Re: uh oh, another newbie....

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Posted by iZ's mom on March 27, 2001 at 12:12:39:

In Reply to: uh oh, another newbie.... posted by Troy on March 27, 2001 at 01:27:41:

"... (I know, I'm bad for rescuing an animal that I knew nothing about)..."

well ya know, sometimes life just happens ... iZ was an impulse rescue 4+ yrs ago ~ he whispered in my ear + i knew he had to come home with me ... *grin* ... this forum + the following links below saved us BOTH ...

Melissa Kaplin's Giant Green Iguana Care:
http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/ig_care.html
Jen Swofford's Basking Spot:
http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas/

MK's site is *extensive* and just about everything you can think of is covered!
the Basking Spot has a good table of foods + their nutrient contents to make your grocery shopping list from (*grin*) ~ Jen's diet plan is derived from MK's, it's a bit easier to follow, igs tend to eat it more readily ...

lose the red lite at bedtime! igs need dark to sleep well + they *can* see the red lite ... if the temps drop too much at nite to go without a heat source, try a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) ... be very careful with ALL heat sources!!! make sure they is NO WAY any put of your ig can get to a hot surface! (when iZ was a 'baby', he tried to 'taste' his pretty red light .... THAT is a long + awful story ... be careful!)

Calcium + supplements ~
if your ig is being fed a good, healthy diet, you shouldn't need any supplements at all ... it IS possible to get plenty of calcium from diet alone and it IS very possible to give them too much and/or cause more problems than what we meant to prevent ... so! don't supplement it's diet without good cause ~ like blood work that shows it's low on calcium ... we don't know enough about ig's nutrient requirements to just automatically give them vitamins ... *Dandelion Greens* are very good + high in calcium too btw ... (never thought i'd be nurturing the dandelions in my yard!!!!) ... it's a bit early for us Northeners but this snow has to melt sooner or later!

as far as "tame" ... be prepared to have ALOT of patience!!! igs do not 'tame' the way domesticated animals (dogs/cats) do ~ it's just not who they are! they can learn to trust, but you have to *earn* it as far as they're concerned! *grin* ... and yeah, it can take a few weeks for her to settle into her new environments and calm down + start eating more ... igs do NOT like change! they appreciate a set daily routine ~ that way, they can learn what to expect + "when" ... (like when "food" time is and when "bath" time is, etc)

oh! here's a good page on earning your ig's trust:
Sneakers tips on 'training':
http://www.northrim.net/chalbrew/home/ighandling.html

ok ~ think i've rambled myself out too ...
welcome!
Bon. + iZ

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: <i>"... (I know, I'm bad for rescuing an animal that I knew nothing about)..."</i> : well ya know, sometimes life just happens ... iZ was an impulse rescue 4+ yrs ago ~ he whispered in my ear + i knew he had to come home with me ... *grin* ... this forum + the following links below saved us BOTH ... : Melissa Kaplin's Giant Green Iguana Care: : http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/ig_care.html : Jen Swofford's Basking Spot: : http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas/ : MK's site is *extensive* and just about everything you can think of is covered! : the Basking Spot has a good table of foods + their nutrient contents to make your grocery shopping list from (*grin*) ~ Jen's diet plan is derived from MK's, it's a bit easier to follow, igs tend to eat it more readily ... : lose the red lite at bedtime! igs need dark to sleep well + they *can* see the red lite ... if the temps drop too much at nite to go without a heat source, try a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) ... be very careful with ALL heat sources!!! make sure they is NO WAY any put of your ig can get to a hot surface! (when iZ was a 'baby', he tried to 'taste' his pretty red light .... THAT is a long + awful story ... be careful!) : Calcium + supplements ~ : if your ig is being fed a good, healthy diet, you shouldn't need any supplements at all ... it IS possible to get plenty of calcium from diet alone and it IS very possible to give them too much and/or cause more problems than what we meant to prevent ... so! don't supplement it's diet without good cause ~ like blood work that shows it's low on calcium ... we don't know enough about ig's nutrient requirements to just automatically give them vitamins ... *Dandelion Greens* are very good + high in calcium too btw ... (never thought i'd be nurturing the dandelions in my yard!!!!) ... it's a bit early for us Northeners but this snow has to melt sooner or later! : as far as "tame" ... be prepared to have ALOT of patience!!! igs do not 'tame' the way domesticated animals (dogs/cats) do ~ it's just not who they are! they can learn to trust, but you have to *earn* it as far as they're concerned! *grin* ... and yeah, it can take a few weeks for her to settle into her new environments and calm down + start eating more ... igs do NOT like change! they appreciate a set daily routine ~ that way, they can learn what to expect + "when" ... (like when "food" time is and when "bath" time is, etc) : oh! here's a good page on earning your ig's trust: : Sneakers tips on 'training': : http://www.northrim.net/chalbrew/home/ighandling.html : ok ~ think i've rambled myself out too ... : welcome! : Bon. + iZ

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