Iguana Pictures..please view and tell me what my ig looks like to you. thanks.?

Question

I am doing more research on suggested websites..but i need more opinions still..thankyou..and DO NOT! post a comment if u havent had personal experiance with iguanas or if u havent owned one. And do not make a comment about the cage in the background of one of the pictures..that is my cockatiels cage! my iguana has a tank! not a bird cage. Some info on my ig. I got it 2 weeks ago. I feed it collard greens, mustard greens, kale, banana, and veggies. I bath it twice daily. and i think part of the reason that it was brown was before its tank was on the floor and my dog would sit by it and im sure it would stress it out so 2 days ago i placed its tank up on my dreeser so now my dog doesnt notice it and my dog is barely in the room anymore. also i use a 100 watt red light now during the day and no lamp at night. and i also use a uvb 5.0 flourecent lamp. 12 hours each day. also please tell me if the brown on it could be buns..i used to use a 150 watt like 2 days ago but i switched 2 the 100.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh101/ruehlmanj/PICT0869.jpg

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http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh101/ruehlmanj/PICT0875.jpg

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Answer 1

You have been answered by several people who own iguanas...me included. I keep a 10 yr. old male AND I am an iguana and exotic animal rescuer. I have been offering help and advice on forums and email lists for 8 yrs. Is this freakin' good enough for you!

I have given you good advice - I have offered other places for you to go for it. Evanescence have given you good advice - she owns one! Another reptile rescue has offered you advice. Others have been trying to help!

A 100W bulb means nothing if you DO NOT have a thermometer!! You can still burn this lizard! I have on 75 gallon tank that use a 150W - the 50 gal. has a 100W (I thought it was 75 - I was wrong) and that 100W heats the snakes basking area to 88 degrees...and this is a large area. Your small tank will still be like an oven.

THIS LIZARD IS BURNT!!!!! Get a thermometer!

Edit:
C'mon y'all. The pics are blurry, but the are burns there. The body weight does look great. The color is good, but the burns will continue without the right way to keep the temps monitored. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th pics show thermal burns. Carmella - you have to quit guessing. You can't go by "This one is not burning my iguana - it must be o.k."

Answer 2

I have owned Igs and own many other reptiles. Your Ig can turn dark with stress or when cold. Illness can also cause color change. The diet you are feeding is not adequate. I will send you to Melissa Kaplans Green Iguana site below for correct diet and vitamins. Humidity is very important--a bowl or other container large enough for the Ig to soak in whenever he wants is crucial to good health. Daily misting is also needed to keep humidity up. The UVB bulb is good, but make sure it is within 12 inches of the basking spot. Instead of a red light during the day, use a white bulb--it is more natural and will draw the Ig to the basking spot where the UVB is. A red bulb can be used at night if needed for additional heat. What is your basking temp? It needs to be about 100F for a baby Ig. The tank if it is very large is OK for a short time, but Igs prefer heights and a tall cage is better. You will have to build or buy an Ig cage sooner or later, and it must be safe for them. They need good ventilation while still being able to hold in heat and humidity. They need to be able to move from a warm area to a cool area to self regulate their body temps. Measure your basking temp with a digital probe thermometer only--dial and stick ons are very inaccurate and only designed to read air temp not basking temps.

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/igdiet.html

Answer 3

He looks underweight, dehydrated, and burned. And if your cage isn't large enough for a 150 bulb, your cage is too small. An iguana cage should be 2.5x the length of the lizard, 2x the lizard's length for height, and at least as deep as the length of the lizard. In other words, for a 3 foot lizard, the cage should be 6-8 feet in length. Iguanas need huge spaces, strong lights that are NOT close enough to burn the lizard (the cage should be big enough that the lizard can climb and move as needed to get closer or further from the heat source). They also need a fresh, varied diet of fruits, flowers, and veggies, and fresh water daily. You need to either a) do a lot of research and invest a lot of money into proper housing and care for your iguana, or b) find it a home that can take proper care of it. Edit: I just saw the birdcage photo, if that is his cage that is cruel and unusual. No way ANY iguana can be happy in that!!

