My Green Iguana: Guide to Raising a Healthy Herp!

She's at it again people, shed number 50 something, I've lost count! Her tail hasn't even finished shedding and now the top of her head is turning milky white again. I'm glad she's healthy and growing but my goodness, I can't keep up. On Friday and Saturday she only ate 1/2 plate of food, normally she eats 1.5-3 plates total in a day. I got scared but kept an eye on her. Sure enough Sunday, I saw that milky color coming over her scales and she was back to eating 2 plates.

I wanted to share an experiment I am doing on shedding and the uses of aloe vera. I use aloe vera, straight from the aloe leaf, on my own skin twice a day. It's wonderful and I have to say I believe it's a magical plant! I was applying some to my own skin last week when I looked over at Iggy who was shedding her spikes. Despite bathing, humidifiers, and misting her spikes felt so dry! I looked it up online and read that aloe is non-toxic to iguanas. I also read that some types are native to the southern United States all the way down through South America, pretty much iggy territory. I put a little bit on her spikes as I was slightly afraid of a possible allergic reaction but the next day it seemed nothing had happened. So now I am applying once daily to her skin- spikes- tail etc. I am wondering if this will improve the feel of her skin, not just for me to touch but for her. I know it does wonderful things for my skin, and of course, I'm not an iguana- but we'll see! So far, her spikes have shed and they feel more pliable- less stiff/brittle.

I will post some updates once I have more information on the possible aloe vera uses for iguanas!