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Post by joseph2 on Apr 23, 2004 5:53:06 GMT -8
I was just looking through Jennys success story with Baby. And was that a miracle!!! I noticed one of the pictures of baby eating whole, collard leaves. I've always chopped Zilla's greens into smaller pieces, especially collard greens for fear that the hard stems throughout the leaves may cause an impaction. Am I being too cautious here? Is it okay to feed Zilla whole leaves, and will he be able to digest them properly? I know these are stupid questions, but I've never seen or heard anyone giving their iguana whole leaves. And what about veggies? Can they be given whole too? I thought I was quite knowledgable about Iguanas, but obviously I'm a little green myself about some things.  Joe |
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Post by Tesa on Apr 23, 2004 5:59:26 GMT -8
No Joe.......You are doin fine. Greens should be chopped into pieces about the size of the iguanas head. ( I remove those hard collard stems completey)
When I saw the pic, I told Jen she needed to tear/cut them smaller.
Veggies should be small too. Remember that iguanas can't chew. Veggies should be grated or run thru the food processor. ( I have seen people cut them larger, but igs can get them in, pack more in, and digest them easier if they are small.)
That said: Lots of people (myself included) will attach a clip of some sort into the iguanas enclosure and hang a whole collard (or whatever) leaf from it so that the animal can tear bites out of it. That's more for "entertainment" tho than for the actual meal.
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Post by joseph2 on Apr 23, 2004 6:11:51 GMT -8
You know Tesa, that's a great idea about hanging the greens in the enclosure. This would seem to give the iguana a more natural way of retrieving his/her food like he would in the wild. I realize (Thanks to your always great advice  ) that there really isn't a whole lot of information on how green iguanas live in the wild. But, it would seem to me that since no-one is there to chop/grate their food, they would definitly feel more at home in captivity 'working' for their greens. How much do you hang out for your iguana and do you do this on a daily basis or just occasionally? I'm intrigued. Joe |
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Post by Tesa on Apr 23, 2004 6:29:52 GMT -8
I hot glued a clothespin in her cage as a clip. I usually put about half a collard leaf in maybe 3-4 times a week. That's completely up to you.  She doesn't usually eat the whole thing..just tears chunks out of it when she is bored I think. ;D |
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Post by mar on Apr 23, 2004 7:32:00 GMT -8
Don't just limit your self to hanging greens though. Bob mainly gets his flowers when they are hanging. I found that hanging collards are too tough and he ends up eating over half the leaf in one bite and pulling it out of the clips or ties. I now stick to softer greens.
I hang mine in a place that is difficult to get to and make Bob find a way to it. Entertainment and some exercise for his lazy butt.
Mark
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Post by Cyndi on May 13, 2004 14:46:17 GMT -8
Kyo will not eat her greens if I chop them. She eats about 3 large turnip and collard greens every day. I also worried about the stems, so I cut out the thickest parts of them, and lay the rest in different parts of her enclosure... Cyndi |
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Post by Tesa on May 14, 2004 3:59:27 GMT -8
eekkkk! I worry too much to NOT tear up Thrasher's. They don't have any way to tear off bite sized pieces if the leaves aren't "anchored" and can choke easily. I've spoken to two people personally who had igs die that way.  |
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Post by VegasIguana on May 15, 2004 5:48:46 GMT -8
Vega$'s greens are chopped in shredded style pieces; her veggies are shredded too. (well, I also have two dragons that eat the same food, so small is good ) Considering the way that I've seen Vega$ stuff herself, it's best to have the pieces in small form. Sigh, the oinker will inhale so much food at once, that her jowls bulge out and her throat area is packed and her eyeballs are bulging. Then you see her slowly work the food down. Sheesh! It's not like her food is running away! |
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Post by mar on May 15, 2004 17:54:39 GMT -8
Des, you should know this one. It takes hours for the iguana to lie in ambush for just the right bowl of food to walk up. Then they have to wait longer for the ominous background music to subside before they can lunge (or is it lounge?) on to the food bowl so it has no clue what hit it. Of course you will eat as much as you can if you think those grated veggies and sliced leaves were about to run away. It’s that whole hunter / killer / foliage stalking instinct they have, yeah that’s it.
Seriously though, I cut the stems out of the greens then stack them and cut them into 1/4” wide ribbons. Bob does not have a problem with the long leafs like this. Some days when he takes a big bite then looks up to swallow it he looks like he just too a bite a hula dancer and has the grass skirt hanging out of his mouth.
Recently found that holding the stem of a collard in my left hand and using a sharp paring knife and a smooth slicing motion along the stem with my right carves the leaf off the stem with no waste and is very fast.
Mark
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Post by Tesa on May 16, 2004 4:04:08 GMT -8
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! That was good!!
All kidding aside, I firmly believe that the food should not be given whole.
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Post by Merlin on May 16, 2004 5:32:18 GMT -8
;D LMAO!!!!!!!
The attack of the killer iguana!
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Post by Cyndi on May 16, 2004 8:57:25 GMT -8
I'm sorry...I gave the wrong impression...her leaves aren't just lying there. They are anchored with clips. And you should see her "wrestle" them. She will sit/stand/lay on them and go to town (don't tell her I told you, but about half of the time the leaf wins!) ;D
After reading the previous posts, yesterday and today I cut her greens into the 1/4" strips and that seems to work okay. I tried the head sized pieces again, and she took one piece and walked away.
All of her other foods (ie: fruits, vegies) are grated, and she is fine with that.
Cyndi
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Post by joseph2 on May 16, 2004 11:13:02 GMT -8
Gotta love it Mark!!! |
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Post by Tesa on May 17, 2004 3:43:11 GMT -8
Cyndi,
Evidently she prefers the stalking method as well. lol
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Post by VegasIguana on May 17, 2004 18:33:31 GMT -8
This is something to think about, regarding the iglets and young juvi iguanas.
The veins in the larger leaves...can actually pose a danger when swallowed by little lizards, ie, wrapping about intestines (like the issue of eating hair strands).
When I first got Yucca as a baby, a dragon friend reminded of that (although I already knew from having an iguana)
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) that there really isn't a whole lot of information on how green iguanas live in the wild. But, it would seem to me that since no-one is there to chop/grate their food, they would definitly feel more at home in captivity 'working' for their greens. How much do you hang out for your iguana and do you do this on a daily basis or just occasionally? I'm intrigued.
