How to Keep Iguanas Healthy - Common problems in male & female iguanas

On behalf of Expert Village, I'm Nicole, and I'm here to tell you about iguanas. One problem in female iguanas in captivity, is that they have a tendency to become egg bound. Now a female iguana will ovulate and lay eggs whether or not a male is around. Even if the eggs are not fertile, they will still lay eggs. The main problem in female iguanas would be the egg bound, which is where they can't lay the eggs. Usually caused by an improper housing problem. Now female iguanas need to have a good are to lay eggs if they need to. Maybe a cat pan sized area. Even a cat pan will work great if you just fill it with some soil or vermiculite. This will provide a wonderful area for your iguana to lay eggs, and definitely relieve her from the stress of being egg bound. Female iguanas that are not kept with a male, definitely tend to be much more prone to being egg bound. Sometimes male iguanas do have problems with their prolapsing penises. This will appear as a large pink blob, basically, coming out of the colicol area underneath the iguana. This is always going to be treated by a veterinarian. Make sure you have a veterinarian lined up, because when this does happen, it is very dangerous to the iguana. If left untreated, it can cause death, infection, very painful, and it's definitely something you would want to the vet immediately.