What do i do with my iguana after he grows out of his 50 gallon tank?

Question

What if hes not taimed yet? what do i do with him?

Answer 1

What I would suggest doing is buying a custom cage from www.cagesbydesign.com. I work at a pet store and have been asked questions like this all the time. I have always suggested cagesbydesign.com and have not had a single complaint about them yet (I always tell the customers to contact me if they have any problems). The cages are a little expensive, but are well worth the money for the quality of cages.

If he is not tamed yet then you have to pay more attention to it. That is the only way it will get used to you. If you don't handle the iguana it will just become more aggressive and hostile as it gets older, so it's better to start as soon as possible.

When handling your iguana it is important not to be afraid, the iguana will sense this and become even more defensive. Just take it slowly, but watch out for the tail ( it uses it like a whip and it hurts believe me). To keep the iguana from getting too stressed out you don't want to handle it for too long in the beginning. Start by handling it only 5-7 minutes on the first day, then on the next day handle it for about 7-10 minutes. Each day raise the amount of time until you reach about an hour. In a matter of weeks your iguana should be tame (when you put it back in the cage make sure that it is right under the heat lamp this will help it with the stress of just being handled).

Best of Luck
-- d-hef

P.S.-Oh yeah and Rob--heat rocks are a BIG NO NO-- they will burn the underside of the iguana, then you will have to take it to the vet to get a silvadene to fix the burns. I have seen lizards that have come in with such bad burns that the lizard was stuck to the heat rock and had to be pealed off. The lizard was bleeding, the skin was still stuck of the rock, and needless to say it was not a very happy lizard. Take my advice don't put a heat rock in the habbitat, just get a couple of good sized heat lamps with a fairly high wattage and lizard will be perfectly happy.

Answer 2

Adult male green iguanas grow to approximately 5-6 feet in length and weigh up to 18 pounds. You can not stop this growth by putting them in a small enclosure.

I have a green iguana, 2 mali Uromastyx, 2 boa constrictors (an 8 foot and a 12 foot), a 5 foot Honduran milk snake, 13 hermit crabs, 2 boxers, 3 leopard geckos, an emperor scorpion and coming soon, baby geckos and baby Mali’s. I have had many pets over the years, an adult fully grown green iguana was one of them, back in high school.

I have built all my enclosures; I built a 6 foot long six foot high 2.5 foot deep enclosure for the 2 boas. I am in the process of building a 6 foot high 6 foot wide 4 foot deep enclosure for the green iguana (he is only about 2-3 feet long right now but will grow). As soon as I am finished with the green iguana enclosure I will begin work on the 4 foot long mali enclosure that will be 4 feet high but divided in two length way. Mali's on bottom and the top 4 foot will be divided in half to make 2 two foot enclosures for the geckos and the scorpion.

People falsely believe that if you house an animal, be it reptile or anything else, in a small enclosure they will not grow because of some magical divine intervention that makes animals cease to grow due to cage size. Animals continue to grow no matter what their enclosure size.

The best way to train the iguana is to get a front opening on the enclosure, that way it doesn't feel threatened by you when you reach in to pick it up. They think you are a predator, if you come from his side or under they can see you and are much more comfortable. Just reach in and pet it the first few weeks, until it stops running away from you when you touch it.

Remember, this is a good time to do a lot of research on the species, there are a ton of good websites out there. Take your time and all will be well.

Answer 3

Buld a custom cage with melamine and plexiglass. I wish people would think before they buy animals; sure that iguana is only a foot now, but he'll grow up to 6'. Or that Burmese python is cute when it's only 18", but it could grow up to be 250 pounds and 20' long. Before you get any pet, make sure you do some research, and evaluate whether or not you have the time and money to properly care for it.

Answer 4

I had an Iguana years ago. When he outgrew his tank (he was 3'), I took my closet (4X8) and converted it to his new cage. I had a nice heat lamp, a heat rock and some big branches for him to climb on. He seemed to be very happy and was handled much easier after he was put in his new environment. When my Python outgrew his tank. I built him a 4'X4' cage out of plywood, 2X4's and a screen for viewing and cleaning. If you have some money, go to craiglist.org and find a used fish tank. I have seen tanks over 100 gallons selling for under $200. Remember, they do not have to hold water. To D-hef, thanks for the advice.

Answer 5

You either buy a 100 gallon or find him a home at a zoo.

Be aware that a friend made national news when her BIG iguana during a bath bit off her finger tip!

Answer 6

yes, it is sad the number of people who "lose interest" or dont have room for their iguana.
Look in your local newspaper, or post an ad to adopt it out or sell it. Some people take in iguanas people dont have room for.
You can also ask the pet store that has reptiles for some info, or maybe they might have some friends who can take him off your hands.
Good luck!

Answer 7

Make a cage. It can be fun. You will almost have to dedicate a room or at least a good part of a room to it. A 3 x 5 closet is a really good idea, especially if you have the room.

Answer 8

We had 2 that were over 6 feet long. We built a cage for them. It was massive, took up an entire wall in our rec room. Most of the time they roamed the house except when we were sleeping. They are very smart, went back to their cage to go to the bathroom.

Answer 9

. a wire cage for parrots works nicely they are fairly cheap mine run free. they potty trained themselves, not saying yours will but mine go on a towel i keep in a specific spot, on top of a throw rug with thick plastic under it. I change the towel once a day and hose the throw rug off when necessary. you can probably sell your tank and get enough to get a wire cage.

Answer 10

you will have to take him or her to a local agency and ask. I doubt you will have to worry about that problem for a while. O yeah scratch that my teacher has one you put it in a tall long cage with a fake branch and it stays in there they don;t grow that fast btw.
PS check out my thing and answer my question, i am desperate for an answer