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Forgive all of the "its" I don't know the sex yet.

I just bought a green iguana about a week ago. Its about 8 inches from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail so its still a baby. I just need to know if Im doing things right. Im new to iguanas.

Its being kept in a 55 gallon aquarium - for now - and I have a basking light on one end of the tank and one of those UV lights that go in the clamp lamps in the middle. The temp on the hot end is around 90 - 95 and everywhere else close to 88. Im feeding it mainly finely chopped cabbage, yellow squash, broccoli, and cauliflower. I cover the food with a very light coat of the rep-cal phosphorous free calcium powder. I don't think he or she is eating or drinking in the tank. Everytime i get it out and handle it, i hand feed it the veggies and let it drink from my hand. That is the only times I have seen it eat and drink.
Over-all I thinks its doing better than when I got it. When I brought it home it was really dark colored. Now its bright green with blue and black stripes and patches.

Does this sound good?
Is there anything Im leaving out?
How long does it take them to outgrow a 55 gallon?

I would appreciate any feedback or comments.

Well everything sounds fine except the diet. Cabbage doesnt have much nutritional value and brocolli should be fed in moderation. I would recommend getting some dark greens like Dandellion Greens, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens. Escarole and Kale can be added to the greens mix as well. Along with greens you can feed Squashes (Summer, Winter, and Butternut). The repti calcium is good too. You should sprinkle that about 3 times a week on top of his salad. Make sure you offer fresh greens and veggies daily. Fruits can be fed as treats. My Miles likes strawberries, rasberries, and even red bell pepper. 55 gal tank should be fine for about 6-8 more months. Igs get to be 5 feet long!
Have fun. And good luck with your new friend.

specific about your UVB light? This is an area that confuses
many new reptiles owners and is very important in your igs
well being. Unless you have some type of mercury vapor bulb
which is about $40 online, they generally are a long fluoresent
bulb that looks like the kind that goes over a fish aquarium.
I always recommend a Reptisun 5.0 or Iguana light if you
do not like the mercury vapor bulbs.

Please let us know the brand of UVB you have.

Linda

The diet needs work. Collards, turnip and mustard greens are usually the favored greens for the basis of a good diet. Make sure the leaves are torn into small pieces, about the size of the iguana's head or smaller. Then add other veggies such as the squashes and other dark leafy greens (dandelion greens are excellent but sometimes hard to find) as available in your market. Go easy on kale and chard, they contain oxycilates which can negatively impact the iguana. I would completely discontinue feeding cabbage and broccoli. Three times a week should be plenty for the calcium supplement. Too much can be as bad as too little, and if your diet is really good and your iguana is very healthy, you may not need it at all - although if this were my ig I'd continue feeding the supplement for now since it sounds like your ig could use it. Sounds like you have your baby's best interests at heart - good for you!! Your baby is lucky to have such a caring person.

I have always used Repti-Sun 5.0's for my UV, and my contact at Big Apple Herp, where I buy my lights, told me there is no difference between the Repti-Suns and the Iguana lights except for the color of the box.

Also as a side note: for you gardeners out there, never throw away your used UV bulbs (you probably already know this). Even when they don't emit enough UV for your iguana, they can still be used for indoor plants, especially if you have the room to grow your own ig greens indoors. And they can always be used in regular flourescent fixtures such as in a kitchen or as shop lights. Just a way to get more of your money's worth out of these relatively expensive bulbs!

Hugs,
Amy and Green Guy

Yes, Its a mercury vapor bulb. I forgot the brand. It PowerSun or something like that. Im not new to reptiles. I work in a pet store. I have adopted so many sick animals from that place that I am running low on space. I just need to know if the mercury vapor bulb is enough for the iguana. I have a reptisun 5.0 on my turtles. Should I switch the reptisun with the mercury vapor?

Thanks everyone for the diet suggestions. I wasn't sure on all of that. I just bought a big bag of salad mix that had cabbage, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. I was just asking because I have had conflicting reports on what is and isn't good for them.

Ill be sure to post a picture of little Icarus soon.

I found this very useful!

http://www.greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm

as other people have said fix the diet. and the 55 gallon will not last long so i would start saving now to make a bigger enclosure for him/her.. by this time next year you will have a decent size iguana and it will need a bigger cage..
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