I just got an iguana for my B-day (2-4-07) and I love him. Could you give some helpful Info. about them?

Question

Ziggy is just little abd I have been trying my best to help him get used to his new home but today he wouldnt let me hold him. I want to give him the best care I can and I would really appritiate some useful information.

Answer 1

Iguanas are great pets, but a terrible pet if you are not prepared. Not a great present.

They live for at least 20 years and will get to be 6 feet long. At some point they will need their own room.

They need fresh green veggies daily (not iceberg lettuce as it has no nutrients) such as kale, romaine lettuce, beet tops etc.. You can also supplement their diet with canned iguana food as well as the veggies. You can feed the odd fruit as a treat

Provide enough water that they can sit in it to cool off (also, taking them swimming in the bathtub in room temp water is fun)

keep one half of their cage warmer(with heat lamps) and the other cooler.

Handle it frequently daily. Do not leave it alone for a week as the poster above me suggested. Where gloves if it scrathces

Oh my god. The posted below me said to only give them water every few days, That is terrible. They are tropical animals and should have clean fresh water provided at all times

Answer 2

Happy Birthday!!!

Here's some help caring for that Iguana:

Diet:
Iguanas are herbivores; they do not eat animal protein of any kind. Commercially available Iguana food is not suitable for use as it usually contains animal protein. An Iguana's primary diet should include collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, escarole, green beans, parsnip, winter squash, alfalfa, strawberries, mangos, figs, cantaloupe and a calcium supplement. The greens should make up the majority of the diet.
The Iguana should be feed early every morning. Additional feedings may be made later if the iguana eats them. Water should be provided, preferably in a dish too small for the iguanas to immerse themselves in.

Size:
Iguanas can grow to 6 foot in length.

Age............... head to vent…..total length
Just hatched……...2 in ………….6-8 in
3 months……...….4 in…………..12 in
6 months…………6 in…………..18 in
1 year…………….8 in…………..24 in
18 months…….…10 in…………..30 in
2 years…………..12 in…………..36 in
3 years……….….16 in…………..45 in
4 years……….….18 in…………..54 in
5 years…………..20 in…………..60 in
6 years…………..22 in…………..66 in
7 years…….up to 24 in….....up to 72 in

Housing:
Where x is the length of the iguana, housing should be x tall, x deep and 1.5 x long. Iguanas are arboreal and need to have something to climb on. A bathing area is also desirable. Iguanas instinctually poop in water and they are likely to consistently use the bathing are to do so.

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, nighttime, should not be less than 75F. Nighttime heat can be provided using ceramic heaters or night bulbs. Never use heat rocks with Iguanas as they can cause burning.

Light:
Iguanas live in equatorial areas. They should have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. They also require high quality UVB lights (such as reptisun 10) to facilitate vitamin D production to allow calcium absorption. Vitamin D drop are not a suitable replacement due to problems with dosing and lack of evidence on their effectiveness. 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). They are not domesticated animals so this behavior is instinctual on the Iguana's part. 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. If the Iguana learns that tail thrashing will cause you to put them down, they will always tail thrash when you try to pick them up.

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.

Lifespan:
In captivity Iguanas given proper care can be expected to live 20 years.



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

Answer 3

Iguanas are one of the most difficult reptiles to keep healthy, check out everything about iguanas on this site. And if you have a myspace I have one dedicated to reptiles- iguanagirl
Diet should consist of 45% leafy greens such as collards, dandilion, kale and mustard greens No lettuce, all lettuces do not have any nutritional value.
45% Orange flesh squash and green vegetales, like peas, green beans, and bell peppers not broccili.
10% Fruit such as figs, papaya, berries and mango.

Answer 4

Iguana's are exotic pets, so they can be picky.
(I have a few informative sites on taking care of them below in my source list)
As for your complaint on how it won't let you hold him/her.
I would suggest letting him/her getting used to its new home, afterall, its probably scary for it to move into a whole new environment. Let it adjust to everything for atleast a week.
After that, let it get used to your hand being around it, eventually pet it and then you can eventually pick it up.
You're a complete stranger to him/her right now, he/she probably jsut doesn't know if he/she can trust you yet.
I know it sounds weird, but be sure to just watch and talk to him/her so he/she can adjust to you.
Hope this helped.
Be sure to check out the source list below. =)

Answer 5

www.greenigsociety.org is the greatest site on iguana care. check it out.

Answer 6

you should feed it ever two day with vegetables and a lot of water

Answer 7

Ya dont let him hit you with his tail when hes pissed