I just bought a new iguana and things seem to be goin all right. He's eating, loves to bask, I can handle him fairly well, and he's a ball of energy. I've had him for 2 days now, but his color has gone from a bright green to a little more brownish. I know this is probably due to the stress of the move, but it worries me. I had an adopted iguana that died from stress when he moved in. I don't want the same to happen here. So is there anything that I should be or can be doing to help the stress go away and he can grow up happy? Thanks

How do you have him set up? What kind of UVB lights are you using? The fact that he is eating and basking tells me that he is settling in. What do you feed him? Sounds like you definitely enjoy him. Sorry to hear about the other ig. Sometimes they just cannot handle the stress. Good luck with this one and let us know if you have other questions. Lyn

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Congrats on your new addition.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

He's got a flourescent (sp?) for his UV. Today mostly he's been running away from me when I go to hold him. Eventually I'm able to grab him for a few minutes then he decides to take off. He's eating just about anything. I could give a list, but it's quite a variety. To say the least, kale and bok choy are the main leafy greens. For fruits and veggies he get's anything I find. It's chopped up pretty small considering he's only 6 inches long. I'm thinking I might just limit the handling a bit for a few days so he can settle more. The room temps are a little colder than they should be, but it's a high powered light and with the door closed to my room it goes up a bit. He also has heat pads he can use if he needs to. Let me know what you think.

Ookay you need to be a little more specific, how about this:
cage dimensions:
BRAND and % of UVB bulb:
basking temp:
cool temp:

Also I would give him about a week to settle in beofre you try to handle him, just get into his enclosure for the necesary daily things like adding food and wate rand spot cleaning.

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"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

The care articles on this site are excellent: http://www.herpcenter.com/a/


This article is excellent for UVB lighting. It also explains how fluorescent UVB tubes should be set up. http://www.cyber-ig-info.netfirms.com/uvb_light.htm

This is a diet I follow for my iguanas. I usually use 4-7 different greens but I like greens and can eat what will go bad too soon.
An iguana's diet should contain the following each day:
70-80% calcium rich greens: Collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelions, arugula, watercress are the better ones. Kale, beet greens, chicory greens and escarole used in combination with the better greens are also good. Stay away from lettuces (except for a very occasional treat) because they have very very little nutrition if at all and the iguana will fill up on it and not eat the nutritional food--in other words it is junk food. Spinach should only be used occasionally because it is way too high in oxalates and phosphorous. The oxalates bind with the calcium making it indigestible and the phosphorous binds with calcium in the blood making the calcium there useless. But spinach is high in iron so it is good if only used very occasionally (1-2x a month maybe).
20-30% vegetables: Winter squash (acorn, butternut, kabocha, ect..), green beans, snap peas, okra, parsnip, yucca root. Summer squash (zucchini, yellow, Mexican or white, ect...) occasionally is good too. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are good color enhancers.
No more than 10% fruit: Blueberries, figs, mango, papaya, and prickly pear (cactus) are the better fruits. Strawberries, raspberries, black berries and melons are good. Flowers should be considered a fruit
percentages based on volume
ABSOLUTELY NO ANIMAL PROTEIN OR BY PRODUCTS

Rep-Cal Iguana food soaked is a recommended supplement that helps
**appetite--the color and smell seems to increase their appetite
**hydration--the pellets act as sponges, they soak up twice their volume of water
**regularity--the increase hydration help keep things moving
**mineral/vitamin supplements--no other supplements are needed other than a probiotic

Use 1-2 tablespoons for an adult iguana. A teaspoon for a baby iguana. Soak it in water for about 5 minutes--it will be about twice the size after soaking. Sprinkle this over the greens/vegetable diet.

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Jan. 25, 1963 - Sept. 10, 2006 (R.I.P)