It is recommended to give them a week or two to adjust. Just handling to do what is necessary--feeding/watering, cleaning, bathing. During that time you can sit by the enclosure talking to him or working on the computer--getting him used to you being around.
Next you should take him to a qualified reptile vet for an initial wellness check. You should take a poop sample if possible. Most baby iguanas do have parasites and if not treated can stunt their growth.
The cage you have is fine for now but be aware that by the time he is one you should be planning on building his adult enclosure--at least 6'H x6'L x3'D. Iguanas can easily reach a legnth of 5-6 feet.
A few questions
What substrate are you using?
What brand of UVB bulb do you have? What legnth? How many? What distance are they from the iguanas body?
What are you feeding him?
Here is some important information. Some you may know.
DIET :
An iguana's diet should contain the following each day:
70-80% calcium rich greens: Collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelions, arugula, watercress are the better ones. Kale, beet greens, chicory greens and escarole used in combination with the better greens are also good. Stay away from lettuces (except for a very occasional treat) because they have very very little nutrition if at all and the iguana will fill up on it and not eat the nutritional food--in other words it is junk food. Spinach should only be used occasionally because it is way too high in oxalates and phosphorous. The oxalates bind with the calcium making it indigestible and the phosphorous binds with calcium in the blood making the calcium there useless. But spinach is high in iron so it is good if only used very occasionally (1-2x a month maybe).
20-30% vegetables: Winter squash (acorn, butternut, kabocha, ect..), green beans, snap peas, okra, parsnip, yucca root. Summer squash (zucchini, yellow, Mexican or white, ect...) occasionally is good too. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are good color enhancers.
No more than 10% fruit: Blueberries, figs, mango, papaya, and prickly pear (cactus) are the better fruits. Strawberries, raspberries, black berries and melons are good. Flowers should be considered a fruit
percentages based on volume
ABSOLUTELY NO ANIMAL PROTEIN OR BY PRODUCTS
Rep-Cal Iguana food soaked is a recommended supplement that helps
**appetite--the color and smell seems to increase their appetite
**hydration--the pellets act as sponges, they soak up twice their volume of water
**regularity--the increase hydration help keep things moving
**mineral/vitamin supplements--no other supplements are needed other than a probiotic
Use 1-2 tablespoons for an adult iguana. A teaspoon for a baby. Soak it in water for about 5 minutes--it will be about twice the size after soaking. Sprinkle this over the greens/vegetable diet.
Link: Food Information Chart
TEMPERATURE
Iguanas need heat to digest their food. They have a hindgut where they get 30-40% of their nutrients digesting the fiber in their diets. There are organisms there that break down the fiber for them so they can get the nutrients out. Those organisms go on strike if the temperature gets below 85. Then all digestion ceases at temperatures below 70-75. So iguanas need to be able to thermo regulate their body temperature. They do this by moving between warmer and cooler areas of their enclosure. So it is important to provide the correct temperature gradients (zones).
Basking should be 92-98 (some say 90-95).
Ambient (overall) should be (80-85).
Coolest (farthest and lowest from basking) should never be less than 70-75
Nighttime NO less than 70-75 but 80-85 is good if not better.
To have this you need a large enough enclosure with the heat set up properly.
Please note: Hot Rocks should not be used. Hot/heat rocks are iguana slow cookers. They need radiant heat from above like they would get in the sun. Yes, they will lie on a warm log but once they lay on it the warmth is absorbed and the log will cool off. With a hot rock it doesn't cool off and keeps slowly cooking the skin and flesh of the iguana. They end up with severe burns because they don't realize that they are getting slowly cooked. My own iguana has a scar from being burnt from her heat rock. I still have it but the cord is cut off.
UVB LIGHTING CRITICAL requirement
Iguanas need UVB to produce natural D3. They do not utilize dietary D or D3 efficiently if at all and the dietary D3 doesn't break down like natural D3 if not needed. So it is important to either provide natural UVB (through unfiltered sunshine) or artificial. Artificial can be provided by fluorescent tubes (not compact or coil) or mercury.
Fluorescents need to be set up
from: http://www.cyber-ig-info.netfirms.com/uvb_light.htm
1) Purchase good-quality, proven fluorescent tubes. We recommend Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 manufactured by ZooMed®. These lights have shown to produce the best amount of UVA and UVB for Iguanas and other sun-basking reptiles and are readily available in most pet shops.
2) Use (2) of these lights in tandem to gain the maximum amount of UVB necessary.
3) Use a good-quality lighting fixture. Low-cost fixtures have a lesser quality ballast that effects UV output form the lamps.
4) Increase UV output by using a fixture with a highly reflective surface. Covering the reflector wings with common tin/aluminum foil (shiny-side out) will increase UV output by 50%.
5) Place the fixture so that it is no farther than 6"-8" from the back of the iguana while basking. The greater the distance from light to reptile, the less UVB is produced. This recommendation is based on the Reptisun 5 or 10 or similar fluorescents. There are a few new fluorescent tubess out there that may be dangerous at this distance so please do research.
6) Replace fluorescent tubes every six-months as a general rule. UVB weakens and disappears after about six-months. It's important to realize that even though the tube is still producing light, there may not be any UVB left. You can readily monitor the UVB amount by using a Solarmeter 6.2 UVB Radiometer. This handy device will allow you to measure the UVB emissions in microwatts per centimeter squared (mW/cm2), allowing you to know exactly when the tubes have become so weak they need to be replaced. This can save you money in the long-run as some tubes will produce UVB up to one year
Mercury vapor bulb set up will depend on the brand and strength you get. IMO MegaRay by Reptile UV is the best
SUBSTRATES
Iguanas have a vomeronasal organ that allows them to pick up faint scents by flicking their tongues on objects or in the air. So they are constantly picking up stuff they shouldn't like particle substrate. Particle substrate can cause impaction. So it is not recommended that any particle substrate be used.
The substrates normally recommended are indoor/outdoor or reptile carpet (seamed & loose threads removed), linoleum, tile, puppy training pads, newspaper, butcher paper, paper towels or any combination. For a litter box people either line (I wouldn't recommend shredding) it with the puppy training pads, newspaper, butcher paper, paper towels or they fill it partially with water.
VETERNIAN CARE
It is VERY important to find a qualified reptile/herp/exotic vet who is experienced in iguanas. They can be hard to find in some areas and some have to travel for vet visits. When there is an emergency you need to be spending your time getting him there not looking for someplace that will treat him.
Also it is always good to have an initial wellness check. Most baby iguanas have parasites that need treated. He needs at least to have a fecal and visual exam. Blood tests are a good idea. They should also get yearly exams. Iguanas being prey animals do not want to show signs of weakness such as illness. So when they do it can be too late. Many conditions may not be discovered except in an exam. My Huff's large bladder stone was discovered in a yearly exam. He appeared perfectly healthy.
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Marie
Poyner Corner
