Supplements

   Along with the food that you feed to your iguana, you need to add supplements which help to make the iguana's diet more complete and nutritious.  The food that you feed is, of course, more important than the supplements so don't think that the food can be low in nutrition and then add supplements and it will be okay.  That's a big no-no!!  The iguana diet needs to be already good for the iguana but research shows that iguanas  still need supplements too.  After all, you love your little green friend and he/she probably loves you too!  :)

    Through personal experience I have used sooooo many brands that I can't even remember them all.  They are all crap and are not good for the iguana.   Many supplements out on the market are just not good for the iguana even if it says that its okay for iguanas.  So much for truth in advertising!  The best supplements that I have discovered through trial and talking to reptile specialists are the following:

1.  Rep-Cal Brand Herptivite.  This stuff is the 'bomb'.   This stuff contains soooooo much stuff in it!  Vitamins, amino acids, and minerals!  Wow!  Really neat stuff.  But the drawback is that the stuff costs a little bit.  About ten dollars for the standard size.

2.  Rep-Cal Brand Calcium with Vit.D3 (Phosphorus-Free).    This stuff goes along with the Herptivite.  These two supplement make up what I call the "Awesome Supplement Plan."  This Calcium stuff is absolutely necessary along with the Herptivite.  The iguana needs both of them, not just one of them.  They are both manufactured by Rep-Cal and you may ask why don't they put them together if the iguana needs both of them?  Well, the answer is that the Beta Carotene in the Herptivite will be damaged by the calcium in the Calcium with Vit.D3.   Again the only draw back is the price.  You guessed it, another ten dollars!  

    The Calcium with Vit.D3 that I mentioned above contains no Phosphorus.  This is good!  Most foods that your iguana eats don’t have enough calcium and too much phosphorus.  Therefore adding more phosphorus in a supplement wouldn't make much sense since you would never achieve the proper ratio of Calcium:Phosphorus! 

    Now you may start to think this is overwhelming and too expensive.   Well the stuff should last for quite a while depending on how many iguanas you have.  The bottom line is that I care for your iguanas and I'm recommending the best supplements that I know of.  Although the supplements cost twenty dollars total, your iguana will benefit a lot!  :) 

    The supplements I suggested should come in little white plastic round containers that have a diameter of two and a half inches and a depth of about two and a quarter inch.  These supplements are very necessary for your iguana's health.  

How do you use these supplements and how much and how often?

   The Herptivite should be used in conjunction (with) the Calcium with Vit.D3.  Simply take a pinch of each and sprinkle on top of the food.  If you don't mind, mix it in with your fingers! 

    How often?  Well, for a juvenile iguana the procedure I just mentioned above should be done about two to three times a week.  For an adult iguana, the procedure should be done once a week.  Some research indicates that in adult iguanas, less calcium is need than when they are young.  I recommend using Herptivite once a week and the calcium once every two or three weeks dependent on age.  The older the iguana, the less the calcium.  This data is not very conclusive so I recommend going to Melissa Kaplan's Site and reading her information about Supplements.

Note:  If your iguana spend a lot of time outside where it can soak up a lot of sunlight, then do not get the Calcium with Vit.D3!    When I say a lot of time, I mean a lot of time like:  1)  Your iguana has an outdoor cage where it spends more than a couple of hours outside every day.

Rep-Cal makes another supplement that is called Calcium without Vit.D3.   Buy this kind if your iguana meets the criteria that I mentioned above.    Follow the same directions as with the Calcium with Vit.D3.  Overdose of Vit.D3 is bad and can lead to death of your little green friend. 

    I am not 100% sure of the exact amount of sunlight where the Vit.D3 is not needed in the supplement so I recommend going to Melissa Kaplan's Site and searching for information regarding how much sunlight per week is enough so that the Vit.D3 in the supplement is not necessary.  However, I am 100% that overdose of Vit.D3 is lethal.