Hi! I'm am now proudly owned by a hatchling named "Mikki." He's only a little over a month old. I, of course, have questions; Taming and behavior questions.

I've read my brains out and I believe I have the basic care requirements down.
* I built him a 45"x36"x23" habitat (plexi-glass front) with branches, fake leaves, platforms, and gradient levels. Oh, drinking station on top and a "pool" set in the base floor. This whole monster of a baby-cage sits on top of a 3 ft table.
* He has two ZooMed UVBs one on either side, a basking spot with UVA, and a Ceramic Heat Emitter for base heat. (Everything on a timer)
* I have the heat gradient right - I think. I have 4 thermometers and a hygrometer to keep track of everything. Low 90s top L, about 90 top R, (top drops temp about 10 deg at night), and the temp going the gradient down to the bottom where it sits about 75-78 day or night.
* I mist the habitat frequently throughout the day to keep humidity up as best I can.
* Correct food fed twice daily - to keep it available & fresh (collard, mustard, dandelion, and watercress greens; alfalfa powder, green beans and peas, squash, parsnip, mixed berries, and other such vegs minced very, VERY small) as recommended by Melissa Kaplan's site
* Herp Vit and Calc supplements as recommended by Melissa Kaplan's site

My concern is over Mikki's behavior. I've read the site extensively (and Kaplans book, and Ultimate Ig book), but I'm still worried I'm getting the "handling" part all wrong. I've had Mikki about 6 weeks (first 3 weeks in a 25 galllon tank). He seemed to settle in his new habitat instantaneously.

I have been wishy-washy over handling him every day. I can "catch" him, but only after chasing him all over the habitat. A few times he went flying right over my shoulder and the hunt was on!! NOT fun! lol On the days I do handle him, I have to chase him all about, and then I bring him into my ig-proof, ig-comfy bathroom (heat on and water in the tub) I let him wander all about (which is usually in pursuit of hiding from ME) and spend some time in the water. I've put him on my shoulder while doing my make-up, too. I see how these sessions can help him - oh so slowly - to realized that I have no intentions of eating him. So he gets used to me - but this is only outside his habitat. Putting him away has gotten better though. He will slowly walk off my hand, and has improved from a mad dash to get a way from me, to simply turning around quickly and "flipping me the dew."

On the days I do NOT terrorize to poor ig by chasing him all over his habitat, I have been trying to just get him used to my hands being in the enclosure, slowly - VERY SLOWLY - getting closer to him. Sometimes I can get within a few inches of him before he looks ready to bolt, sometimes he goes into a ready-to-bolt panic the moment I open the sliding plexi-door. On a few of the occations that I have gotten close to him, he has progressed to whipping and biting (which is VERY funny at this stage, but I bite my lip and refrain from bursting out in laughter.) Usually when I even just look in the cage from the outside, he "side-saddles" whatever branch he is on in order to hide!

I know that taming can take a very long time, up to a year or more, but I just don't know if I'm doing it "right" or "wrong." So what is it iggie-folks!?!?! To hold, or not to hold? Do I handle him every day, which currently ALWAYS involves a chase. Or do I slow way the heck down and just get him used to my hands - slowly working up to actually handling him. I really do NOT want to screw this all up. I would like the next 15-20 years to be pleasant and not create the ig-from-****. At this point, I have this fear that he will ultimately (in years to come) be fine once he is out of his habitat, but that getting him out will result in a war everytime I attempt it.

Any advice/feedback would be MORE than welcomed at this point!! BTW, the dog and cat do not seem to bother Mikki in the least, and they don't seem to be interested in him either.

Thank you!!!!
Jeannie - zoo keeper
Mikki - Ig
Gendur - 9 mo old Rottie pup
Zoie - Feline fraidy-cat

Welcome to HerpCenter and ig servitude!
It sounds like you pretty much have a handle on things except for a few points.

That cage is not really going to be useable for very long. A few months to a year,... max. Better start planning the adult sized cage!

With regard to your temps You should have a basking spot of 95 degrees. Away from that spot the ambient temp should be in the mid to upper 80's. The mid 70's are fine for at night.

What sort of thermometers are you using? Some are horribly inaccurate.

What exact UVB lights are you using? If fluorescent tubes you should have 2 4ft tubes that run the entire length of the enclosure.

Now for the fun part.
Handling.
It can take a looooooooong time to socialize an iguana. Patience is the key.
There are two schools of thought with regard to ig handling. Some would have you take the slow and easy approach. Just slowly getting the ig used to your presence and eventually working up to just touching it.
I prefer to just go in and get the ig and do it. If you do this early in the morning before lights are on or early in the evening after lights are off, when the ig is asleep, it will be easier to catch the little green streak! Instead of letting the session turn into a snatch and grab chase, gently maintain your hold onto the ig and softly talk to him and let him get used to your hands. Don't turn him loose to run around requiring that you chase him down. And do not ever put him back in the cage while he is struggling. Hold him till he settles down. Do your handling in an area without distractions. Do it daily, at least 15-20 minutes at a time. You can also handle for short periods during the course of the day. And adding treats to the handling will help. Most igs will go bonkers for a little peice of moistened bread. My female will follow you all over the house if she thinks you have bread!
But don't overdo it.

Do not assume that the other animals are not interested in the ig, nor it in them. Dogs and cats are predators and the ig knows this. Having them nearby will make the ig jumpy.

