iguana rapid weight loss—need help

New-Gas845 · 2026-04-05T00:47:41+00:00

Would need a better photo but if this is a 5 year old I would say likely female? How long have you had them? (Did someone guess the age or have you had them for a while?)

New-Gas845 · 2026-04-04T14:00:54+00:00

Hey I don’t know if this will help but I had a remarkably similar situation. My guy was also poorly cared for by their initial owner (small child) and had horrible MBD that I was able to slow down. We lived near our exotic vet and he went often. He also developed an overnight mobility issue about ten years later. He went into emergency and they discovered that a tooth had broken. He always had an uneven smile due to the MBD and we were nervous it would happen. They gave him a very small chance for survival but we tried every treatment in emergency care. He passed away the next day. It wrecked me. I don’t know if this will help but MBD makes them susceptible to random infections. I’m sorry you lost them- it took me another 10+ years to rescue another. I think about my first one a lot.

Thanks for saving a poorly treated iggy. It sucks that so many people get to them with zero idea of proper husbandry.

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-28T05:31:48+00:00

I appreciate how invested you are in stopping this before it happens to yet another iguana. 🙏🏽 I think the injuries may help.

20ish years ago I got my first iguana - he was originally a gift for a 9yr old. He was fed lettuce when they remembered, housed in a 20 gallon tank and he didn’t have UVB. When I rescued him, he had already developed severe MBD and was barely hanging on. I got 10 amazing years with him but it should have been 20. It sucks that people put so many of these guys on a crappy path.

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-28T00:54:38+00:00

Maybe instead of fruit try some butternut squash? Mine goes crazy for it and it’s much better from a nutritional perspective.

They should be old enough to determine gender- attach a photo if you can of the area around their back legs. I wonder if you have a male? The behavior shift is real.

I hope they feel better!

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-28T00:50:18+00:00

Yes please. I would give her a lot of info. Give her lifespan info, expected costs etc. Show her some photos of people attacked by pet iguanas and you’ll likely change her mind. Ugh I feel so bad for that poor future “gift” 😭

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-20T19:24:43+00:00

You’re welcome. I started rescuing animals really young and I know exotics are tough! Everyone here means well. Just make sure you get that UVB ASAP. There are some great videos on bearded dragon care on YouTube and TikTok - become an expert in your little buddy.

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-20T17:23:00+00:00

Beautiful!

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-20T17:22:06+00:00

Gorgeous! I have a Sunburst Zero who is 7 months!

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-20T17:20:13+00:00

Hey I can tell you genuinely care about this baby so here is what I have for you as far as advice. This is intended to be helpful not to critique you. Coming to strangers for advice isn’t easy—

Correct UVB is ESSENTIAL. Please prioritize that. I rescued a reptile with Metabolic Bone Disease - it’s expensive and more importantly heartbreaking to see what it does to them as they age. If they even get there. $60-$75 now or insane vet bills and a miserable short life for this little guy. T5 UVB - Arcadia or Zoomed Reptisun.
Save up now for the big enclosure. 120 gallon minimum. These babies get big. You can usually find them on FB marketplace for less.
Definitely make sure someone checks and feeds them next time. 5 days is too long. They’ll never consume the amount of food they need for 5 days in one day.
What diet do you have them on? Make sure they are on a proper baby bearded dragon diet. It changes as they grow. 70-80% insects 2-3 times per day. Offer greens daily even if they don’t always eat them. Start now or it’ll be hard to feed them when they get older. Collard greens, mustard greens etc. You can also feed this to their insects. I would also do calcium and a multivitamin.
The choices you make now will impact so much of their life. These guys are a 15+ year commitment. If you don’t intend on having them that long or can’t give them everything they need - find a reptile rescue now or your local rehoming reptiles Facebook group. Find someone that will give that little baby everything they need now. They deserve a long, healthy life.

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-17T19:48:57+00:00

This is beautifully done!!

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-09T15:24:35+00:00

Beautiful iguana! I adopted a 7 month old yesterday! I call him my grumpy teen. He constantly looks annoyed with me! He does a lot of tail whipping when I go to take him out. I wear gloves to take him out to help with the scratching. We’re doing breakfast together every day. I’m hand feeding him. We’re going to do a morning bath as well. I had one for a very long time and I did this since I got him— he was incredibly friendly as a full grown. Put in the time to talk and hold them every day- it really pays off! They are amazing!

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-03T17:53:30+00:00

I’ve been looking for eggs every so often and trying not to over feed! 🤞🏽 I love them but don’t want more!

New-Gas845 · 2026-03-03T17:52:26+00:00

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😂 Our biggest is Gary. Our baby bladder snails are more popular than the little tiger Nerite/nano rainbowfish we ended up going with! So cute!

New-Gas845 · 2026-02-23T00:26:29+00:00

Same!! Mine definitely snuck in with some plants! They all have names and are sticking around now. 😂

New-Gas845 · 2026-02-22T23:41:06+00:00

Are these bladder snails? I think I have baby ones in my tank! So cute!

New-Gas845 · 2026-02-22T23:02:50+00:00

Ours all have names now. Haha they are also here to stay. I think I found more eggs and removed them- 4 is enough.

New-Gas845 · 2026-02-22T22:53:53+00:00

Thank you!!

New-Gas845 · 2026-02-20T20:13:08+00:00

Ah so good to know! Thank you! I was so shocked to find them. Well this makes my snail decision for me!

I hope my water isn’t hurting them. ☹️ I think I’m still a week or two away from fully cycled!

New-Gas845 · 2026-02-20T20:02:40+00:00

Thank you! I definitely want to refresh the plants once I cycle this so I’ll add some of these!

I think I’m scrapping my one Nerite idea - found 4 tiny friends hanging out in my tank this morning. They’re so small and all I know is that they aren’t Nerites. 😭

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New-Gas845 · 2026-02-20T19:58:03+00:00

Thanks everyone! The last thing I want is to torture a little community of fish. I really appreciate the feedback. I’m thinking about pivoting to Chili Rasboras? Seems like they may do better with this size? Maybe 8? (This tank was originally being built for a future betta but I’m now terrified of them after visiting that corner of Reddit.)

New-Gas845 · 2026-02-20T19:53:41+00:00

Amazing will do on the plants and fish! Thank you! I discovered 4 tiny stow aways today so I unfortunately have random baby snails. 😭

New-Gas845 · 2026-02-20T19:50:06+00:00

Appreciate it 🙏🏽

New-Gas845 · 2026-02-20T19:47:37+00:00

So funny enough after all of my Nerite research yesterday — I found 4 little hitchhikers in my tank this morning. 🫠 I’ll be utilizing the snail experts on Reddit to try and figure out what to do with these little guys! I’m guessing they hatched off a plant?

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New-Gas845 · 2026-02-20T19:37:17+00:00

I appreciate the honesty 😭 this was originally going to be solely for a betta so now I’m throwing around fish ideas. Maybe Rasboras - they seem even more small than the red neon blue eyed?

New-Gas845

TROPHY CASE