Mopar
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Well, I survived breading season this year! I had everyone a little worried since this was their first time. I thought I would share how the past month went:
Around the last week in April I quit eating. Those of you who know me have seen what a pig I can be. Overnight my appetite just disappeared. I was barely eating a bite. The good thing was the weather had been cooperating so I was able to go outside almost everyday (dad works at home). I have a really nice outdoor setup (see Photo Gallery 5 and Photo Gallery 6) and there is a nice pool at the bottom of my outdoor home. I spent a lot of time soaking in the water, drinking from time to time and just enjoying the sun. Parts of my body started turning orange, especially my legs (yes, dad was alarmed). Pooping was never a problem for me (except there was very little of it!) and I managed to go on a regular basis.
Dad made me a nest box and followed all the recommendations from the iguana bibles he owns. I went in it many times digging in the sand to see what that was all about but I never really used it for what he had intended. He also did his best to get me to eat (I would occasionally have a small bite of a banana) and when I did, I almost always found he had laced my food with Calcium and/or vitamins!
So, three weeks have now gone by. I am active, alert, but just not interested in food. My belly is still pretty full (okay, swollen) so I obviously have something in there. My poop seems to be made up mostly of urates but they are darker than normal, maybe a little orange. Every day I really look forward to going outside. Maybe there is something out there I need? A man? A place to nest? Who knows... I just want to be out there.
Almost four weeks have gone by and all of the sudden I have this urge to eat, a lot! I am now eating more than I ever have since I moved to my new home. Normally I have two plates of greens a day but for the past few days, five seems to be the right number! And yes, the poop is back, in a big way. When I am outside, dad changes my water every time I go. You would think he would have better things to do, but hey, he gives me fresh water in my pool, and then I poop again. And, the orange coloring on my legs has almost reverted to the normal green everyone is used to.
Breeding season can be challenging for us and our keepers. Thankfully it is only once a year!
Thanks for reading,
Mopar
And by the way, I never laid those eggs!
Gallery 1 | Gallery 2| Gallery 3 | Gallery 4 | Gallery 5 | Gallery 6 | Gallery 8
