The bone disease iguanas are known for
Metabolic bone disease is the green iguana problem vets see most, and it develops slowly enough to miss if you are not feeling for it. Without enough calcium in the diet or enough ultraviolet light to use that calcium, the body pulls mineral from the skeleton. Early signs are subtle: a jaw that feels slightly rubbery when gently pressed, forearms that look thickened or swollen, small tremors in the toes, and an iguana that drags its belly instead of walking tall. Advanced cases bow the legs, soften the lower jaw so the mouth cannot close properly, and make climbing weak and clumsy. Prevention is a diet built on calcium-rich leafy greens rather than fruit and lettuce fillers, plus proper UV lighting replaced on schedule. Once the jaw feels soft or trembling appears, this is a vet case, not a wait-and-see case, because bone that has softened does not firm up on its own without treatment and a husbandry overhaul.
Kidneys: the quiet, late-appearing problem
Kidney trouble is the iguana problem owners discover last, because iguanas tolerate chronic mild dehydration for a long time before showing anything. By the time appetite fades, weight drops and the iguana looks dull and sunken-eyed, the kidneys may already be badly strained. Diets heavy in animal protein, water offered only in a small dish the iguana ignores, and dry indoor air all push in the wrong direction. Daily soaking opportunities, a large water dish, misting, leafy greens with high water content and humidity kept up in the enclosure are the daily protection. Watch the droppings as well: a healthy iguana passes a dark portion and a white urate portion, and consistently scant droppings with a lethargic animal are worth raising at a vet visit even before appetite fails completely.
Mouth, lungs, skin and the basking lamp
Mouth rot shows in iguanas as a swollen, uneven jawline, drooling, and reluctance to bite into food the animal previously took eagerly. Respiratory infections announce themselves with mucus bubbles at the nostrils, open-mouth breathing and a wheeze you can sometimes hear across the enclosure — usually after a stretch of temperatures running too cool. Thermal burns are the husbandry injury of this species: an iguana will sit against a too-close basking lamp until the skin on its back or thigh is damaged, leaving dark, crusting patches that blister underneath. Keep basking fixtures guarded and check the skin along the spine and thighs weekly. Old or retained shed that rings the toes and tail tip, and wounds from cage-mate claws in shared enclosures, round out the skin checks worth building into a routine.
Females, eggs and the vet threshold
A female iguana in season may dig restlessly, refuse food and look swollen in the belly as eggs develop; most pass them, but one who strains, grows weak and trembling, or stops eating while obviously full of eggs may be egg-bound and needs a vet promptly. Treat open-mouth breathing, a rubbery jaw, repeated tremors, or an iguana that cannot right itself as urgent rather than routine. Because iguanas live for many years and grow through distinct stages, a running record earns its keep: charting growth, seasonal appetite dips and every vet finding in your iguana's KinsLe Pet Passport means the vet sees the year's pattern at a glance instead of reconstructing it from memory.