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Feeding and
Eating. A large part of the CoRHS day is spent preparing and feeding
the animals, observing appetites, observing output (it's part of
the job!), and clean up. Many of our adopters and other herp owners want to know what we feed the animals in the rescue. We'll start by telling you about our iguana food preparations, by far the largest feeding component in the shelter. Discussions about iguana diets among dedicated owners can raise voices and blood pressure. We want to feed our iguana the best diet possible and while it's important to understand and debate the recommendations, we've found several diets that work well for our animals. What do we mean by "works well?" For us it means that our iguanas have normal Calcium to Phosphorus ratios when blood work is done, that they gain and maintain weight (as needed) and that the food is readily eaten by the animals. Obviously, rescue animals do not constitute a scientific control group and as you read, it should be apparent that our comments are based on our anecdotal experience, not longitudinal nutrition research. In 1998 when CoRHS first "hatched," we fed what is known as "MK Salad," (see page 38) created and freely promoted by Melissa Kaplan. MK Salad, named by its grateful users, not Melissa herself, is a great and easy diet to follow. Your iguana will gobble it up and it's simple for even the busiest owner. It's freezeable, too, for those of you that travel. A great resource companion to MK Salad was written by CoRHS board member Cat Rigby-Burdette, Quick Iguana Nutrition FAQ. Cat outlines general nutrition info for iguanas and helps us through picky eaters, dehydrated iguanas, etc. As the shelter grew, we added foods to our MK Salad. Jennifer Swofford's approach to a good iguana diet helped us better understand what other foods would be nutritious for iguanas. We even came up with a concoction we called "Fruit Gloop," pureed dried figs and blackberries. Fruit Gloop became the "cherry on top" for our various iguana salads, and we even came to enjoy the lipstick-like stains on the ig faces! home |
