Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im about to take an iguana from my friend, who doesnt know much about reptiles, and i know a lot. this will be my first iguana though, and i was wondering if u could give me any tips. the iguana is semi-aggressive, pretty passive for a male, and its 3 years old. also, how do u move iguanas with out getting bite, or slashed or whipped?

3 year old male is not too much to handle. Does he let ur friend pick him up? Anyways, a common method is to pick it up with a large towel, or if he's very bezerk place the towel on top of him and then pick him up. He will lash and try to scratch.

Some reptiles are calmer when "cool", so moving him early in the morning when he hasn't heated up to full capacity.

Try to keep the stress to a minimun. Other methods are luring him in a LARGE plastic container (with holes for air), like one of those large Rubbermaid.

Now...do u have already a LARGE enclosure for him? At that age he needs an adult sized one (minimun 6x6x4). Also, what is his current health condition? If ur friend doesnt know much about them, chances are something might be wrong (MBD? Endorparasites, etc...).

Once in his new cage let him get adjusted for a couple of days. The only interaction should be feeding, cleaning and watering.

Visit Melissa Kaplan's website for more info and tips.
Good luck!

-IJ

thanx, the iguana seems in good health, and, im just taking the cage they had it in. the cage, no is not big enough, and i realize this, but i am thinking about letting it roam free in my reptile room. its actually a green house in my backyard my dad built to get my other reps outta my room. is this a bad idea? the cages of the other reps all have covers. and i dont have any agressive reps that would cause problems. all i have is various geckos, beardies and cornsnakes. so... tell me what you think.

The problem is he is not potty trained, or may not right away assign himslef a spot to take a dump. So chances are your greenhouse will be quiet smelly and soiled if you do not monitor where he poops.

Other concern is he might knock down lamps or cables/chords around...

The greenhouse idea is great for the humidity and sapciousness, but make sure everything is sealed, closed, locked, fastened and secured. As long as he has PLENTY of room to move about safely, you should be fine. Just prep the room to prevent any accidents. He will get big........very big.

Best of luck, and keep us posted,

-IJ

the thing about the greenhouse is, its built specifically for my reptiles, so its gonna stink any way. and, im gonna be using racks only soon, so there will be nothing for him to knock down. so im assuming its ok from ur post.