While the biting may seem inconsequential now, here in a few months it won't be! Iguana bites can send you to the ER! It is best to discourage this now. Try putting a little bitter apple spray on your fingers. I can tell you from personal experience (long story!)that that stuff is horribly nasty when you get it in your mouth!
As you notice, it can take a great deal of time and patience to turn your wild child into a socialized iguana that doesn't view you as the big bad monster.
But in the end its worth it. I believe green iguanas to be one of the most rewarding of animals to maintain.
If you are up to the challenge!

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Welcome to the board. Glad you did lots of research for your new friend. Merlin is one of our best ig keepers so I'll just agree with what he said!

Welcome!

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

First, welcome!

Merlin covered the bases well. His suggestion to handle your ig before the lights go on or about an hour after lights-out is what I recommend too. The reason this works is that your ig has either not gotten warmed up for the day or has already cooled off and settled down too much to put up much of a fight. The benefit to this approach is that your ig will be aware of your presence, but will be unable to resist. I think that it helps them recognize that you won't eat them.

Good luck and keep us posted!

__________________
~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

Sounds like you have gotten good advice, I just wanted to add "Welcome to the neighborhood!"

__________________

WOW! Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback! I'll start handling him an hour after lights out, and in the morning before his lights come on. And I'll keep working with him during the day, without chasing him all over.

I'll modify the temps down a bit for starters. I use Fluker's. I tried some other ones in his little tank that were, uhhh, worthless .(To be nice about it.)

As for the exact lights I have:
back left: ZooMed ReptiSun 5.0 UVB 26W (like a light bulb, but spiral-like)
front left: ZooMed 100W Basking light
middle: Exo-Terra 250W Ceramic Heat Emitter
right (front to back): 18" ZooMed ReptiSun 5.0 UVB 15W fluorescent

I have thought about adding a 24" ZM 5.0 along the back on the top, because little Mikki doesn't spend as much time on the right side. I had planned that to be his "hidey-spot" but he doesn't really have anywhere to hide. I might try adding some foilage along the top on that side.

I thought that I had the habitat right, but now I'm kind of bummed that it might not be so great afterall. I also thought it would last at least a year, if not 18 months. I'm already thinking about his adult habitat as far as size goes: 8' x 7' x 3'. I guess I better get to planning if I want it ready by next spring!!

I'll try to add some pics of Mikki and his habitat. Everyone I know simply thinks I've gone completely looney over my new ig, so I'll let the experts be the judge! hehehe

Thanks again a million times over! I really appreciate ANY feedback you all have. I really want to do right by this little guy or gal that I have. He deserves it!

Jeannie

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For lights, we all suggest mercury vapor bulbs (MVB) from Welcome To ReptileUV - Mega-Ray® UVB lamps for reptile lighting worldwide

They need replacing half as often, also produce heat and the UVB is many times higher than a zoomed bulb. I believe you need a 10.0 bulb. They are high requiring UV reptiles.

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

The tank looks great! I'm betting you won't want that much in his adult one though.

As for UVB, he will need a higher output like Liz said. 10.0 at least or even better, go for the Mega-Ray. The zoo med you have to replace every 6 months, the Mega-Ray should last you at least a year.

I would also suggest getting a digital thermometer from Lowes or Home Depot. They have the ones that do indoor/outdoor & humidity. That way you can put the probe on one side and the unit on the other and get readings for both warm and cool. You can also get one with a min and max readout so you can tell what the lowest the temp gets and what the highest it gets when you aren't around. They are much more reliable that the little dial ones and if you get it at the hardware store instead of the pet store they are cheaper as well.

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Its VERY easy to get overwhelmed! Iguanas are complicated critters to keep!
And they grow fast! With a little one you can almost see it get bigger day by day!
If by "Flukers" you are talking about the little round dial types, they are not that great. A digital with remote probe, available from any garden center is much more accurate. And the probe will allow you to move it around to spot check various locations in the enclosure.
In fact I think that you will find that your temps are not right. A 250 watt heat emitter should be more than adequate to heat a cage that size unless the room is very cold!
And the "basking bulbs" do nothing a plain old household bulb will do at a fraction of the cost.

The spiral bulb is inadequate for an ig. If you wish to use fluorescents you should have 2 4ft tubes side by side along the length of the cage. The old standby is the Zoomed 5.0. The 10 would be better. However if you are having to buy everything new I would also advise going with the megaray. You will need one with the new bigger enclosure anyway so might as well save you some money and get it now.

Its hard to tell but what is the top of the enclosure? If its glass it is filtering out your UVB. If it is screen and the holes are smaller than 1/8 inch in size it is filtering out a lot of the UVB.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Jeannie, how admirable it is that you did do the research! That's a wonderful enclosure. It looks like you've got almost everything under control. I'm sure he's going to be one happy little iguana. Although, he'll never show *you* that. He'll probably just glare at you demanding food all the time. A mean ig is a healthy ig, after all.

Handling is a good idea. I know it feels like you are traumatizing him, but he needs to be socialized while he is young, or he will be even more difficult later. When you go to handle him, just take it slowly. Don't come at him from above. That will just scare him. But be calm, and try to keep your movements slow. When you do catch him, hold him quietly and firmly. You could watch tv and hold him on your lap, or read a book, or just sit and talk to him. But doing this on a regular basis will certainly help him to realize that you are not his enemy, and then he will begin to settle down.

Of course, then he will expect you to be his slave and obey his every command. Just be prepared. There's no turning back after that.

__________________
"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.