Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys,
First off let me say that im not even that big a fan of iguanas. When it comes to lizards, monitors are my usual choice. (own two yellow ackies)... i did own an iguana when i was very young.

I went into a pet shop today to buy rats for the boas and was checking out the reptiles, and in one tank there were 3 small iquanas and one dragon. On the tank a sign said "recouperating bearded dragon not for sale." The dragon housed with the iguanas supposedly was given to the pet shop for free because the owners didnt know how to take care of him. He was in really bad shape.

The two siblings of the one i bought also looks in less then tip top shape, one of them looking as bad as the dragon-was curled up in the corner, and didnt even bother to scurry or even so much as turn his head in any form of alertness when i picked him up.

The one i have now scurried like crazy and even when i got a hold of him starting threatening to bite me... lol-i found it pretty cute, and even though hes a pretty jumpy and untrusting little guy, hes calmed down.

I didnt know if what ever the bearded dragon had contracted could spread to the iguanas, but the way my iguanas siblings looked, i had my suspicions. It was just a bad habitat if u ask me, and even though iguanas arent exactly my bag, i felt since i have owned monitors, boas, pythons, dragons and have a bunch of cages laying around as well as i dont even know how many heat lamps, $20 to save this little dudes life wouldnt be so much a chore.

I also have a 8 foot long glass aquarium with a wooden top i built with 4 screen holes cut to hold heat lamps when he gets bigger.

Right now hes probobly a little over 12" from tip of nose to the tip of his tale. So hes still young id say. I would like opinions on temps, basking temps, humidity, diet, bedding, calcium requirments, UV(is UV really necisary? I've owned water monitors and ackie monitors with no UV and they've done great-but of course monitors/iguanas= apples/oranges.

Anyway just thought i'd post here because the kingsnake forums seem to be the most knowledgable on husbandry. I also know that these questions have been asked before and can be found in the archives, but this was an impulse buy... not because i wanted an iguana that bad- more so that i felt the conditions he was in were not adequet. And i need to get him rolling up to speed.

All help appreciated, thanks.

UV is definately essential for these sun loving basking lizards.

The best source of iggy care is melissa kaplans site, www.anapsid.org - download the pdf file of her iguana care "book" it has allthe info you will need - and then some
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
2.2 Leopard Geckos
1.0 Uromastyx (Mali)
1.1 Corn snakes
0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.0 Bairds Ratsnake
1.0 Rosy Boa
1.1 Green Anoles
1.1 House Geckos
0.0.2 Flying Geckos
0.0.1 Red Eye Tree Frog

Welcome to the world of iguanas. With you having monitors, Im sure you are ready for the size and strength (and quite possibly attitude) that you will be dealing with.

AS to things being contagious, it is possible, but with out knowing what the original animals had, its hard to say. The iguanas could be sick for a variety of reason. The dragon the same. In all reality, the dragon could be the result of poor care, the iguanas could be the result of poor care and habitat. Its all hard to guess. I would monitor this guy carefully for eating, pooping and the like. Since the vast majority of these guys are farm raised, fecal sample to the vet is HIGHLY suggested.

Unlike Monitors, I believe UV is needed. I know many folks who have maintained iguanas without UV, however around 7-10 years they really begin showing a wide variety of health issues. So def go with UV. I know FR did a whole lot of work on UV and monitors, but really no one has experimented with iguanas and the results I have seen in my rescue point to the other answer.

Base temps should be 75-85 with a little higher allowed for babies. Basking I usually keep around 95. I like to keep my humidity around 65-70% if possible. For caging high is always better. They are climbers by nature and prefer to be up high. Of course a high box for security. Always offer a water bowl big enough to soak. I actually offer a small dish so that they may drink. Iguanas are notorious for using the water bowl as a toilet. Keep thinking vegetarian savy.

Feeding is the single most important thing to your iguana. NO animal protein for green iguanas. Here is a breakdown of my diet. I rotate items listed with no single type of item becoming a regular staple.

Greens - Dark leafy greens. Mustard, Dandelion, Kale, Chard, Collard. For example. This week was mustard, next week is collard. This is about 50% of the diet. The base of it if you will. Chopped by knife depending on size. My adults get approx 1 inch sq pieces.
Veges
Squash - Acorn, butternut, carnival, spaghetti, etc. Rotate between. Skinned and chopped in food processor
Jicima/Sweet Potatoes/Yams, washed any nubby parts removed, chopped in food processor
Green Beans/Bell Peppers/Cilantro/Jicima, washed and cleaned then chopped in food processor.
Fruits
Kiwi, Berries, Bananas, apples, pears, mangos, papayas. All washed, pitted and chopped in food processor.

