Anyone know about iguanas?

Question

Ok so my sister traded one of our corn snakes for an iguana almost 2 months ago. Then she dumped it on poor me LOL.

I've been keeping it in an uncovered rubbermaid container with sterilized sand and sticks. He'll only eat romaine lettuce. The little dude isn't fond of his enclosure, he roams freely about the house. He gets alone great with my miniature dachshund and cockatiel. It's really cute.

I'm sure I'm breaking several iguana care rules. Can any of you correct me so that mine can live happily and healthily for a long long time? Thanks! :)

*along not alone LOL...I'm always with them, don't worry!

Answer 1

Diet:
Iguanas are herbivores; they do not eat animal protein of any kind. The feeding of meat to baby iguanas was a misconception that has damaged the kidneys of many iguanas. Commercially available Iguana food is not suitable for use either 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. Be sure to cut all items up to a size that the iguana can handle.
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 2

he needs a diet better than just romaine lettuce, you can find some good diets on google. he will also need uv lighting and calcium, you can find many rich calcium foods on google or he will suffer from metabolic bone disease, this is pretty easy to spot just by looking. He will look like popeye, you know the big biceps then a thin leg....you get the idea I'm sure. Also he needs an enclosure bigger and safer then rubbermaid, they like to be up high so height is an important factor when consideing a cage. You don't say how big or how old he is so I cannot say what size he would need, but an adult can get huge so an enclosure to accomodate an adult size would be best. he will also need a basking light, NOT a heat rock, the heat will help his food to digest. It should cover a small area of his home so when he gets to hot he has a cooler area to move to.

Answer 3

He needs a much larger secure home lots of places to climb, places to bask, a place to go to cool off if he gets warm. Most also appreciate a large water dish to drink and soak in. Ig's can get into alot of trouble roaming around a house if you can't supervise all the time. He also needs a good UVA/UVB light, and possibly a heat light, to digest his food and synthesize vitamin D and other things his body needs. The romaine lettuce is not ideal. Lots of different dark leafy greens, fresh vegetables and some fruits. (You can google a whole list if you want more specifics) That would be a start at least :)

Answer 4

I owned an iguana once before. I wouldn't recommend letting it roam free. They have to have a lot of heat and basking areas. You wouldn't be able to get your house to the right temperature. And they could easily be hurt by the other animals. Or you might not see it and step on it on accident. There are a lot of things that could go wrong. And they aren't the kind of pet that you can potty train or anything so it will just potty where ever it feels like it. I strongly recommend that you keep it in a tank. Or you can build your own cage for it. Use PVC pipe and wire mesh. That way it can climb and have a lot of room to roam around in. Just make sure you give it one cool side and one warm and a shelf to bask on.

Answer 5

As long as your iggy is supervised, then it is okay for him to roam as he pleases. Just make sure he doesnt get somewhere where he can hurt himself.

As far as his diet....it needs a lot more sustenance than romaine lettuce. Your local vet office should be able to provide a care packet on your iggy. His diet should include: greens such as collard, mustard, turnip and kale greens (60-70% of diet), bok choy and dont just feed one at a time. Make your iggy love his food by mxing several of them. Succulent veggies should make up about another 20% of his diet. This means that frozen mixed veggies (thawed to room temperature) or the fresh veggies (some cooked). This includes green beans, lima beans, sweet potato (cooked and cooled), corn, peas, cooked carrots and green peppers. Do not feed them the stuff out the cans cause they have a lot of salt in them. A no salt version works well, but again this is not a totally sodium-free food. Fruits comprise the other 10% and should be fed in moderation as they can make your iggy overweight. Fruits include mangoes, finely chopped apples, grapes, strawberries, peaches (including rind). Again, watch the canned stuff, which can contain a lot of extra sugar. If you can find canned fruit with just water, use it. Frozen fruits thawed to room temperature works well. I have found that my iggies like mandarin oranges, so you can try this too. Dont feed them too many bananas as this can cause health problems. Commercial food is available, but many vets will discourage its use since it can lack much of what an iggy needs. Fresh foods are the best nutrition for your iggy.

He should have an enclosure with a UVA/UVB light available along with a basking light. You should have separate areas for basking, since the basking area will be warmer than the other areas of the cage. Iggys rely on heat to digest, so make sure your enclosure is at least 85-90 degrees. Your iggy will use the cooler areas of the cage to cool off from the basking area. Also, make sure to have stuff for him to climb on. They are tree dwellers and love to be in high places, hence the reason why he loves to climb curtains.

Make sure not to kiss your iggy as you can pick up salmonella this way. Reptiles are known to carry this. Also, these creatures are not cuddly and sometimes will protest your presence. Dont take offense at this and just let them be. Remember, this is still a wild animal. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

Iguana's abhore dogs.....(they don't like them). Lettuce has NO nutritional value. Dont give then nightshade vegetables either and very little spinach.They like fresh breads, pizza, cream cheese and even fruit loops....and they are meat eaters until they are pre-adult (4-5 years old). My iguana Stevie lived to 16 years old and was 5 foot 4 inches long---26 pounds and liked Opera music, rides in the car, time in the bathtub, and of course---lots of sunshine...rose petals, hybiscus and dandelions are great too. Make sure to remove pesticide residue thoroughly....it is best to go organic if you can....oh yeah--"ApricotMango sherbert too......good luck and keep 'em warm....below 60 degrees their body will start to shut down and they will die before they will freeze to death...optimum temp is about 78-90 degrees.....or even try a low temp heating pad-like mommy uses for earaches---they will like that set in front of a sunshinny window even on a cloudy day......

Answer 7

You need to change many things to save your Ig! I'd recommend some deep reading at these two sites asap--your Ig MUST have a basking bulb and a basking spot at 100F all day, a proper UVB reptile bulb for 12 hours a day, a large pool to soak in, a varied and complete diet and vitamins. NO SAND substrate--it will cause impactions.

http://anapsid.org/
http://www.greenigsociety.org/credits.htm

Answer 8

well, it doesn't do justice for the iguana to be kept in a container. atleast give it a more suitable and well ventilated place where it can roam and can climb(iguanas are arboreal)... you can let it roam around your house with other pets as long as it doesn't threaten the iguana.