Iguana resdue- looking for tips/advice!

[Will0W783]

Hi guys,

So, my neighbor's daughter's kids had a green iguana that they apparently have stopped taking proper care of. The mother is usually very good with animals, and told them that the lizard needed to go before it became ill. My neighbor asked us if we could take him, because they haven't been able to find another home for it.

He/she is coming tomorrow afternoon. I don't know much about the iguana, except that it's supposed to be "a couple" of years old. It looked pretty small in the pictures my fiance got on his phone, but I don't know how large its tank is.

I know that iguanas need a temp gradient from about 78-96(basking), UVA/UVB light 12 hours/day, and to eat a diet of green leafy vegetables (kale, collard, dandelion, etc). They also need high humidity and frequent handling to keep it tame.
I know not to feed it too much fruit, or any proteins.

I'm hoping that this little ig is in good health when I see it tomorrow, but since I have not attempted to keep an iguana since I was a kid, I'd love any advice or pointers that more experienced people here can give me! I want to do the best I can for the little guy/girl, and since all I currently own are hots, it will be nice to have a non-lethal herp in the house!

[shaunyboy]

re non lethal herp in the house (although no where near as lethal as the rest of your collection)...


i used to speak with a guy that rescued Iguanas from around our area,as folk don't want them once they get big,some of the things he told me about adult males would say they can hold their own, when it comes to aggression and tail whipping pal

he told me to get the males to accept his dominance and stop attacking him when he went into their enclosure,he dressed in his full leather bike gear,full face helmet on,then he used to run into their enclosure and pick them up level to his helmet visor and roar at them and shake them around a bit

if he didn't do that he reckoned they beat the crap out him everytime he went into their enclosures

as far as i remember he said the males can top 6 feet in length


sorry i couldn't be of much use on their husbandry


cheers shaun

[Will0W783]

Thanks Shaun...I know that iggies can get very large and can be quite aggressive if you don't work with them a LOT, and even then some are just not very nice.

I meant a relatively non-lethal, non-venomous herp...lol. I was actually missing having a ball python or lizard that could be handled. I really hope that this works out for me...I love iguanas and am looking forward to giving it a good home!

[shaunyboy]

Thanks Shaun...I know that iggies can get very large and can be quite aggressive if you don't work with them a LOT, and even then some are just not very nice.

I meant a relatively non-lethal, non-venomous herp...lol. I was actually missing having a ball python or lizard that could be handled. I really hope that this works out for me...I love iguanas and am looking forward to giving it a good home!

i hope you get the most chilled out and relaxed Iguana out there pal


cheers shaun :)

[Will0W783]

That would be nice, but I'm not expecting it. I'm expecting to have several long months of work to be done to get the little one used to me and its new home. If the kids haven't been taking proper care of it, I doubt that they have been handling it much. Fortunately it's still being housed in some kind of aquarium, so it can't be too large.

[Will0W783]

Here's the picture they sent me:

[SnoopySnake]

You're going to want to feed mostly mustard greens, turnip greens and collard greens. Kale isn't a great staple because it has a lot of calcium. Various squashes are great, too. Prickly pear is a good staple fruit and they really like it, too. Dandelion greens are good, too. My male iggy is great, the only time he got temperamental is while I was pregnant. Here's a good food chart: Food Information Chart (http://www.greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm)

I think you've got it pretty much covered, though.

[pet_snake_78]

I had an iguana for many years and despite all the bad press they seem to get these days, mine was one of the most rewarding pets I've ever had. He liked to climb on top of my head which was sometimes a painful experience when he got larger. I had a large indoor cage that I made from wood and took to a glass company to have them route the glass in for the enclosure. I think you'll enjoy keeping your iguana a lot!

[Will0W783]

The iguana is here- its name is apparently Marley. It looks pretty young-less than a year old definitely I think. I gave it some chopped salad with endive, carrot and celery and will get more assorted greens tomorrow. Poor thing is utterly terrified of me right now, but I hope it'll calm down. Good thing is that it's very young so that gives me time! I'm not sure if it's male or female or,really how to tell.

[shaunyboy]

what cute looking wee beastie pal

glad you got him at a really young age,i'm sure he'll take to you Kimberley


cheers shaun

[Will0W783]

Thanks Shaun....I hope he does. I found out that he's never had UVB....he's got an overbite from jaw weakness. I've got a good UVB bulb on him so hopefully he can recover. He's so neat- I feel badly for him. Poor guy didn't get the care he should have from the start....

[CosmicOwl]

I don't mean to derail, but have any of you ever had an iguana in a large outdoor enclosure? They're feral in my part of Florida, so I know they can survive. I always thought it would be cool to have one in a big atrium style cage outside where they could get lots of sun.

[Will0W783]

CosmicOwl, I live in PA. It gets very cold here in the winter months, so having any kind of outdoor reptile would be impossible. In the summer, there are a few months where he could be outside during the day, but even then it gets too cold at night.

[Deva]

I live in South Florida where there are escaped iguanas that are established. I am sure they would do fine in an outdoor cage most of the time, except on the rare occasions when it does get too cold for them. I used to see a lot of iguanas around, and then we had low temperatures in the 40s for a week one year and a lot of them died.

[pet_snake_78]

I put mine outdoors during the day when it was warm, but I do not have any experience keeping them outdoors regularly. I bet tom crutchfield does, though.

[Akuma223]

I'm pretty sure iguanas need high humidity so you're going to want to get him out of the screen-top or modify it when you have the time and funds.

[Will0W783]

Yes, they do need high humidity, but from what I read they also need very good ventilation. Right now he has a huge water dish, and I mist him twice a day. He had stuck shed when I got him that's now come off, and the humidity seems to be holding pretty well. Either way, the tank is only temporary. He should outgrow it very quickly.

What kind of enclosure do you think would work better? Since I don't know that much about lizards I'm open to suggestions!

[Zoo Nanny]

Willow the larger the better with igs. When I had my guy his enclosure was 6' tall 4' wide and 3' deep. Front, rear and top were closed, the side panels were mesh. By the time he was 5 years old it was too small for him. He could have easily used another couple of feet in both depth and width. I had a large bowl for water but also gave him a bath in the tub each morning. With the side mesh I was able to use a humidifier sitting outside that kept the humidity up really well.