I also offer catcus pads and prickley pears. I use a torch to burn off the prickers and then toss in food processors. Some of the items we use may be harder to find, I live in a ethnic area, so some of the more exotic foods are easier to find where I am at.

I LOVE this product by tupperware call the Fridge Smart and use it on both my chopped greens and veges. It keeps them good longer than just plain storage so I can do all the work on the weekends and serve it up. Greens I do twice a week here, but veggies and fruit I do once.

Books that may be of help are Iguanas For Dummies and Green Iguana; The Ultimate Owners Manual

I have also attached the direct link to the Iguana Care Feeding and Socialization Manual.

Ok so now go read and report back with questions.
Comprehensive Iguana article

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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

Appreciate the comments. Yeah hes a jumpy little guy, and even though i was but a kid when i last owned an iguana, i never remembered feeding anything but veggies-mostly greens and fruits.

Right now i got his basking spot at 96 degrees and an ambient temp of around 80 degrees, with the very coolest spots being around 76-78 degrees. Also built a wood top to replace the screen the glass tank came with to keep humidity in. Cut out a square shaped screen area of ventalation, and got two heat lamps(one for basking, and one of those night bulbs on the other side to keep the ambient temp up)-gonna have to get a UV but thats no problem, i got fixtures everywhere. Got him a ton of branches/hidespot ect.

Hes extremely jumpy, loves nothing more then to whip his tail at me when i change his water, but yeah, it doesnt bother me considering the bite i took from my 2.5 foot water monitor. Been bitten by nice sized boas all my life too, so i dont find it intimidating.

At this point (unlike more unexperienced keepers that want to constantly handle their animals) I'm just making sure he has fresh water and a fresh selection of greens everyday, and letting him adjust. Todays only the second night i've had him, so I'm not too suprised he hasnt showed interest in any food being hes still acclimating.(also got rep-cal powder from when i owned beardies.

But if it goes on for more then a few days, I have considered dusting a few crickets and tossing them in there to see if it would arouse his appetite, agaisnt my gut instinct as well as yours and many other's knowledge about the problems of protein and iguanas. He was however housed with a beardie, so god knows what those pet shop people had him eating.

But he always has a choice of a variety of greens, fresh water, and good temps in my opinion. Hopefully the little guy will come around. Again I appreciate the comments, and if your willing to help I got a feeling (and i hope I'm wrong) that he might be too stressed to eat, givin his previous living conditions and the enviorment change.

But i'll be posting in detail everyday what hes up to, like i said, I'm not much of an iguana guy, but he was only $20 and I knew he'd probobly have died in that shop, so taking him in is rewarding to me in a different way then when i buy animals to support my own hobby. Anyway thanks again for the help, i'll keep poting so if you get the chance check the forum out the next few days, i really want to help the little guy.

thanks

>>But if it goes on for more then a few days, I have considered dusting a few crickets and tossing them in there to see if it would arouse his appetite, agaisnt my gut instinct as well as yours and many other's knowledge about the problems of protein and iguanas. He was however housed with a beardie, so god knows what those pet shop people had him eating.
>>

At this point, assuming he is active and of good weight, give him time. I usually give 2 weeks to all new animals before I worry. Measuring your food will help you gauge how much he is eating. I personally would avoid doing crix at all. Having a reptile rescue here in my home, I see a WHOLE lot of fasts initially. Two weeks is average settling time.

Treat these weeks like you would a new monitor, even going so far as to cover the exposed portions of the cage. I would expect that you see him eat.
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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

Okay. Yeah i got the back, sides, and a small portion of the front covered with newspaper- that method seemed to work great with my ackie when he was young and very nervous. Whats odd is that when i first got him in this tank he was actually using his basking spot, now he seems to be hanging out in the same croner all the time where most of the logs and hides are. Hes not very active, but he is of good weight.

But if nervous iguanas are similiar to nervous monitors in captivity all should be well. He is also housed in the computer room, so he can check me out if he wants to from a distance I feel would make him feel secure. And i dont go near the tank unless to change water/food, and when done so pretend as if i don't notice hes there, never really studying him unless far away.

Thanks for all the info, and I'll heed your advice about the crix.

