new to Iguanas, would like some advice please

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Posted by Helen on April 28, 2002 at 22:42:34:

I was given 2 new iguanas by a friend's neighbor who was moving, 2 days ago. I have never even seen a live iguana up close in my life, let alone think I'd ever own one. One (we call her Rex) is 14" and the other (we call him Zul) is 13", I'm guessing sex based on the rear leg pore size, I found a website with a iguana sexing guide and photos of what each sex should look like. Rex is very very dark, but brightens considerably when taken out of her tank and petted and held for a few hours. Zul is pretty healthy looking with good green color. Neither have any obvious signs of disease, injury, or illness, but are both borderline dehydrated and malnourished.

I've read nearly every website with extensive care info on the net (all the herp societies, Melissa Kaplan's, Wong's, etc)... so tho I'm totally new to green iguanas, I do have reasonably good idea of what they need... um... I think.

They came in a 30 gallon fish tank (I know it's too small), in a mass of sand like stinky 'reptile litter' full of poop and wood chips. UV light and 'black light', but no heat lamp... and a 'spray' of commercial 'skin moisturizer' and a bottle of 'reptile vitamins' (calcium and phosphorus 50/50!!!!).

I cleaned up the entire tank, replaced all litter with a cleanly cut piece of commercial olefin carpeting, gave both lizards a bath (they are both 'tame' but not 'socialized'). And went out into the jungle (I live in central florida, which has quite a few patches of wetlands) and got clean fresh moss and a fern/bromeliad covered cypress branch to put in the tank for a small climbing surface, and the moss for added natural humidity in the tank. I situated the tank in front of a east facing window so they get morning direct sun only, but keep the UVB bulb going for 12 hours anyway.

I know the tank is too small for the 2 of them... but it will take at least a few weeks before I can build new and larger housing for the 2 of them.

Problems:
1. Rex turns dark and hides the moment she's put back in the tank with Zul (there's a hollowed out 1/2 log in the tank where they can 'hide'). Zul sits under the new heat lamp all the time, while Rex sits in the coolest part of the tank, the water bowl. I mean she sits IN the water bowl. As I write this, I just walked past the tank, and saw Rex sleeping INSIDE the waterbowl and fearing that sound asleep she can drown with her nose submerged, woke her up and shoo'd her out to another part of the tank.
Question: Is it normal for a iggy to sleep submerged at nite in a water bowl? I have read that they can hold their breath under water for 1/2 an hour... but um... she was ASLEEP, at nite imersed in water.... it's 90 degrees in her tank atm, but still... I'm afraid that if she's asleep, she will inhale water and drown.

2. I made up MK's Salad per directions. It smells awful. I used alfalfa cubes, which is pure alfalfa hay with no additives, instead of using the recommended pellets, figuring that it'd be more healthy. I soaked the cubes in water first so it actually reconstituted into a pretty good semblance of alfalfa. Rest of 'salad' I used green beans, acorn squash, a parsnip, a kiwi, 2 human Centrum tablets ground fine, and a good dollop of calcium carbonate supplement (commercial reptile mix, but has no phosphorus). Chopped it very fine (it's not mush, it's got the texture of very fine grass clippings, and smells much like grass clippings). My iguanas won't touch it. I serve this 'salad' on a plate with a 50% 'side' of a commercially packaged 'wild' salad mix (dandelion, kale, red cabbage, dill, swiss chard, etc.). The Iguanas look like they're starving and scarf up all the commercial greens, but will not eat their MK salad. What can I do to make them eat it? The MK mix stinks like a barn, and you couldn't pay me to eat it either, but I don't think that just salad is providing them adequate nutrition and they are VERY thin.... with dehydrated skin. I dare not take away the greens and risk them not eating anything at all.