Answer 4

Okay looked at your pictures, looks like a normal baby ig .. I've seen a lot worse looking body wise and all then your ig ... your iguana looks like he/she is in good health, some of the pictures are a bit blurry, but he/she doesn't look as bad as what you've been saying ... and he/she is adorable!!!
Some things from what you mention, I wouldn't use the colored light at night, I'd get a CHE (ceramic heat emitters), they produce heat no light. Some iguanas can be stressed from colored lights (red/black/blue), and the colored lights burn out too fast, personal experience. The CHE's last 3-5 years, well worth the money for them.
Okay since youve never really said what size your iguana is in but I'm guessing its smaller then 55 gallon ... using 2 100w your overheating thats 200watts it's higher then using 1 150watt ... As I've said before when my girl was young and in a 55 gallon tank I never used anything over an 80w.
You do need to get a temp gun or a thermometer w/ a probe at the end to truly know what your igs temps are. But w/ what you are using for heat wattage wise I'm guessing that it's too warm.
I'd give your iguana time from being possibly scared from your dog, I'd say 2 wks. But you really do need to take your iguana to the vet for just a check over.
Also I noticed that you have a lighter in one of the pictures ... just a note for candles, incense and candles come from oils they add to the wax, its the burning that allows the oils to "escape" to make the fragrance. There are a lot of holiday things that can be bad for your iguana (cedar trees, mistletoe is poisonous, blinking lights can cause seizures in fish and reptiles).

EDIT: prism_wolf is right, if you do not provide the right temps and the right wattage the burning will still continue. You really do need to get a thermometer or a temp gun to truly know what wattage is best for your iguana that doesn't overheat his/her enclosure but provides the right body temps which we've already informed you on. Your iguana does look skinny but I've seen skinnier, that is one reason why I say your ig needs to see a herp/reptile vet that knows iguanas also, because your ig could have mites, could have parasites and these can not be treated by you, your ig needs meds that your vet can give.

EDIT: Tattoo ... iguanas can not digest corn (sweet corn) just so ya know, carrots block calcium absorption, apples too much acid - appetite suppressant, bananas are low in calcium better to give another type of fruit and fruit, and we've already told her not to feed kale, spinach, lettuce.
If you notice the last few pictures her iguana doesn't look orange like you say, so could it be lighting? Her iguana is too young to go into breeding season.

Answer 5

You already got answers from experienced Iguana keepers who said it looked fine, well some. And you asked for opinions based on pictures with words like READ in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS in the title so don't get annoyed, disrespectful and unappreciative when people apparently waste their time trying to help, and then waste more peoples time asking the exact same question again when the first one hasn't even disappeared off the first page yet!

And like I said in the first one it doesn't look 100% and I do have a lot of experience with reptiles, mammals and insects, the reptiles part is why I choose to answer questions in this part of yahoo answers.

Answer 6

Your green iggi looks a little orange it should be a bright green. The conditions you have it in are a little wrong.
Your enclosure needs to be doulble the lenght of the iggi.
You need a full spectrum u.v and a normal basking light so get rid of the red one its no good.
You need humdity of 80%- 100%
Plenty of branchs to climb and a water dish.
Iggis love to climb so a tank or viv with good hight is great.
Food wise i notice you were feeding him Kale don't feed him kale , spinach or iceburge lettace or any citrus fruit.
A good diet is crutial for an iggi to stay healty.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH WATERCRESS BROCCOLI
PEAS SWEETCORN, GREEN BEANS, COURGETTS LEEKS SPRING ONIONS LEAFY GREENS ONIONS CAROTTS POTATOES KIWI GRAPES RASPBERRYS STRAWBERRYS, BLACKBERRYS BLUEBERRYS, MELON, PASSION FRUIT APPLES BANANAS PRUNS FIGS.

These are just some of the food you should feed him cut them or great them in to thin strips for him to eat.

When you get a basking bulb a 60 watt is enough.

Get a tall suitable tank from a reptile store or get a mate to hlp build one for you. These guys will grow 6ft so take that into consideration when its bigger you will need a 12ft by 4-5ft when its full grown.

Glass tanks arnt suitable for iggis.

Answer 7

The best advice I've read was to get a thermometer. If the iguana is stressed it will turn dark. If it needs heat and is trying to absorb light, it will turn dark. It could be burnt, I can't tell from the picture.