Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my boyfriend and i bought a bearded dragon a couple months ago and fell in love. he's a total sweetheart. we also have a tarantula, a cockatiel, and a shiba inu.

on saturday (after talking about ti all week) we decided to pick up an iguana. we got him a good sized temporary tank (until we build something) but he spends most of the day out of his cage.

i've been reading a lot and a lot of places say that you should leave him alone for the first couple of weeks. we have started handling him a lot though because we thought it would get him used to us. if we leave him be for a while now, will that just confuse him?

i also think the tank might be a little too cold. we have a 150 watt bulb in there right now.. should we put two lights in the warmer section?

he's otherwise doing all right. he's always trying to bite and whip us with his tail and i'm not sure if that's normal or not. he's eating a reasonable amount and his diet has consisted of a LOT of greens (i think what we have at the house right now is mustard and collard greens), some thawed frozen vegetables (carrots, corn, green beans), carrot shreddings, rasberries, and watermelon. next trip to the store we'll probably pick up some dandelion greens and some squash.. maybe strawberries and kiwi.

also, we are using wood chips for the bottom of the tank. he likes to hide under them and they are big enough that they don't seem to be a problem. we bought him from our favorite pet store here and that's what they had down.

i just wanted to know if all of this sounds okay and any reccomendations you may have.

You want to pick up the book Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan best iguana info on the market...about the wood chips I would get rid of them...newspaper or paper towels would do anything particulate even big wood chips are ingestible and could impact them causing need for expensive surgery or death...foods sound great, minimal fruits , greens like you are doing, and mixed veggies...try to stay fresh because its best...good luck...and let us know if you have any other questions....Lyn

I agree with most of the above, just want to make a few clarifications and answer an unanswered question. The mixed veggies should be fresh, not frozen, if possible. Vegetables lose some of their nutritional value after being frozen. Since you've been handling him all along I wouldn't quit, especially since he seems to be eating and active. About the heat...no one can answer to what wattage bulb that you should be using. You need to invest in a good thermometer and adjust bulb wattage to create a 95 degree basking spot. Everyone's situation is different...ambient room temps, distance from the bulb, construction of the enclosure, etc. Does the iguana have a good source of UVB?