Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 5 month old iguana-- I house him in a 54"x48"x14" wood and plexiglass habitat that I made-- I have all the suggested lighting equipment and during the daytime-- the hottest part of the cage is in the high 80's-- The lights are on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours-- I try to feed him all the suggested foods-- but he does not eat very well and he is very small and very skinny-- his skin is kind of loose and droopy-- My brother has an iguana that is about 7 months old who only has a regular 60 watt light bulb in the tinyest aquarium possible and his iguana is like 5 times as large as mine--he also eats regularly in large quantities and his skin is bright colored and taught-- My brother's iguana is easy to pet and hold while when I try to socialize with mine-- he runs around the cage like a maniac, falling from the top of the habitat and slamming into the walls-- My brother recently came to stay with me and he brought his iguana with him-- Our iguana's get along really well-- But now all of the sudden his iguana will not let you take him out and it also runs around all crazy and slams into the walls-- It also seems to have lost weight and it's skin looks all droopy-- but he still will eat-- I am wondering if my habitat is too hot or is there a reason for this behavior-- I am worried about my iguana's poor eating habits-- I would appreciate any suggestions or advice-- I am taking mine to the vet to check for parasites-- but it is weird that my bro's iguana is displaying the same behaviors in my cage-- If mine has pararsites could his have gotten the parasites from mine? My theory about why his iguana was not running around all wild before is because he was too cold-- and now my habitat has the proper temp's that allow for him to run away when someone tries to handle him-- Is this possible? Would an iguana be able to gain weight if it is too cold?

When you say "All the suggested..." what are the suggestions? Some people read suggestions from a book, only to learn the book was outdated or had the wrong info. The hottest part of the cage should be about 100-110, the ambient temps should be in the 80's (ambient meaning the whole cage). Your brother's needs some more lighting and a better cage. First off he needsa big cage, not the smallest aquarium possible. Second he needs a full spectrum uva/uvb kight and a 12 hour photo period. Third, yours does too. And why would you put another iguana in the cage with yours if you thought it was sick? If your brothers was too cold to run, it would feel cold whenever you picked it up, and your body temp would be good enough to give the little guy energy to run off. Since your brothers is now sick, I would say 98% chance that yes it is some sort of internal parasite, and yes your brother's now has the parasites. You should have already brought them both to the vet, but if you haven't then GO NOW.

As for the un-tame behavior, it is probably just that...un-tame. All animals are different and they all behave and are socialized different. You could raise two iguanas in the same conditions, same techniques and situations, and still end up with one teddy bear and one maniac. Hope this helps and hope everything works out! -Joe

>>>I have a 5 month old iguana-- I house him in a 54"x48"x14" wood and plexiglass habitat that I made-- I have all the suggested lighting equipment and during the daytime-- the hottest part of the cage is in the high 80's-- The lights are on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours-- I try to feed him all the suggested foods-- but he does not eat very well and he is very small and very skinny-- his skin is kind of loose and droopy-- My brother has an iguana that is about 7 months old who only has a regular 60 watt light bulb in the tinyest aquarium possible and his iguana is like 5 times as large as mine--he also eats regularly in large quantities and his skin is bright colored and taught-- My brother's iguana is easy to pet and hold while when I try to socialize with mine-- he runs around the cage like a maniac, falling from the top of the habitat and slamming into the walls-- My brother recently came to stay with me and he brought his iguana with him-- Our iguana's get along really well-- But now all of the sudden his iguana will not let you take him out and it also runs around all crazy and slams into the walls-- It also seems to have lost weight and it's skin looks all droopy-- but he still will eat-- I am wondering if my habitat is too hot or is there a reason for this behavior-- I am worried about my iguana's poor eating habits-- I would appreciate any suggestions or advice-- I am taking mine to the vet to check for parasites-- but it is weird that my bro's iguana is displaying the same behaviors in my cage-- If mine has pararsites could his have gotten the parasites from mine? My theory about why his iguana was not running around all wild before is because he was too cold-- and now my habitat has the proper temp's that allow for him to run away when someone tries to handle him-- Is this possible? Would an iguana be able to gain weight if it is too cold?

