Sounds like you got a good start, eventually as he gets bigger you may decide to let him roam around a room that also has his cage in it. You can set up branches in a corner or even on top of your (future) cage with some basking lights for him, also don't be surprised if he finds a spot that he really likes and claims as his own, even if it is a colder area, you can always setup a basking light there for him.

As for the food you need to be careful of there really isn't a whole lot, but I would avoid spinach as it has compounds which can affect a Iguanas metabolism and be detrimental to his overall health, Lettuce you don't have to avoid but it has no nutitional value so besides being a source of water it won't do much for your iguanas health. Broccoli and Kale you can feed him very light ammounts but a diet consisting of maining kale or broccoli can eventually cause hypothyroidism which can cause them to be lethargic or sluggish.

All in all I feel if there is a chance that it can harm my iguana I just don't even feed it to them. Other veggies to avoid would be cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, soy (tofu), and grains which can have the same affect as the broccoli and kale. Some people do adds those once in awhile it's just my personal feelings to rather be safe then sorry.

If you are freezing his food a supplement you will want to get is some brewers yeast which will replace the Vitamin D1 which is lost in the freezing process, just a sprinkle of it on the food will do.

To help stimulate eating you can try and add some bright colors to his food to help attract him, oranges and reds are great for this, try chopping up some strawberries or some oranges and see if that helps.

Have your dogs ever been in contact with a reptile before?? I would say as soon as your Iguana feels comfortable being held by you I would slowly introduce him to your dogs, but that you'd have to play by ear. My new Iguana was put right into the action, a cage right in the living room but my 2 big dogs and cat has lived their whole life around reptiles so they could care less about him, he has already learned in this short week that I've had him that they aren't a real threat to him but he still gets nervous if i'm holding him and they get too close, if only he knew the power he had over my dogs (they've been whipped before) lol.

Anyway, again it sounds like you are on the right track if you have anymore questions feel free to ask, even share some pics i'd love to see the little guy. As for growth it just depends on how much he's eating, if he is a "he" or a "she", they can reach up to 3' easily in their first year but if you plan on having a cage ready in 3 months or so, you should be fine. Goodluck and have fun!

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]