on the methodology behind switching feeding habits. Actually searching through AIML archives. This was the method most advised. I had made up my mind.
I started the very next day with minutely chopped fresh greens and grated squash. Nothing, wouldn't even touch it. Next day, same thing. I too got worried about malnourishment and started asking everywhere about it. Same advise, leave it until they eat. Day four, put the plate down and they nearly leapt from the other side of the cage to start munching on it! They ate fresh greens and veggies ever since. Soon, as soon as they saw me coming with the plate they would scurry to the side of the cage where I put it down. LOL
I think some of the delayed reaction has to do with this "foreign" food they are suddenly encountering. And I think they eventually (with the help of hunger pangs of course) realize it is edible and begin eating it.
Trust me, I agonized everyday for three days about the fact that I might be starving them. But most folks I communicated with bolstered the method and advised me to continue.
I certainly don't have the same amount of re-hab experience you have, and don't pretend to know any better than anyone else, but I figured I'd simply share my personal experience with this method. I suppose the age of the Iguana would be a factor in the particular method you use. Babies seem easy to modify behavior, more so than a set-in-their-ways adult.
I also agree, James has an excellent method, I think I posted that. And I think using his "recipe" in conjunction with the Tough-love method will have that Iggy eating fresh greens and veggies in no time.
BTW folks, it this kind of public interaction that has helped to improve captive Iguana husbandry techniques and advanced the health of our captive breed Iguanas in the past decade. I welcome it and am always open to differing options and methods. It's all about the Iguanas, not the words we type to one another.
Green thoughts!
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lettuce
Mar 18, 2004 11:00:47 GMT -8
Post by prism_wolf on Mar 18, 2004 11:00:47 GMT -8
I love others' opinions!! I often change my ways of doing things when someone has come up with a better idea. Like James'! I really like it (and I meant squash...not cantelope). But I'd still use it in conjunction with the weaning...lol. It breaks my heart to try tough love...so I'm a weiney!! And with lettuce being the HARDEST diet to break them of, this is the one I tend to lean towards the weaning off of most. Pelleted diets seem easier to break from, though I might be wrong about that. I haven't had much experience with the commercial foods. Lots of people use the tough love thing and it goes great. As a matter of fact, the majority of igs do fine this way. There's always those few who would rather starve. And sometimes the transition for those that are already ill can push them right over the edge into critical with the tough love act. I'm certainly no pro in rehabbing igs. I haven't rescued that many into my home. I have helped out a few people here and there, but with that and the collective experience of so many others like you all here and the various other lists...that adds up to info from a lot of places of what works and what doesn't. As an individual we may do "okay", but as a collective information source we can perform small miracles...
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lettuce
Mar 18, 2004 11:10:44 GMT -8
Post by dominick on Mar 18, 2004 11:10:44 GMT -8
Lots of people use the tough love thing and it goes great. As a matter of fact, the majority of igs do fine this way. There's always those few who would rather starve. And sometimes the transition for those that are already ill can push them right over the edge into critical with the tough love act. You bring up a good point here Veronica- Jenna, has your Ig been to the vet lately? It may be a good idea to get the Ig vet checked to insure there are no other "hidden" problems before you start making drastic changes to the diet. I would only advise this type of behavior modification if the Ig is clear of any other illness or maladies. Otherwise, we might just compound the problem. Let us know.
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lettuce
Mar 18, 2004 14:47:52 GMT -8
Post by Yoda on Mar 18, 2004 14:47:52 GMT -8
;D
Have you tried telling your Iggy in a stern voice ..
"You are not leaving this table untill you finish every Green on this plate"
James and Yoda
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lettuce
Mar 18, 2004 14:58:37 GMT -8
Post by dominick on Mar 18, 2004 14:58:37 GMT -8
LOL James-
I tried that once and while I was telling him that, he snalted me right in the face!
So, he spent one full day grounded in his cage.
Boy was he upset! But he ate all of his greens from then on!
;D
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Jenna
Full Member
Posts: 31
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lettuce
Mar 18, 2004 17:10:34 GMT -8
Post by Jenna on Mar 18, 2004 17:10:34 GMT -8
No i havent brought my ig to the vet yet. Im still trying to find a place around where i live but its difficult to find a herp vet. Thanx everyone for all of ur suggestions they really helped:)
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lettuce
Mar 18, 2004 17:23:41 GMT -8
Post by dominick on Mar 18, 2004 17:23:41 GMT -8
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