I did try to force feed Rex, who's the skinnier and weaker of the 2... I chopped up ripe strawberries very fine, and held the teeny pieces under her nose... she wasn't interested. So I gently tugged on her dewlap til she opened her mouth and popped the corner of the strawberry in. She slurped up the rest of the piece herself. But she wouldn't eat more unless I pulled her mouth open each time. Force feeding MK salad isn't going to work, it's much finer chopped, and I'd have to either use a spoon or push my finger in her mouth.

3. Both are 'tame'. They do try to scamper away if you sit with back to something and they're on your shoulder, but otherwise respond very nicely and happily to being held and having their heads rubbed. I cut all 20 claw tips carefully yesterday, since the first day, just holding them left bleeding tears in the palm and sides of my palms from their very sharp claws and forearms. Now my hands won't end up looking like I put them in the disposal by the end of the week:P. Now I can hold them less painfully and since they're more used to me, don't cling for dear life anymore. They seem so happy with being held and petted and warmed in my hands that they actually change colors and brighten. Zul turns greener, and Rex, who's very very dark, turns yellowy orange, with a blue face. They also get blue 'lines' around their skin in spots... I remember reading on a website somewhere that having blue lines has significance, but I haven't been able to find that site again...
Question: can someone tell me what those blue lines mean again? Rex gets them in her face, Zul gets them on his back.

4. When I got them, they both had sunken bellies below the ribcage, but after just 1 meal it's no longer sunken. Their ribs are showing tho. Neither has signs of MBD, no knobby bones, no lumps, abscesses, abrasions of any kind. Scales are bright and both show signs of peeling. Daily bathing since they've been here has allowed most of the peel to come off, and their general tone looks good, but they're very thin and the refusal to eat anything but greens is worrying me (I want them to eat their MK salad and they won't).

Question: how 'plump' should healthy iguanas be? You can feel the ribs of both iguanas when you pet them, is this normal?

5. Space. I know that their 30 gallon tank is much too small. However, I can't build larger housing overnite, tho I intend to. The question is, every time Rex comes out of the tank, she brightens considerably. Every time she's put back in, she 'hides' and darkens back to a dark grey. So the inescapable conclusion is, she's 'hiding' from Zul. Clearly Zul is the dominant iguana, tho he is smaller. But Rex ate first when the food was put in, and they don't actively fight. I have never seen Zul threaten or posture at Rex either. Rex just immediately crawls under the 1/2 log to hide when put back in the tank, or slinks to the coldest part of the tank, the water bowl to sit inside it, while Zul basks on the highest spot under the basking lamp. There IS room for them to each sit under the basking lamp. There's the hollow log, then there's another driftwood log, and I put in a fern covered taller log in the center. One can fit comfortably on the top of the hollow log, while the other can comfortably fit on the other log. They do not HAVE to compete for space at all up there, and the log in the center effectively cuts off the view of each from the other when so positioned... yet Rex sits under her log or in the water dish. She does NOT look sick other than her darkened color when inside the tank.

I will be taking them to a vet this week, but I've only had them since Friday night (it's now Sunday nite), and no vets are open, nor do I have a vet (I found already a good reptile vet in the area based on website recommendations). The problem doesn't seem to be a matter of health tho...

Question: how do I help the 2 of them live together comfortably til I can get a much larger cage/structure built for them? Rex seems 'depressed' when in the tank with Zul... but I can't keep her out of the tank all day every day, and it's not warm enuf for her or sunny enuf without being in the UV light. How long can Rex go before she begins to suffer from being stuck in a cage with an iguana she's dominated by and clearly is afraid of (even tho he's not hurt her at all)?

Sorry for the questions, really appreciate the help:).

