is this normal????

[ricky]

I'v had talula a week and i'v noticed she doesnt really eat very well, i thought she would eat everyday but she could finish off a bowl one day but the next she wont touch a thing unless i leave it as a treat in her basking spot (strawberries, she loves em) and then back to eating the next day

is it normal for her to only eat every other day, she's pretty young, not sure of age exactly but she's about 3 - 3.5 inches head to base of tail (if that helps at all)

[LotharsPeople]

ricky,
My first question would be what are you feeding? A proper diet is very important. Second, what are the conditions in his enclosure? Things such as lighting (uvb is a must),heating (temps at basking area and other points in enclosure), humidity, what is going on around the enclosure?
With that being said, you have only had him/her a week or so now, he is still trying to adjust to his new environment and this is more that likely what is happening.
Never hurts to be sure though. They can go a fare time without eating and every other day is not to bad all things considered.
The more information you can provide, the more accurate an answer you'll get.

[ricky]

she's had butternut, carrot, cucumber, strawberries (she loves them ) kiwi, mango, mixture of greens (cant remember the names of them lol but turnip greens is one of them) green beans, little bit of broccoly (sp??) and some peas (frozen kind) all harder foods are grated and softer foods choped into very small chunks, its all mixxed together and she gets one spoonfull a day, she's hasnt finished it all, even when she seems to eat alot theres a few scraps left so i'm sure thats enough for her for now


basking spot temp is 90 other end around 80, i havent got a humidty guage yet but will soon, i do spray twice daily and theres a big bowl of water not far from the basking spot

she has a uvb tube, a reptisun 5.0 but will be getting a longer tube soon, the one i have is within reach of her but the longer one will cover better


hopefully its just like you say and she needs time to adjust, shes active all the time, everytime i look in shes walking around checking out stuff

[crazybaby]

I think it sounds like she's still adjusting...It sometimes takes a while. Just be sure she doesn't go a couple days without eating. After another week or so it should pick up in quantity so you should always have more than what you think she will eat available (just in case). You might want to take a fecal sample to a vet to be analyzed, iguanas bought from pet stores often carry a lot of common parasites which can easily be cured. I had this problem with my lil man when I first got him. He was snarfing up his food after he was medicated (about two weeks) I'm sure she'll be just fine. sounds like you got a pretty good set up goin. One thing though, ya might wanna make a bigger heat gradient than whats happenin...She should be able to cool off when moving from the basking area to the other end, I don't know how much cooling she can be doing in an 80 temp. Just a thought Keep us posted on her progress

[ricky]

yeah, i was thinking the same, about the temp, i need to get a thermostat, i was thinking about a fan at the cool end hooked to the thermostst, would this be ok or should i cool a different way??

[ricky]

she's eating again today, she seems to be eating more too, everytime i look in she's got food in her mouth ;D

[ricky]

since my last post she's got alot better, she finishes almost everything everyday now, i end up sitting there feeding her treats (strawberry kiwi plum etc) she's put some weight on too, when i got her i could she her ribs, she was a little bit skinny but she looks loads better

looks like she's settled in to her new home nicely

[prism_wolf]

Good to hear she's doing so much better. All it usually takes is a little time. 2 weeks is pretty average on adjusting to new surroundings.

[crazybaby]

Glad to hear things are running smoothly for ya ricky! She's sounds a lot more comfy with her surroundings...Be sure to post pictures!