iguanas...tips on caretaking?

Question

well i spemt 200 dollars on this creature for my fiance who walked out on me and i am not sure how to take care of francis(iguana) he has a problem swinging his tail hard and only likes my fiance. i dont know how to properly take care of him.....

Answer 1

Diet:
Iguanas are herbavors. They do not eat animal protien of any kind. Their primary diet should consist of Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens, Escarole, parsnip, winter squash, alfalfa, strawberries, figs and a calcium suppliment. The greens should make up the majority of the the diet. The Iguana should be feed early every morning. They will spend the rest of the day digesting the food. Water should be provided, preferably in a dish too small for the iguana to immerse themself in.

Housing:
Where x is the length of the iguana, housing should be x tall, x deep and 1.5 x long. Iguanas are arborial and need to have something to climb on.

Heat:
Iguanas need a basking area, normally at the top of the climbing area, that has a temperature of 95F. The lower areas of the cages should be cooler as a lizard regulates his body temperature by moving to warmer or cooler areas. the lowest temperature, night time, should not be less than 75F.

Light:
Iguanas live in equitorial areas. They should have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. They also suffer from calcium deficiancies and require high quality UVB lights (such as reptisun 10) to prevent this. Vitiamin D drop are not a suitable replacement due to problems with dosing. Daily trips outside, in a suitable enclosure, are desirable when temperature permits.

Handling:
Iguanas must be handled daily to socializing them. As they can inflict injury with their tails, teeth, and claws the purchase of protective gear for the forearms is often considered (my son uses a leather jacket and gloves). This behavior is instinctual on the Iguana's part, they are not domesticated animals. The daily handling is to show them that you are a friend rather than a threat. Never punish an iguana, but at the same time do not let them win.

Health:
Iguanas require reptile vets. Regular vets do not have the training needed to understand what is happening in an Iguana, or any other reptile. You can find a list of reptile vets in the US at http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html.

Finding a new home:
If you decide you cannot handle the Iguana, do not just put an ad in the paper as someone else suggested. Most of the public is not educated on the care of reptiles and you could be condeming the iguana to a slowly declining existance. I have included links to yahoo groups that deal with Iguanas. Many members also run or know how to contact Iguana rescue societies. These people can find your Iguana a suitalble home. Even if you decide to keep the Iguana, they can provide you with a wealth of knowledge to assist you.

Please be sure to visit anapsid.org. It is the website of Melissa Kaplin, author of Iguanas for Dummies.

Answer 2

Was the 200 dollars just for the iguana or for the enclosure also. If you paid that just for the iguana, then you got ripped off, but i'm assuming you didn't. Anyways, that was really uncool of your fiance, for your iguanas sake. He was the one who bonded and took care of him. Now that he's gone, the iguana is upset about it. he's not sure what's going on. Um, you need to feed it lots of greens(collard greens, mustard greens, kale greens, romaine lettuce, etc.) They also like other varieties of veggies such as shredded carrots, cucumber, and squash. You can feed them fruits such as grapes on an occasional basis. Make sure he has a UVB lamp that is on a timer for 12 hours during the daytime. 7am to 7pm usually works best. Well, if the iguana is male, then you will have to stay away from him during your period. Reason for this is because women put out the same scent as female iguanas, causing males to become aggressive. I recommend just baby talking to him. They like this. I also recommend hand feeding him as much as you can. This enables him to gain trust in you. If he'll let you pet the top of his head, then do it, this usually calms them right down. Just stick to these concepts and try doing more research on-line for whatever you can find. I'm sure you'll be just fine and after a while, you'll realize your boyfriend missed out on an awesome pet.

Owner of a 4 year old, 6 foot long, male green iguana.

Answer 3

one thing that i know is that the bigger they get the bigger the cage they will need. During the winter especially, they need as much warmth as they can get. Another thing would be powder vitamins. You just sprinkle on a liitle bit every time yor iguana eats and it will help his health. You can find that stuff at any oet store. Also, hold it a lot. If you dont they will become aggressive and as they get bigger and they are not very tameat all, your iguana could bite you are whip you with his tail. Trust me, that dont always feel the best and mine is only about a foot and a half long (including its tail) They also ned a big branch or something that will support it so that your iguana can bask in the light. I have an iguana and i love her very much but she is getting pretty aggresive so that is probabley the most important, thing i can say. Another thing would be to not feed it iceburg lettuce. Iceburg lettuce offers no nutritional value and if your iguana gets hooked on it, that is all it will eat.

Answer 4

Iguanas take alot of work, check out these sites:

Melissa Kaplan (has a great book, Iguana's for Dummies)
http://www.anapsid.org/

http://www.iguanaden.org/care/multipleigs.htm

Good luck, my best advice is to think it through very hard if you want to make the commintment to keeping Francis, and if not find him a new home.

Answer 5

I guess it's a bit late to tell you this, but Iguanas make rotten pets (as do most men). Run an ad in the local classifieds and see if anyone will take the iggy off your hands.

Answer 6

I've had an iguana and their alot of hard work!! well they like salads but only put in tomatoes, lettuce, they love kiwi
strawberries, and if you google iguanas you will find lots of info.



they will need a heat lamp or they will die. and try to get them from a store a big stick or something ot lay on underneath the heat lamp.they will also need something to hide in.good luck!!

Answer 7

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