I got an iguana and i dont know what to feed it?

Question

Ok uhm, I just got an iguana today because my cousin was going to throw it away and I have no idea on how to take care of it like how or what to feed it, how should i keep it warm, and where to have it. Can you help me she's still little and i really want to keep it!

Answer 1

Eventually Iguanas will need a lot of room. to start out you should probably get at least a 40 gallon vivarium i used a 55 gallon with a baby. if you have the right enclouser to house an iguana then you need to start to look at its housing equipment. this should consist of rubbing rocks (rocks that are not smooth and have rough edges for your Ig to rub off its shedding skin), You should also get some drift wood, if you get it from a pet store the be prepaired to spend a little money on this, if you have a lake near by you can also get natural drift wood, you will have to sanitize it though, if it is a piece that is small enough to put into your oven then you can kill any organisms that may hurt you Ig by heating up your oven to a temperature no hotter then 240 degrees. if you get a piece that cant be put in your oven then you can use a bleach to weight ratio of about 1:5 and place them in it for about 2 hours and make sure you also soak them afterwards for another 2 hours in warm water. Heat lamps, these are essential to you Ig's health, they need to have temperatures in the day of no less then 88 degress F, and no less then 70 degrees F at night. The temperature is essential for the processing of the calcium that the iguana uses. I use two different lights i use a heat lamp durring the day and a blue light at night. the blue light helps keep the temperature at around 70 degrees. another thing that you will need is a water dish, Iguanas sometimes like to use their driking water as a toilet, so you have to change the water everyday, sometimes twice a day if the water gets soiled. next you may want to find a terrain for you iguana. I use something called Calci-sand. if the Ig ingests it is actually good for it, it doesnt cause impaction and is easy to filter out waste. Other people will say that you can use unprinted newspaper, which is cheeper and just as effective. now for food purposes, you should use Romaine, dandelion greens, rose petals, mustard greens, it's ok to uses these on a regular basis, some other things that you can use but only a litttle bit once and a while, these would be bananas, grapes, carrots, raspberries. All of their food should be cut to proper size for you iguana. so a baby , or a hatchling, the food should be cut up small. as they get bigger you can give it larger bits of food. You should only give the iguana a little bit of food twice a day, and eventually you will only have to give it one good serving once a day in the middle of the day.


If you have any other questions about your iguana, or prepairing for your new iguana, please e-mail me at [e-mail].

Answer 2

Go to http://www.anapdis.org for the best website on iguanas. The owner, Melissa Kaplan, also has the book Iguanas for Dummies if you want to get that.

A large aquarium would work for now, but a large wire ferret cage will probably last you longer and be cheaper in the long run (if the iggie isn't too small and can fit through the wire).

Iguanas eat vegetables, lots of dark leafy greens (lettuce IS OK so long as it's a dark green color, such as leaf lettuce) plus some grated squashes, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, ect., and some finely diced fruit like apple, melons, and berries. I use Rep-Cal calcium suppliment with Vitamin D.

You'll need a UVB light plus a heat light. I use Reptisun 10.0 for UVB. The wattage of the heat light will depend on the size of your enclosure. Since my iguana is an adult in a large cage, I have a ceramic heat emmiter on 24/7 over her cage, plus an extra heat light in the day. You might want a lower watt "night light" on 24/7 at this point. Most pet stores sell red or "black" lights for nighttime heat.

Congratulations on the rescue!

Answer 3

Iguanas are vegetarians. They eat hibiscus flowers, lettuce and some will eat fruit cocktail. Try different fruits and vegetables and see what your iguana likes. I can't believe your cousin would throw it away! They are very sweet animals.
Your iguana will climb up on your head. They are always looking to go up.

Also, it will eliminate in a warm place so if you put a heating pad in a place and cover it with newspapers, chances are that it will poop there all the time instead of all over the place.

Answer 4

Look up iguanas on the web, and do not feed her crickets meal worms no insects or , broccoli spinach don't feed them none of that !!! feed them mustard greens and turnip greens green onions , the ones that look like grass blades the green onions that is and some fruits are fine no bananas it takes to long to digest I have 2 one is 12yrs old and one is 2yrs old healthy!! look it up under iguanas

Answer 5

feed your iguana hibiscus flowers they are really inexpensive (not just hibiscus but also other fruits and veggies). keep it warm with a light. Keep it next to a window that opens(for fresh air purposes) in a terrarium (square fish tank w/o water) filled with either dirt or just nothing (if you are mean). iguanas grow pretty quick if you feed them right, they need a lot of room or they will die (seriously) so you will have to change from a terrarium to a chicken wire fence eventually.

Answer 6

You should be feeding your iggy dark leafy greens. Try to stay away from iceberg and lettuce cuz they dont have much nutrients. You would be better off useing mustard greens, collard greens, bok choy, , turnip greens, clover, red or green cabbage, watercress, savoy, kohlrabi, dandelions, escarole, parsley and alfalfa pellets. These should consist of about 90% of your iggys diet.
Stay away from beet greens and spinach cuz they contain oxalates that may bind dietary calcium. The same goes for kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower because these bind iodine and may result in goiter.
About 10% of the diet can consist of veggis like squash, sprouts, carrots, cooked sweet potato, cucumber, okra, parsnips, spineless cactus pads, asparagus, mushrooms, green and red peppers, peas, beans, corn and green beans
Fruit should make up the remainder of the diet. You cantry some of these. Papaya, mango, apple, peach, pear, plum, strawberry, banana (with the skin), raspberry, melon, tomato, grape, raisins, star fruit, kiwi, blueberry and guava may be fed.


Your iggy should be kept in a LARGE cage with plenty of room to bask and roam around. You should also provide a UV for 8 to 12 hrs a day. You should also have a basking light on the "hot" end of the encloser.

i hope this helps....

Answer 7

My friend's iguana LOVED mesclun salad (you can buy it in bags at the grocery store) and crickets he got from the pet store. His iguana also loved to take naps on top of the clothes rack for some reason.

Answer 8

hi there
check out my website under lizards section there is a basic care sheet on there to keep ur Iggy healthy and happy...please don't use heat rocks they will cause severe burns on the iguana use heat lamps only ... no insects they cannot digest protein and no spinach it toxic to them....im glad ur responsible enough to take the ig in since ur cousin was gonna through it away....

Answer 9

I prefer both fruits and fresh vegetables better, regardless how they look and taste. You desire a little of both.

Answer 10

If perhaps it's a fruit it includes seeds, otherwise it's a vegetable. And vegetables are usually grown in the ground while fruits are grown in trees.