Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just adopted a "male" iguana from a very good owner who just did not have the time for him anymore. He is aprox. 10 1/2 years old. He came with a huge enclosure. It is about 80"Tx75"Lx55"D and it is made of plexiglass. It is 3 shelves on different levels. He has a 24" iguana 5.0 uva/uvb bulb and 2 50 watt basking spott lamps that are on during the day and 2 50 watt nignt basking lamps that are on at night. He is very nice. He has been handled by his previous owners daily for life. And he looks very healthy.
He has been going to the bottom of his cage in the corner and just kind of hiding there. I'm assuming he's just freaked out right now and needs to get used to his new environment. How long should it take him to come around??? He spent 2hours in the truck with us on the way home and I've been handling him a little bit here and there a few minutes at a time to try and get him used to me without overwhelming him to much. Should I hold off until he is used to being here or should I continue???
Also, the only breeding season behavior that he has had is not eating. When I had a male iguana He tried mating with our cat daily and left his "stuff" all over his counter. You could definately tell that he was a boy. Do you think that maybe he is a she???

Thanks for any advice. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Thank you,
Jennifer

I would consider the not eating to be because he is disturbed...if he spent 10 years with the other owner, then he has a whole new world to look at in your home...He is probably just stressed and needs time...check out his/her femoral pores under the rear thighs...males have very large pronounced ones and females have smaller less noticeable ones...a well check at the vet is probably in order with a fecal exam to rule out parasites etc...What foods are you offering at this point? be surethe temps are right... 2 50 watt heat bulbs doesnt sound like nearly enough for that size cage...90 to 95 in the basking spot under the lights and low to mid 80 in the cooler region of his cage...let us know if you have any other questions email me if you like....Lyn

if your new iggy is 10 1/2 years old, you have an animal that is getting up there age wise. He is most likely very, very stressed. Especially if he had lived at his previous owners home for most of hi likfe before.
Igs are animals of habit, more so than most humans, i would think. They usually have basking schedules, eating schedules (if i dont have sunshines dinner out on time she followes me around the house , usually trying to eat everything that is green and orange on the floor, until i give her food), bathing and pooping schedules, and even bed times. By giving this iggy away, his humans have disrupted his life quite a bit. And although he still has his cage, the sights and smells of your home are very different.
By hiding on the floor of his cage and keeping hhis eyes closed, it is his way of saying 'you cant see me im not here'. Igs have a strange way of using their body language that way. He is also probably trying to be submissive. Iguanas in a group always have a type of pecking order that they follow. There is an alpha male that the others 'bow down to'. the other animals in the group will sometimes vie for that position by fighting,and sometimes winning, but until then, they show submissive tendiencies such as head bowing and closeing their eyes to say that they are no threat to the dominant male. Your iguana is probably trying to show that he is no threat to any dominant animals that are in his new area.
So, try to put y ourself in his place, while keeping an iggy mindset about things. He has just had a major upheaval in his life. He has spent his entire life in a familiar place, with familiar people. Probably with a standard (ish) diet. His schedules and routines are all out of wack, and the new sights and sounds are pretty scary. Try keeping his diet the same (unless they were feeding him spinach and iceberg lettuce--which if hes 10 years old they probably wern't), keep his lighting schedules the same too. Keep him on the same schedulse, if any, that he was on at his old home. If youre not sure about these, contact his prior family. Keep activities fairly routine, and change them gradually if need be.
Putting this in perspective, how would you feel if you lifed in the same place for 60% of your life, then was moved to finland without notice. it would probably be pretty scary, huh?
hope this helps. good luck!

Thank you for all the info. I know that he is stressed out and scared. I just want to make his transision (sp?) as easy as possible. She gave me his timers too so I will keep him on that schedule. She also gave me a bunch of food for him so I am offering the same stuff right now. But she said he can be a bit of a finicky eater. He'll love something and eat it like crazy for a month and then he won't touch it. She also gave me a list of what she has been feeding him. Swiss chard, parsley, collord, kale, mustard, turnip and radish greens, carrots, eggplants, zucchini, yellow squash, cooked yams, soy beans, green beans, little corn, etc. dandelion greens, chickweed, bananas apples, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, papaya, mango, strawberry tops. And ocassionaly a boiled egg. She didn't feed him all of this all of the time she would switch it around to give him a variety.
Also, I am actually his 3rd owner. His first owner had him for 7 years and his previous owner had him for about 3 1/2 years.
I am going to go to the pet store today and get thermometers and humidity guages and figure out what wattage of bulbs to replace these with.
So, should I leave him alone for awhile or should I try handling him a little bit at a time???
I want to put one of those little water fall things in his cage for humidity and looks. Can I just get one that is for looks from walmart or do I have to get one that is specifically for reptiles?

Thanks,
Jennifer

I know its hard, but if i were you i would wait about a week before handeling your new boy. Let him get used to your voice and surroundings. Stand (or sit) in front of his enclosure and talk to him, maybe even read a story to him (many iggy owners do this, it seems to calm them). Then, after a few days, try feeding him out of your hands. Do this for a few days, and then attmpt to pick him up only after you are sure that he is at least a bit more comforttable. This is a low stress way of getting to you your ig. And it will most likely be less pain for the both of you.
Now for my diet scolding. It wasnt that bad, except for the kale and the eggs. Kale has calcium oxilates in it that will hinder his calcium intake, and for an older iggy that can be bad. Eggs, even if offered only on a rare occasion, can damage your ig. The protien seems to damage the liver. And you dont want to get him in the habit of expecting them. My girl, when i got her, was yellow (and named Sunny) after a strict diet (for 2 yrs!) of eggs and romaine lettuce. When the rescue i got her from recieved her, she refused to eat anything but eggs. It took a while but she is now on a diet of collards, escarole, spring mix (the stuff that has very little spinach), beet greens, turnip greens, and the occasional edible flower, orange(she likes these so much that she tries to eat my creamsicle cornsnake through the enclosure), and blueberries. I also give her peas and carrots sprinkled liberally with SAndfire's iguana dust and 2.o calcium when i fun out of greens. All of the greens above have a very balanced calcium content and are usually a good staple diet for any ominvorous or herbivorous reptile.
good luck with your iggy. keep him healthy and happy and he will have many more years in him.