Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I can do some research but wanted to get a head start. I've an iguana my family bought for fun but it appears none of them knows how to take care of it. What, exactly, are the essentials of taking care of one?

Of course we got some tips from the petstore, but we want to know the whole nine-yards, in a nutshell for now.

Thanks.

I am completely new to iguanas and am learning myself, but I can say, as with all other reptiles, you need to make an appointment and take it to the vet as soon as possible for a checkup. They can check for parasites and just make sure that he is in good health. MAKE SURE that it is a reptile qualified vet also. Most will treat reptiles but few actually have the experience or training to really treat them properly. Our first beardy died from a respatory infection that our regular vet failed to treat correctly. Good luck and you have come to the right place for advice. (Though it is normally good to get it prior to purchasing the animal).
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
0-0-1 Aggressive Bearded Dragon - Zeus
1-1-0 Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-1-0 Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Hello;
Surf on over to this site. http://tesa.proboards24.com/index.cgi?board=basics&action=display&thread=1080226029
This site specializes in green iguanas.
Basic iguana care

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

This is Melissa Kaplan's website. It has been around for roughly 10 years or so, and it has been the staple website for iguana care. It has a ton of information, and if you can print it all out, even better!

Homepage:
http://www.anapsid.org/

Iguana Care:
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/icfs/index.html

In addition, she wrote the book "Iguanas for Dummies" of the "For Dummies" series. It is basically a repetition of the website, with some extras and a few updated infos. Excellent book, and very affordable.

James T. Hatfield also wrote an excellent book: "The Ultimate Iguana Manual". This is my favourite of all, and although more expensive, it is well worth the price tag.

In addition, skim through this message board, look also at past pages, and you'll see lots of questions people have asked that you may be interested in! And remember, there are no such things as stupid questions, so feel free to ask lots here.

A visit to the vet should be among your first things to do.
And remember, it's an iguana, so when it comes to housing it, thing BIG! Good luck!

-IJ

Wait, a minute. You have an iguana that was bought for "fun" and no one knows how to take care of it..... If you go to the green ig society they have a lot of info.....
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www.zenreptiles.com

i was caught off guard as well by the word choice there. i've had my iggy for about 4 years, and am still learning about them. hearing that someone bought one for "fun" makes it sound like an impulse buy. be prepared for lots of care and cleaning and exspensive setups, especially as the ig gets older. i also recomend picking up the "iguana for dummies" book, it has loads of very helpful info. good luck.