Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone, i'm the proud new owner of a 6 month old baby rhino! Since I have limited lizard experience(a few of the easier gecko species)I want to tell you about my setup and hopefully get some feedback on what improvements need to be made. The enclosure is an old breeder tank i've had for years(I can't remember if it's a 30 or 40 gallon, but it looks plenty big for the time being). The substrate I have is coconut(not sure how good of a substrate this is for rhino iguanas) but if you have other recommendations, please let me know. I have a hidebox and a waterbowl. Currently i'm using a waterbowl big enough for him to enter if he wants. Im using a ceramic heat emiter that's keeping the hot end of his enclosure at about 90 degrees, the cool end is just under 80. For lighting(one of my main questions/concerns) I'm using a light that says it gives 7% uvb.. now I know uvb is important, but i'm not sure if this is a high enough percentage. I eventually(in the next 2-3 years) plan on building a large outdoor enclosure, so I won't have to worry so much about this, but for the time being it's important. He seemed slightly on the thin side(though nowhere close to emaciated) at the base of his tail you can sort of see/feel the bone there, if this isn't normal a good feeding schedule should take care of em. After putting him in his new home I added a tray of food(mixed baby greens, chopped carrots, grapes, apples) and he immediately jumped on the carrots, following them up with some greens then closing out with the grapes. I was relieved to see he had an appetite, one less thing to worry about. I'm going to take a fecal to my vet asap, but I doubt i'll actually take him in unless something comes up, he looks overall pretty good in my opinion. I was told he's approximately 6 months old and captive born/bred. He measures out at almost 15 inches. How's this size for a rhino of his age? Well, that's all I can think of for the time being. I appreciate any feedback ya'll can give me with my new dinosaur! I'll post some pictures as soon as I get a chance.

John aka davidd

they are great animals. You will get many opinions and suggestions here. Couple things stuck out to me- cage too small 30 -40 gal wont last long and I would start looking to enlarge. Not hot enough at your basking site I would go for 100-120 at the hottest place with room to regulate. Water dish ? I would be surprised if he uses it even for a toilet, it may be a bigger cleaning problem and a smaller one may be easier. you should have one for drinking but the size is what i question. lastly, I would go easy on the carrots. in my experience with igs/cyclura its a food they get hooked on easily and you want to keep a varied diet. green leafy stuff is what will put on the weight for now. All sounds okay and cyclura are pretty tolerant as you refine it all. This aint no gecko and be patient as you try to tame. good luck!

Lose the loose substrate and use something easy to clean and impossible to ingest, like paper towelling, newspaper, or shelf liner. Young Rhinos can be messy and spread their food around, thus increasing the chances of ingesting substrate. You may want to invest in one of the Mercury Vapor lamps that are available now, such as the ZooMed PowerSun. Plenty of heat and good UVB output. Stick with lots of leafy greens including Collard, Mustard, Turnip and Dandelion. Add some winter squash like Butternut, Acorn or Spaghetti, shredded in a food processor, for protein. This will also promote good growth and weight gain. I supplement my youngins with Minerall once a week. I also give them soaked RepCal adult iguana pellets a couple of times a week on their salads.

Young Rhinos are pretty hardy little lizards. After a short period of acclimation don't be afraid to get him out and handle him. Be gentle but firm, and be patient. You WILL be greatly rewarded in a year or two with a calm, tolerant pet lizard. My congrats also! You've made a fine choice.

A picture is worth a thousand words, We can make better comments when we see the cage. 6 months old in October is usual. Most captive breed rhinos in the US hatch between Sept. and November. If yours is origially from one of the major breeders, it is probably closer to 1 yr old. 15" for one year is smallish, but what's the hurry, they can be alot ot fun while they are small. If you want him to grow faster, just give him fresh food 2-3 times/day. I find that mine like to thermoregulate to maintain a skin temp of about 98 degrees, so having a hot basking spot is important. Jf and Jiffy's comments keep me from saying the same. I am a newspaper substrate advocate. Good luck and Congradulations !