New Iguana at home

[Michelle]

Hi everyone, and thanks in advance for any help you can offer. Be forewarned, I am a terrible worrywart. My husband and I just brought home our very first iguana...very first reptile for me ever....three days ago. We've named him Preston. Preston is eating very little. I can get him to eat greens from my hand....three small bites at a time, twice a day. I once got him to eat a very small piece of fig. But, that's about it. We prepare him his "salad" in the morning and in the evening. He won't eat anything at all from his dish, and only a very small amount from my fingers. I...1.) don't want him to starve to death......2.) don't want to always have to hand-feed him every meal. I am a major worrier, and I understand that he is new to our home and has a lot to acclimate to. How long should it take him to adjust, and how much should he be eating? We estimate him to be three months old. He is about 4" svl. Please help me to relax a little. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
-Michelle

[ChamZilla]

Hey there and Welcome to the Forum and the wonderful world of owning an iguana.

Have you read there Temperature, Humidity, UV requirements? Can you tell us about where you are keeping him and what the temperature and what UV lights you have. Sounds like a REAL baby, I wasn't lucky enough to get any of my guys at that age.

A vet visit should be done as a precaution to check for paracites or any health problems he/she may be having. You won't find out the sex for sure unless you get a blood test done or wait till he/she is around a year old.

Please get back to us with where he lives, if you have a substraight, heating, lighting, water source, if you bath him/her and what you are feeding him/her

Good luck hope to hear back soon

[Michelle]

Preston has a mesh cage......think it was equal to a 75 gallon tank? It's not too small. Anyway, we're going to custom build him a new wood and mesh cage this summer, so that's temporary and big enough for his wee little body for the time being. We've got astroturf down in there. He has tree limbs to climb and a pool. We have 3 lamps: one is a ceramic heat-only for night time, another is UVB with no heat, and the third is his UVA with heat. His basking area is right around 90 degrees, and the rest of his cage ranges from 73 to 78 degrees. We live in Colorado, so we have a humidifier in his room and a "pool" and have been giving him regular baths. (2 x a day) He has been cleared by the vet...no parasites. I just read somewhere that he should be eating around 1 tablesthingy of food a day, which sounds like nothing at all. If so, he has eaten that much. (and if that's all, then there will be much waste in our fridge this week.) We have mustard and collard greens, sweet potato, raspberries, strawberries, carrots, onions, celery, figs, snap peas, mushrooms, apples, mango, whole wheat pasta, borwn rice.....probably missed some of what we bought. Waaaay too much, now that I see he barely eats! (oh well, we have a guinea pig that can make up for some of that!)I think we're doing well for Preston...just want to be sure he thinks so too. Thanks again!

[Patrick Kubeja]

Hi Michelle

Sounds like your doing a good job with Preston and the Lighting Seem Good But I would try to raise the basking temps up a little bet to around 95 degrees and a mid range temp of around 80 degrees and a cool spot of around 78 degrees.

Your Diet just needs a little help I would lose the onions mushrooms and wheat pasta that are all a once in a while food, Carrots you have to watch as well and sweet potato, all are once in a while foods, you can try adding turnip greens for a extra green and Rice is a once in a while food. Try parsnip Green beans and a Squash like butternut or acorn Squash both good staples food to feed. This is just some of the foods there is a diet page somewhere on here you can get a good diet for Preston.

The enclosure sounds big enough for now but your right he will need a bigger one soon!

On Feeding they will eat as much as it takes to fill them up I have yet to see a measurement on how much they will eat at a certain size. So feed Preston as much he will eat. And if you add the Staple Foods in there you will see he will pick up on the eating.

Welcome to the Forum Hope you can Join and post some!

Patrick

[Michelle]

Just wanted to add that Preston is eating better now. He has quite the personality...a lot more than I expected out of the little guy. I am already so totally head over heels for him (her?) lol

He's still on the thin side, but that's going to take a little more time to fix. He ate about a tablesthingy, maybe a little less, today, of greens....and a little fruit too.

Anyway, thanks for the advice / input. Like I said earlier, I am a major worrier....I'm sure that's just the first of many times I will be worrying about Preston throughout his lifetime. I sure worry about my other animal babies....and the human ones too.

Michelle, who is a little less worried now

[iguanarocker]

I have a new iguana at home he has bit me several times is there anyway to punish them and what could be the cause of him doing this.

[iguanarocker]

please respond as quickly as possible.

[iguanarocker]

also he has small lumps on his side should I worry?

[ChamZilla]

Hey there Iguana Rocker. Sorry I didn't see your post. You could have started a new thread on it. As for the iguana biting you, he/she is biting you because he/she is scared. There is NO way to punish them. They will grow out of it after they get used to you. Gloves are great tools to have around. You have to show him/her that you arn't there to hurt him, as they look at us as preditors and think they are in danger so they try and protect themselfs.

Just think of the ig as a wild animal like it is. They are born in captivity but are not like cats & dogs and get domesticated the second they are born. They have no parent to show them the ropes, and that is where they look to us. We have to provide nurishing proper foods, with NO animal protein (MEAT), UV lighting and proper temperatures.

Do you know how old it is? Approximate size of it? OR anything about its pervious owners or anything that could help us out?

I have rescued some iguana's and my young male has bitten me for the past almost 2 years. He is now starting to trust me fully and stopped his biting. It takes time and patients. If you smack them or try and punish them it will turn out worse in the end.

Good Luck and WELCOME to the Forum

Feel free to post your own message, under GREEN IGUANA'S since you are a member now

AS for the bumps, where are the bumps and can you post a picture or email it to the site at [e-mail]

Thanks

[iguanarocker]

I'll send you a picture but as for where there at he's got one on each armpit and one on his leg.So if you have any information please post also do iguana nail's grow back we got him from a place where they didn't take care of him and he's missing some nails.

[ChamZilla]

HEY there iguanarocker, I posted the WRONG email before

It is....

[e-mail]

thanks and sorry about that. Hope to see the picture soon.