green iguana?
June 8th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Ofey asked:
i had been given a green iguana as a gift about three days ago. but now he seems like he is sick or something, today he(or she) has been hiding under his log. and usually he sits or hides in his lil green plant vine thing, and always sleep in it. now i do feed it fresh food and water every day and i mist him with water because i was told that it his tank moist. my question is, am i doing something wrong is he sick?
wow! you guys helped me alot! he is fine now and i had given him carrots and collared greens and musterd greens. now i know not to buy him that stuff from the pet store! thanks again, i dont know who to choose for best answer!
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Category: Nature "Green" Gifts | 
Tags: Carrots, Collared Greens, Pet Store, Sleep, Tank | 
4 Comments »
unique gift
im speechless, give the points to the girl above me… She said what had to be said.
birthday gift
Young iguana (8-12 months of age) should not live in anything smaller the a 55 gallon tank. Smaller the tank you can not process the correct temps threw out. Enclosure needs to be at least 1.5-2 times it’s total length … an adult you will need a space of 6-7ft tall x 8-10ft long x 4ft wide.
Temps:
never let drop below 70F …
basking 92-96F if temp is too low digestion is slowed too high food digests too fast and nutrition is lost
medium/middle (overall) 88-92F
cool 75-84F
at night 73-84F … having a temp gun works the best to know what your igs body temp truly is.
*** NO HEAT ROCKS PLEASE … they can cause major burns on the under belly … igs dont feel heat from below so they will sit there not knowing they are burning themselves ***
Humidity:
Iguanas are tropical and do need humidity. Spraying/Misting a few times a day will help some, silk fake leaves (bigger then your igs head) will help hold some humidity, having a humidifier or vaporizer next to the tank will help (figure out a way to pipe inside would be better but think child proof also), daily baths will help and learn to go potty in the tub less mess in tank.
UVB: (12 hrs on during day – 12 hrs off during night no light)
US: ReptiSun 10.0 distance 8-10 inches from your igs body
Repti Glo 8.0 distance 6-8 inches from your igs body
ReptiSun 5.0 distance 6-8 inches from your igs body
UK: Arkadia distance 6-8 inches from your igs body
- You will need to adjust the distance as your ig grows
- Using a shop light from a home improvement store works the best, get one that has 2 tube plugs and using 2 UVB tubes
- The UVB listed are in tube form, using the 36-48inch tubes are the best more length for your ig
- Surface under the UVB tube lights need to be a flat surface if at an angle your igs body will not get the proper UVB threw out
- There are UVB’s out there on the market now that can cause eye damange to your ig
- W/out UVB your ig may end up w/ MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease)
- UVB information that you may find interesting: – -
Floor covering:
BAD floor covering: bark, dirt, moss, sand, pellets are all bad … at some point your iguana will try and lick swallow and then possibly cause blockage which will then need to be surgically removed or possibly death … SAFE floor covering: newspaper (unprinted), paper towels, towels, vinyl flooring, indoor/outdoor carpeting – if you have any lose fibers from the carpeting or the towels please remove and replace – unprinted newspaper if you possibly can use is safer just in case your ig likes to try and eat the newspaper some ink may contain soy
Food:
Daily food should have 5-7 good staple greens (2-3 cups a day if not more younger igs may eat less then 1/4 cup) … collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens (if you can find), endive, radicchio, arugula, mache (if you can find), watercress … some greens to give occasionally kale, bok choy, escarole … adding basil for young igs sometimes helps them eat … romaine is mostly water no nutrience, you can add small amount and occasionally in w/ the good staple greens (collard, mustard, etc) but do not make romaine just your iguanas choice of greens (or any other type of lettuce most of us humans eat) … some things to add (small amounts) snap peas, bell peppers (every now and then), parsnip, sweet potato/yam, acorn squash, butternut squash, buttercup squash … fruits should only be given every now and then once or twice a week type of thing fruits are like junk food to iguanas … some fruits to try papay, kiwi, mango, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, honeydew (great water source), canalope (great water source), 12 grain wheat bread … if anything has seeds make sure you remove seed before you give it to your iguana anything w/ small seeds like strawberries wait like 3 days before giving anymore … watermelon (seedless) can be frozen and then shaved onto your iguanas food helps w/ hydration everyday … there are some foods that aren’t good for your iguana: spinach has oxalate acids bind to the calcium, so even though spinach is high in calcium, almost none is actually available for the iguana to use, also the oxalate acids can form oxalate crystals which can and do build up in the kidneys causing kidney damage/failure … some ig owners do give there ig spinach but in very small amounts and only once a month … corn igs can not digest … carrots can block calcium absorption … bananas are low in calcium best to give another type of fruit … apples too much acid – appetite suppressant … food should be cut/chopped/diced no bigger then the iguanas head, if they are small having a chopper chop them up, or slice them into very small pieces … spray/mist food to help w/ water/hydration
Animal protein:
Iguanas are plant eaters, they should not be feed any animal protein. No meat, no dairy, no tofo. If you ever give your ig iguana diet dried food, please read the ingredients there are so many products on the market today that clearly puts meat protein in there ingredients, usually w/ in the first 10 ingredients. Some that I am aware of that do MonsterDiet, TRex, Zilla, Wardley. RepCal Iguana pellets is one that is safe to use. Soak pellets before offering to help w/ hydration, only give a few pellets for you want the greens to be main diet.
Vet:
When you get an iguana you should take your ig to a herp/reptile vet that knows about iguanas. Just for a new pet check over. Your ig may have mites, parasites or other nasty things carried from the pet store. Plus if anything was to happen you know who to call w/out looking threw the phone book hoping you find a vet who knows something about iguanas.
Sites for you to read: – -
A great book to read and have on hand:
Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan
Yahoo has some great sites for Iguana owners… these groups helped me and still help w/ questions .. if you’d like to join: -
gifts for him
all babies will be shy. dont worry. however put a branch or stick for him to climb and rest on. in the wild they spend 70% or more time in the trees. but maybe the humidity might be too high. i suggest misting once every few days not everyday.
good luck.
personalized gift
Baby iguanas are quite shy and will hide a lot. It is important to have a large cage so he can be warm near the top and cool near the bottom. Have a pool he can soak his whole body in available at all times. They need heat lamps with temp of 100F basking. Use a digital probe thermometer to measure this. They also need reptile UVB lights on for 12 hours a day, and within 12 inches of the basking spot. These lights need to be changed every 6 months as they lose potency. A good diet can be found here:
He should definitely be checked for parasites (common in these guys) ASAP by an experienced herp vet.