My iguana lost his appetite and is pale, dehydration?

Question
QUESTION: My pet iguana wont eat as much and im getting worried. hes about 5 years old,4 and a half feet long,use to be very active but just sits there now under his light. i think his calcium level is low i recently put him in a tub of hot water and he drank a lot and popped which is a good thing. however i dont have a glass cage,so he doesnt get much humidity,is that bad? its a cat playpen but he has a lot of space in there, he use to eat two bowls a day but now he will barely eat one.

ANSWER: Hello Michael,

What type of setup do you have now?
Are you using a UVB light for him?   If so, what type & brand do you use?
Do you supplement with calcium on a regular basis?  What foods do you feed him?

If it is hypocalcemia, he will need extra calcium supplementation along with good UVB lighting on him also.  If possible, you can take him outside in the sun for awhile daily to help as well.
What are his basking temperatures in the tank?

Yes, iguanas are a tropical reptile & they need higher humidity levels of around 50-70% for optimal health.  He needs to have access to a large pool he can sit & soak in daily or you will need to mist him daily, several times to help as well.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


5/28/2012  

5/28/2012   QUESTION: Thank you for answering Tracie i really appreciate it,

first question answered yes we do use a uvb light for him its Fluker's clamp-lamp. number 2. no we havent supplied him with calcium in about 2 and a half weeks. the foods we feed him is romane lettuce,sometimes a banana he use to devour it, some carrots,and broccoli, but lately just lettuce because we've been wasting fruits and vegetables because he will not eat.

i was going to get calcium today, i put him in the tub last night with warm water and he drank..a lot and popped which i read is a good thing. when we take him out in the sun he goes crazy and tangles up his leash so we kinda stopped doing that a while ago. We dont have a tank its a cat playpen im not sure what the temperature would be,i will attach some images so you can get a good picture of him,.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikejaccarino/7291356982/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikejaccarino/7291360206/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikejaccarino/6931906448/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikejaccarino/7295290536/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikejaccarino/7295293436/in/photostream

these are old ones

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikejaccarino/7295291328/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikejaccarino/7295292236/in/photostream

Answer
Hello Michael,

His color does not look good.  
You are not using a UVB light correct?  He definitely needs a UVB light.  I highly recommend finding a way to mount a dual tube bulb fixture over him & getting either the Reptisun 10 tube bulb or the Arcadia D3 12% tube bulb.  You can get either one of these bulbs at:

www.lightyourreptiles.com

He has metabolic bone disease which will cause the decline of his health, including loss of weight & appetite.
His temperatures need to be monitored also so he can have a basking spot of around 95-100 or so & a good humid area of 70-80% tropical setting.  
Could you build him a tank possibly?  That would help him immensely to have a more controlled environment.
He does need calcium supplementation but also some assisted feeding too.  There is a powdered formula called Critical Care you can get for herbivore he needs to be eating to help him out right now.  You can get that online at calvetsupply.com

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie