Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay Here is the Story. I went to visit a friend the other day and he had a female iguana about thirteen or fourteen inches long that was, "really cool watch pick it up" in his opinion. The first thing I noticed was it was in a ten gallon tank with a blanket for substrate so I talked him into letting me have it and I have had if for about five days now. When I took it from him she was really calm just sitting there and watching, he said that he hadnt seen here eat in the week or so. I did some reading on the net and have bought the proper food, she is eating again, and she sleeps alot almost all day and all night.I know that if they are pooping and eating regularly then they should be healthy but I cant help but think the danger isnt passed, Here comes the questions

How should I handle the iguana?? Since she started eating She wont let me pick her up or touch her is that good??

I have never had a reptile before let alone one I have heard is hi maintenance but I have the money and proper caging for her she is well lighted, she gets plenty of sunlight every day and she seems healthy(er) since I recieved her. Is there any thing else Im not doing?? Her cage is 95 degrees all day and about 85 at night. If any one can Help me out or just give some information I will Be Thankfull

Shanti
(Peace)
Little Forest Tai Chi for Wellness and Health

Good for you for rescuing the poor ig! And also good for doing your research. Because I know that not all the info out there is good info, I was wondering if you could go into more detail about the food you're giving her, the cage setup, etc. Just so we can get a better idea of what's going on and give you some pointers.

For one thing, iguanas need to have a temperature gradient. 95-100 degrees is good for a basking spot, but they can get too hot, and need to be able to move to a cooler area. You said the ig gets lots of sunshine... is that sunshine coming through a glass window or a window screen by any chance? If so, it won't provide the UVB the ig needs, because either/both filter out most if not all of the UV rays. If you're in a very warm area, and you have an outdoor cage, then this isn't a problem for you, but most of us need to buy special UVB bulbs, like the Iguana Light 5.0 or ReptSun 5.0. Some people use mercury vapor bulbs instead, which are more expensive, but provide heat as well as UV. Anyway, if an ig is eating a good diet, pooping every day, and getting UVA and UVB light, it will probably be healthy, assuming it had no major health problems beforehand. It sounds like yours was very young still when you got it, so it probably didn't have time to develop any major health problems. Still, you should get a fecal exam done to see if it has any parasites, and bring it in to a herp vet for a check-up.

Oh... and if the iguana is only 14 inches or so, you really can't tell if it's a male or female yet. Sometime between the age of 1.5 to 2 years igs become sexually mature, and the males will start to show off their masculinity visibly... until then, you really can't tell by looking at them.

Hope I helped some...
Kate

Okay Here is the deal I measured her today for the first time and I was way off she is twenty four inches LoL whoops!!
Her cage was an old rabit cage that I turned on its side its about two feet wide and four feet long.

Ive cut some bamboo staffs I had around for a kung fu class into smaller portions and wrapped some fake plant vines around them to make a sort of ladder from the bottom to the top, there is a couple of shelves I made out of some old chicken wire and wrapped a green cloth to make it comfortable.

Ive bought the correct lights for the cage which I have propped up on some old blocks on top of the cage and then put a small chicken wire shelf under it which she stays on most of the time.

I use a bird feeder for the water and I cut mustard greens, collard greens, dandelion, cilantro, yellow squash, peas, mango and strawberries into small peices and moisten them with apple juice. I hope I didnt forget any thing!!
Little Forest Tai Chi and Chi Kung for Wellness and Self Defense

Sounds to me like your on the right track. Except I suggest that you supply a water dish big enough to soak in. Mine almost always use this for the toilet also, so then it must be cleaned daily.
As far as that your feeding your ig. May I suggest you visit Melissa Kaplins Iguanna Page.

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/icfs/footnotes.html

And read, read, read....
Of all the research I've done [and there's alot of bad advise out there] she seems to have the best info.

Good Luck with your new Ig.
Careful you'll find that Iguanas are very addicting.

Without a doubt, you have saved this iguana's life. The most important things are light (at least 1 hour a day of DIRECT ( not throught glass, plastic, or other materials), sunshine), or 12 hours/day of a UVB bulb about 12 inches away, and FOOD, Calcium rich dark greens ( Turnips, Mustards, Collards). And Temperature, (85-105F for basking after eating, and a cooler 75F, area in the enclosure. These 3 will at least get her the calcium she needs. There are other considerations, like enclosure minimum size, and humidity, too. I quick way to come "up to speed" on iguana care is to go to WWW.ANASPID.COM. This site will also address taming the iguana. Good Luck! Enjoy her!

Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

Okay It sounds like shes getting the correct lighting about three good hours of pure sunlight (cage placed in front of open window with no screen) everyday.

your link didnt work bro can u send it again???
Tai Chi and Chi Kung for Wellness and Self Defense

This is the address.
http://www.anapsid.org/