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Respiratory infections in iguanas are also known as reptile colds. These colds can range from mild to severe. You may be wondering how your iggie could catch a cold.

Cause

Most iguanas that develop a cold are being kept at a temperature that’s too low. This weakens his immune systems and opens him up to a bacterial infection. Besides low temperatures, excessively high humidity levels can also cause colds.

Symptoms

Your iguana will develop some of the same symptoms that you would if you have a cold. He will have a runny nose and watery eyes. He will also sneeze a lot. Other common symptoms of respiratory infections in iguanas include loss of appetite, abnormal sleepiness, and trouble breathing.

All iguanas sneeze or snort occasionally. They do this to remove excess salt from their bodies. It’s commonly called ’snalting’. Make sure you don’t confuse this with a sign of a cold.

Treatment

If you catch your iguana’s cold early enough, you may be able to treat it effectively at home. Since it was probably brought on by inadequate temperatures, you should try raising the temperature in his enclosure. If he doesn’t seem better in a few days, you should take him to a vet. The veterinarian will have to take a sample from your iggie and have it analyzed at the lab. This will help determine which type of bacteria is causing the problem so the proper medication can be prescribed.

Prevention

You should always make sure that the temperature in your iguana’s enclosure is at a proper level. Therefore, you need to invest in a quality thermostat. You’ll also need to keep an eye on the humidity level, so a humidistat is also useful.