What To Look For In A Healthy Green Iguana – Part 2

Continue from my previous 1st post on characteristics to look for In a healthy green Iguana, here more on…

Facial Features of Green Iguana

Mouth: When you look inside the iguana’s mouth, it should look pinkish and healthy. Look for any bad signs of yellow coloring or cheesy, stringy mucous discharge. A mouth that is always hanging open is a sign of a respiratory disease, especially if it is mixed with a forced, labored wheezing sound coming from it’s lungs. To look inside the iguana’s mouth, carefully hold the nose using your thumb and index finger while using the other hand to gently pull down on the very tip of the dewlap. Be careful and very gentle, opening it just enough to see the color.

Jaw: The jaw should look firm. Watch out for any signs of swelling, puffiness in the face, or any kind of distortion. The number one medical problem associated with captive iguanas is metabolic bone disease that is caused by calcium deficiency. One sign of this disease is a soft and swollen jaw. Even if the animal’s jaw appear to look normal, check for the early symptom of this disease by applying a slight pressure on the side of its jaw. The jaw should be firm, and not spongy.

Be very careful, however, when doing this pressure test. If the iguana is suffering from metabolic bone disease, you don’t want to worsen the problem by cracking its jaw, especially if the disease is in its advanced stage. Simply apply a gentle pressure with your thumb and index finger on the sides of its jaw and you will be able to determine the presence of the disease. Also look at the animal’s face from the side. Make sure that it doesn’t appear swollen and that the lower jaw is aligned with the upper jaw instead of being drawn back.

Vent: An iguana’s vent is the opening through which the animal defecates. It is also where the sex organs are located. To check the vent, hold the animal in a vertical position at about 12 inches from your face facing at its stomach. The vent is the horizontal slit or fold in the skin. The vent should have no discharge or anything sticking around that area, as this can be a sign that there is something wrong. As for defecating, iguanas are clean animals and always clean themselves after defecation.

For the third and final part of green iguana’s characteristics, I will cover its body and temperament.