Huge load off my mind, todays the second day now, and he already finished his sweet potatoe, hes looking nice and plump. I'm going to wait about a month before I attempt to interact with him, no "forced handling: of course. Anyway thanks alot Cindy, always appreciate advice from an experienced keeper. Now that hes settled in, I got alot of reading to do.
Later, Joe

>>Huge load off my mind, todays the second day now, and he already finished his sweet potatoe, hes looking nice and plump. I'm going to wait about a month before I attempt to interact with him, no "forced handling: of course. Anyway thanks alot Cindy, always appreciate advice from an experienced keeper. Now that hes settled in, I got alot of reading to do.
>>Later, Joe

Well if you spend ANY time hanging on the monitor forum, you definitely will have a handle on the hands off approach for the beginning. While I do differ in feeling that with all animals you do need to work with them so that at the very least they will be accepting and tolerant of handling, I do feel initially they need an adjustment period of at least 2 weeks to a month. I think that is the single worst mistake many keepers make. Over handling can cause stress and you need to find a balance!

Feel free to shoot out questions as you need them, but def get those books!
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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

Thanks cindy, well, as far as handling goes, i did start with him a little bit. I had a water monitor i bought from a reptile show... looked very sick. And i bought her and brought her home, checked out the husbandry, and set her up in a tank as fast as possible. Used all husbandry recommended by FR. She thrived, and i tried to work with her alot in the begining(three weeks after acclimation), but i have no doubt she was a wild caught that was probobly in extremely bad conditions before i got her.

She wasn't extremely thin, just looked a little slow and "seemed" tame at the time of purchase. I found out once she was healthy that she wasn't the happiest of lizards. I got bit by her a couples times and scratched. And I had noticed that everytime i would handle her she would hide and fast for a few days.

So i only attempted to handle her every 2 to 3 weeks. And tried to give her the oppurtunity to observe me doing something like reading a book in her room once a week, which she would always run, hide, come out, then hide again if i moved. Owned her for a total of about eight months(give or take), she looked healthy but never really ate like i would expect a water monitor to as i had read about them. She died out of know where, for no apparent reason at all, but, even to her last day she would scramble for her nearest tunnel anytime she so much as heard a sound.

So i guess thats why i had the same idea for this new ig, to simply let him be. It was the same approach i used with one of my ackies and hes not shy anymore. But yeah, I've noticed my monitor aproach need not be in this circumstance. This little ig appears more like an aggresive bearded dragon then anywhere near my ackies or the water monitor.

I agree with you that 'most' lizards need work, but, i disagree about monitors. Maybe the water i owned would have gained more confidence with size like my ackie. But, she was so stubborn i know if i had tried to handle her on a regular basis she would have nearly starved to death. And even though i had left her alone and would sneak down to see her thriving under the basking light, she was the first monitor i owned and left a huge impression on me when it comes to anti-social lizards.

But yeah, this guys doing fine with handling, is less skittish and still eating. If he stopped eating, however, i would probobly put off handling for at least a month until he starts again. I'm just very cautous with handling animals that dont want to be handled due to the water monitor experience.
Thanks.
Joe

you may want to slow down with your handling.... for a few weeks don't even bother to try and hold him.. just reach in there and move around a little and then as he gets calmer with this... you can start to stroke him on his side NEVER on his head or tail, and rarely on his back until he is ok. After that put your hand under him NEVER OVER (it looks like you want to hurt him if you grab him all the way around) and lift him a little bit and put him down.

It takes time with iguanas but they calm down if you don't rush them..

You will notice that they will freeze when you are in their cage for a while. where you could do any thing to them... this is make believe tameness on your part... they are scared stiff at that point.

I totally agree with you and I like your methods. I'm not much the type to really NEED my aniamls to be tame, just need them to be well maintained, good husbandry. As long as I'm doing that part right I'm happy.

I haven't really been handling my Ig much, I've noticed that he comes down off his branch and leaning towards the food plate when I'm dropping greens in and what not. But he wont eat until the cage is shut. Cracks me up.

I just bought his sibling from the pet shop now too, shes displaying the same charecteristics as him when i first got him. So I'm sure they'll come around and if they don't it doesnt matter much to me as long as the husbandry s good, thats why I bought em anyway, cause I figured they would have died in that pet shop.

peace.

I think you are missing so much fun if you don't ever plan to handle your iguana.. They are really neat and sweet to watch tv with and to let out and pet.

Plus if you ever want to rehome one or both of them they are much more wanted if they are tame enough to pet and move. Besides vet visits are sooo much easier.

I also think letting them out to explore in a safe area gives them more room to exercise and gives them better husbandry