Follow Ups:

Re: new to Iguanas, would like some advice please xta 04/29/02 (5)
- Re: new to Iguanas, would like some advice please Helen 04/29/02 (4)
  - Cages... Dara 04/30/02 (0)
  - Here is a pic of my cage... xta 04/30/02 (2)
    - Great enclosure Xta!!!!more cirsisue 04/30/02 (1)
      - It's great to see you back on the board! (more) xta 04/30/02 (0)
Hope this helps cirsisue 04/29/02 (4)
- Re: Hope this helps Helen 04/29/02 (3)
  - Perhaps a few suggestions... Dara 04/29/02 (2)
    - Re: Perhaps a few suggestions... Helen 04/29/02 (1)
      - Re: Perhaps a few suggestions... Dara 04/30/02 (0)

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: I was given 2 new iguanas by a friend's neighbor who was moving, 2 days ago. I have never even seen a live iguana up close in my life, let alone think I'd ever own one. One (we call her Rex) is 14" and the other (we call him Zul) is 13", I'm guessing sex based on the rear leg pore size, I found a website with a iguana sexing guide and photos of what each sex should look like. Rex is very very dark, but brightens considerably when taken out of her tank and petted and held for a few hours. Zul is pretty healthy looking with good green color. Neither have any obvious signs of disease, injury, or illness, but are both borderline dehydrated and malnourished. : I've read nearly every website with extensive care info on the net (all the herp societies, Melissa Kaplan's, Wong's, etc)... so tho I'm totally new to green iguanas, I do have reasonably good idea of what they need... um... I think. : They came in a 30 gallon fish tank (I know it's too small), in a mass of sand like stinky 'reptile litter' full of poop and wood chips. UV light and 'black light', but no heat lamp... and a 'spray' of commercial 'skin moisturizer' and a bottle of 'reptile vitamins' (calcium and phosphorus 50/50!!!!). : I cleaned up the entire tank, replaced all litter with a cleanly cut piece of commercial olefin carpeting, gave both lizards a bath (they are both 'tame' but not 'socialized'). And went out into the jungle (I live in central florida, which has quite a few patches of wetlands) and got clean fresh moss and a fern/bromeliad covered cypress branch to put in the tank for a small climbing surface, and the moss for added natural humidity in the tank. I situated the tank in front of a east facing window so they get morning direct sun only, but keep the UVB bulb going for 12 hours anyway. : I know the tank is too small for the 2 of them... but it will take at least a few weeks before I can build new and larger housing for the 2 of them. : Problems: : 1. Rex turns dark and hides the moment she's put back in the tank with Zul (there's a hollowed out 1/2 log in the tank where they can 'hide'). Zul sits under the new heat lamp all the time, while Rex sits in the coolest part of the tank, the water bowl. I mean she sits IN the water bowl. As I write this, I just walked past the tank, and saw Rex sleeping INSIDE the waterbowl and fearing that sound asleep she can drown with her nose submerged, woke her up and shoo'd her out to another part of the tank. : Question: Is it normal for a iggy to sleep submerged at nite in a water bowl? I have read that they can hold their breath under water for 1/2 an hour... but um... she was ASLEEP, at nite imersed in water.... it's 90 degrees in her tank atm, but still... I'm afraid that if she's asleep, she will inhale water and drown. : 2. I made up MK's Salad per directions. It smells awful. I used alfalfa cubes, which is pure alfalfa hay with no additives, instead of using the recommended pellets, figuring that it'd be more healthy. I soaked the cubes in water first so it actually reconstituted into a pretty good semblance of alfalfa. Rest of 'salad' I used green beans, acorn squash, a parsnip, a kiwi, 2 human Centrum tablets ground fine, and a good dollop of calcium carbonate supplement (commercial reptile mix, but has no phosphorus). Chopped it very fine (it's not mush, it's got the texture of very fine grass clippings, and smells much like grass clippings). My iguanas won't touch it. I serve this 'salad' on a plate with a 50% 'side' of a commercially packaged 'wild' salad mix (dandelion, kale, red cabbage, dill, swiss chard, etc.). The Iguanas look like they're starving and scarf up all the commercial greens, but will not eat their MK salad. What can I do to make them eat it? The MK mix stinks like a barn, and you couldn't pay me to eat it either, but I don't think that just salad is providing them adequate nutrition and they are VERY