I got all of my information from the Iguana rescue -- I think you have links to the very same site where I got all of my infomation-- I didn't know that mine was sick-- I just thought he was not growing as fast as my brother's-- but I am going to the vet-- So I guess my habitat is not to hot-- so that's good-- I can't wait to get him to the vet to get him cured-- So why do you think my bro's looked so healthy without UVB and without a basking light and all that? I try to make a salad of various things for my Iguana (Napoleon)-- Squash, Mustard Greens, Alphalpha sprouts, Carrots, Spinach . . . I also add crushed vitamin like the site recommends--

Do you have any suggestions about the humidity in the habitat?-- I only have a large water bowl-- but that's it-- Should I get a mister or a fogger or a fountain? I have a vet appt on friday-- IT is a pet and bird clinic and they are recommended by a link from this site-- I asked them how much experience the vet has with iguanas and she said they see several reptiles and amphibians everyday-- so hopefully he will be able to make my baby feel better--

I think you are on the right track by taking him to the vet.
You need to separate these igs first because many times it
seems they will be fine together and all of a sudden the larger
one will attack the smaller one. The 7 month old may also
be causing stress on yours. You need to improve on their
husbandry. Get a basking area temp at 95-110 degrees with
the rest of the cage at about 80 degrees. Make sure that the
temps are not getting too low at night. Mine does not drop
below 75 degrees. Do not use bright lights though as they
need a day/night cycle as you currently have. Make sure you
are chopping the food very small for these guys. I use a
small food processor. Your description of your ig makes me
believe he is indeed sick. Please do as much research and
ask as many questions that you can think of. I am posting 2
pictures of my girl that was not properly cared for. The first
is at adoption and the 2nd is 3 weeks after adoption. Look at
what the right husbandy can do.

Hope this helps
Linda

Please note her head is up, she is alert, has a little more
weight and is GREEN

The book Iguana for Dummies and the author's (Melissa Kaplan) websites saved my Igs life.EVERYTHING I was told by PetCo, when we bought my precious boy was wrong. Enclosure, heating, lighting, food.....all had to change. It's a lot of reading bu well worth an iguanas life.

Sheryl

http://anapsid.org/dummies/

http://anapsid.org/

Hopefully the vet will be able to set things right, but it is important to keep the husbandry good as well or the problem will reoccur. Make sure to bring a fecal sample to the vet wtih you when you go.

I would raise the basking temps, and get a good acurate thermometer to measure botht he basking temps and the ambient temperature. I would also increase the humidity by spraying the tank 1 or 2 times daily. Make sure your iggy has a good uvb source and that you are using the proper supplements.

As for your brothers ig...its appalling to know his iguana lives that way. Although it is not your responsibility you may want to mention to him that his keepings are atrocious and borderline animal cruelty. As to why his ig looks healthy that is the mystery of animals. Some animals will prevail no matter what awful conditions they are kept in, and most will not. Regardless it is still wrong. You also should tell your brother that his ig needs to go to the vet immediately. If your ig is sick, which is sounds like it definately is, his has caught whatever yours has. If he doesn';t want to listen to you, point him to this website and we can give him lots of advice.

good luck
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake
1.1 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Anerythristic Corn
0.0.1 Red Tegu
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

I went to the vet yesterday and both iguanas got a clean bill of health-- it's crazy-- the vet said they both looked good and there bone structure looked great and their muscle tone was excellent-- My bro is building a new cage while his ig is staying with me-- He was there when the vet told him what he needed-- Fecal sample test came back negative-- I thought my ig looked skinny but the doc disagreed-- But now the my bro's ig has been with me for about a wk-- He must be getting the right amt of light to be able to digest his food or something-- I do need to increase the amount of moisture in his cage though b/c he (Dr. Tusk) said the tip of his tail looked dry to the vet-- the vet said put ky jelly on the tip of the tail and put it in warm water-- sounds weird-- haha-- So I spray the cage but maybe I need an automatic mister or something-- he also said sunlight is good for the iguana'a- so maybe I will build him a summer house in addition to his current habitat-vet bill: $65.00