Here My New Pet

MK's site suggests an enclosure with a minimum depth of 3' and for a 5' iggy she suggests the cage's length be a minimum of 7.5' which is 1.5X the length of the iggy. Again these are minimums and when minimum dimensions are advised I think it's important to point out they are minimum dimensions and that really it would be best to go beyond the minimums.

 

we live in arkansas, granted the humidity is high out here during the summertime, but my female ig is going to be 4 years old and other than the long spurts by the screened window everyday or outside, she doesnt have any. she is the most healthiest thing in my book. from day one, I kept thinking ok... they say you dont notice problems until they get older, but I still have not seen, nor had any problems with her. so is it possible for her to have lacked in the area of not enough humidity and still be this healthy. makes you think. ! I still need to post a pic for everyone to see her.... long time owners are the best judges of how healthy she really looks.

 

we live in arkansas, granted the humidity is high out here during the summertime, but my female ig is going to be 4 years old and other than the long spurts by the screened window everyday or outside, she doesnt have any. she is the most healthiest thing in my book. from day one, I kept thinking ok... they say you dont notice problems until they get older, but I still have not seen, nor had any problems with her. so is it possible for her to have lacked in the area of not enough humidity and still be this healthy. makes you think. ! I still need to post a pic for everyone to see her.... long time owners are the best judges of how healthy she really looks.

 

All animals are different, the care guidelines that we follow for iguanas are for ideal growth and health of the iguana, but not all iguanas are going to drop dead or get sick if they arent supplemented correctly or if the humidity is not correct. Some will get sick, some will not. The idea is, why take the risk?

Here are some examples...

- Young growing kids should drink plenty of milk and get calcium for good strong bones, correct? Well, do all kids who dont get enough suffer from bone problems as they age? No. But some do.

- All reptiles should be supplemented with calcium and vitamins, i know people who have rasied them without using supplements before and they were ok, but some of them would develop MBD faster than you could say "sick lizard."

So take that as you will...I guess my point is all animals are different, and there is no telling how they will react to certain aspects of their husbandry, so why take the risk? Personally i like to provide the best environment for my animals, regardless, just because i am not a risk taker when it comes to animals.

There is no specific answer as to why your iggy did ok with little humitiy, and why other igs would get very sick...its just a chance you take

 

yah and I am so concerned about her all the time. of course we were one of those that had no idea how much work they needed, but she is amazing and we will not part with her. our home stays very warm, we also have to accomidate her growing size in our small home. but she has a nice cage we just built her.... its plenty big for her and other than the humidity getting down some, she has everything she needs to keep her fully happy and healthy for years... I HOPE AND PRAY. ! cause I swere she is treated like a queen. far better than I am. geesh. ! whats wrong with that picture.? HA. ! THANKS BUNCHES for all the feedback, as she grows I grow as far as being more educated on her. you can never hear or learn to much where they are concerned. !

 

been busy with my new pet, but know it getting better, in the process of picking him up and holding him, only problem it take me a few try to pick him up and hold him.. will this get better?

 

Not sure exactly what you're asking about there. Do you mean you're having a hard time getting yourself to actually pick him up or are you saying he's being squirmy(is that even a word?)?

My understanding is that it can take up to a year to tame an ig.

 

i would say squirmy if that a word...

 

LOL!

Here are a couple of good sites for iggy care and taming. You'll definitely want to read everything about igs on both sites. A lot of reading but well worth the time for your iggy. Good luck!!!

www.anapsid.org

http://www.greenigsociety.org/home.html

 

hello everyone i am new i recently bought an iguana i love him or her to death lot of work though i bought a iguanas for dummies book it helped alot the reason i am posting is because i know that animal protien is bad for iguanas but mine named houdini likes milk??????????????? is this ok is it ok to let him have a toungefull here or there or should i not let him have any at all?

 

Hi Mr Slow. Congratulations on getting your first iguana. Do you have pictures of your new tank set up?? You need to ensure that your temps are around 80 - 85 ambient and 90-95 basking. Humidity should be fine around 60% because as Wildeglide said, it can cause bacterial problems which can lead to respitory infections and general ill health. You need to make sure your basking light is not positioned where your ig can burn herself and that your UV is set up no more than 12" away from her to make sure she gets a decent level of UVB or she may end up with clacium deficiency problems such as MBD. Food wise, she should have the bulk of greens such as collard and mustard greens (I use spring greens in the UK), keep the dried food to a minimum if possible and make sure it's well soaked. Fruit should be offered about 3 times a week dependant on what it is as they can become selective eaters and then will not get the full nutrients that they require daily to remain healthy. A good book to read to help you care for your ig correctly is James W Hatfield III - Green Iguana, The Ultimate Owners Manual. Please take these points on board as they are essential to your ig's well being. Good luck

 

SNOTS!

regarding much earlier posts to Mr.Slow:

I was researching Iguana information when I came upon this forum. I was so shocked to see how some ppl related to Mr. Slow. Especially the rude (know-it-all) reaction from sadsapysucker. Here you have (mr. slow) a proud new owner spending his time researching and joining forums in order to learn about his new pet and you have ppl blasting him about it. I will say, I can completely understand where the "want to" comes from, as an Iguana owner myself, I see so many ppl buy Iguanas and they die or are so neglected they live a sad existence. I truly wish they would not even sell Iguanas. They need so much special care and most ppl will not know how to give that. Mostly due to being given wrong information from pet stores, etc. Yet I WAS one of the impluse buyers who didn't know a single thing. It took years of research and learning and finding good information (much of which will conflict) until I learned what I know now. And obviously I am not done learning or I wouldn't have searched out this forum looking for more info. My Iguana is a beautiful healthy 8 year old female now. But only because of GOOD HELPFUL forums and good ppl with the willingness to share and help me learn. Not know-it-alls that take no more than the time to scrutinize. My advice to Mr. Slow, if you like/love your pet, you will continue to do exactly what you are doing... asking questions and educating yourself. Iguanas take special care but once you are informed, they are quite easy to take care of. Taming comes along once they trust you. It takes awhile. Mine was not completely tame until she was 3. Shes a doll now but only with us. Even now she does not like houseguests or strangers. With good information, you'll figure your Iguana out. Good luck!

 

Get rid of the bark chips or litter substriate NOW,

 

This post was started in Jan.

 

Mr Slow , ok heres a brief on what you need, I have used the following items and they work well..
megaray 60 EB uvb light and megeray heat emitter, both avail. at reptileuv.com
If you have the room build an encloser that will last a couple yrs. or go big and have it 4 life
4 feet long by 4 feet tall by 3 feet deep would last a couple yrs. 7 x 6 x 4 with some out time each day will last a lifetime.
diet good greens are as follows collard greens , mustard greens ,dandalion greens, parsley, arugula

veggies butternut squash, parsnips, green beans,
fruits or "treats strawberry , blueberry,blackberry,mango. remember fruits are only a very small part of the whole diet, thats why I called them treats.
Some great books are Green Iguana Ultimate Owners Manual..by Jim Hatfield and Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan , both real good books and avail. on amazon . com
Try to spend as much time as possible with your green kid, go slow and take the successes as they come.
Good luck the rewards are great . check my pics on photo bucket.com look under flyin lizard

 

Flyin_lizard, this post is dead! Did you even read my last reply to yours? Please do not reply to posts that have not had replies in 6 months!!!!!