thin.... with dehydrated skin. I dare not take away the greens and risk them not eating anything at all. : I did try to force feed Rex, who's the skinnier and weaker of the 2... I chopped up ripe strawberries very fine, and held the teeny pieces under her nose... she wasn't interested. So I gently tugged on her dewlap til she opened her mouth and popped the corner of the strawberry in. She slurped up the rest of the piece herself. But she wouldn't eat more unless I pulled her mouth open each time. Force feeding MK salad isn't going to work, it's much finer chopped, and I'd have to either use a spoon or push my finger in her mouth. : 3. Both are 'tame'. They do try to scamper away if you sit with back to something and they're on your shoulder, but otherwise respond very nicely and happily to being held and having their heads rubbed. I cut all 20 claw tips carefully yesterday, since the first day, just holding them left bleeding tears in the palm and sides of my palms from their very sharp claws and forearms. Now my hands won't end up looking like I put them in the disposal by the end of the week:P. Now I can hold them less painfully and since they're more used to me, don't cling for dear life anymore. They seem so happy with being held and petted and warmed in my hands that they actually change colors and brighten. Zul turns greener, and Rex, who's very very dark, turns yellowy orange, with a blue face. They also get blue 'lines' around their skin in spots... I remember reading on a website somewhere that having blue lines has significance, but I haven't been able to find that site again... : Question: can someone tell me what those blue lines mean again? Rex gets them in her face, Zul gets them on his back. : 4. When I got them, they both had sunken bellies below the ribcage, but after just 1 meal it's no longer sunken. Their ribs are showing tho. Neither has signs of MBD, no knobby bones, no lumps, abscesses, abrasions of any kind. Scales are bright and both show signs of peeling. Daily bathing since they've been here has allowed most of the peel to come off, and their general tone looks good, but they're very thin and the refusal to eat anything but greens is worrying me (I want them to eat their MK salad and they won't). : Question: how 'plump' should healthy iguanas be? You can feel the ribs of both iguanas when you pet them, is this normal? : : 5. Space. I know that their 30 gallon tank is much too small. However, I can't build larger housing overnite, tho I intend to. The question is, every time Rex comes out of the tank, she brightens considerably. Every time she's put back in, she 'hides' and darkens back to a dark grey. So the inescapable conclusion is, she's 'hiding' from Zul. Clearly Zul is the dominant iguana, tho he is smaller. But Rex ate first when the food was put in, and they don't actively fight. I have never seen Zul threaten or posture at Rex either. Rex just immediately crawls under the 1/2 log to hide when put back in the tank, or slinks to the coldest part of the tank, the water bowl to sit inside it, while Zul basks on the highest spot under the basking lamp. There IS room for them to each sit under the basking lamp. There's the hollow log, then there's another driftwood log, and I put in a fern covered taller log in the center. One can fit comfortably on the top of the hollow log, while the other can comfortably fit on the other log. They do not HAVE to compete for space at all up there, and the log in the center effectively cuts off the view of each from the other when so positioned... yet Rex sits under her log or in the water dish. She does NOT look sick other than her darkened color when inside the tank. : I will be taking them to a vet this week, but I've only had them since Friday night (it's now Sunday nite), and no vets are open, nor do I have a vet (I found already a good reptile vet in the area based on website recommendations). The problem doesn't seem to be a matter of health tho... : Question: how do I help the 2 of them live together comfortably til I can get a much larger cage/structure built for them? Rex seems 'depressed' when in the tank with Zul... but I can't keep her out of the tank all day every day, and it's not warm enuf for her or sunny enuf without being in the UV light. How long can Rex go before she begins to suffer from being stuck in a cage with an iguana she's dominated by and clearly is afraid of (even tho he's not hurt her at all)? : Sorry for the questions, really appreciate the help:).

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