sounds to me like you are headed in the right direction! congratulations!

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Posted by meagan on March 05, 1999 at 07:15:44:

In Reply to: New Iggy... just want to know if i'm doing everything right posted by Jennifer on March 04, 1999 at 18:05:48:

well sounds like you have done your research congratulations! just a couple of suggestions: first, if you read in melissa web site in the section about substrates, she does not reccomend newspaper becuase the ink can give off harmful fumes. try regular butcher paer instead. also, buy a couple of thermometers to put up in the cgae in differnt areas to amke sure it is warm enough for the little guy ( 90-100 for the basking area, 75 or so for everywhere else) another thing is to read every bit of melissa kaplans site! she has wonderful information in it. another thing you might want to consider is having plexi glass or glass put on the cgae instead of the wire. it will help hold the humidity and heat in better than the wire( thisis maybe somethng to do n the future as it really isn`t too important as long as the ig has the proper temps in its cage). timers for the lights are a good idea too. speaking of lights, i don`t thimk you mentioned a full spectrum flourescent tube. you need one of these. i use the iguana light by zoo med. also, you might want to try soaking him in warm water with betadine added to help his stomach burn heal. don`t put a lot of betadine, just a little. also, try a triple antibiotic ointment to keep on there. as we all know igs are loaded with bacteria and not all of it is good so it would be best to keep that area very clean. if you haven`t already, i would suggest taking your ig to a qualified vet to be examined and bloodwork done if necessary. you didn`t include the age of the ig or how big. if it is over 3 ft long, you need to get him a new cgae( or expand the one you have) an ig should have a cage that is 1x their length for its width(depth); at least 1.5x for the heith of the cage; and 2x as long as your ig for the length.

: Hello, I got an iguana from my work today. (It's a privately owned store. I would never work for a chain store.) My boss took this iggy in because the owner was not caring for it properly. He knew he could never sell it and asked if I wanted it. All I had to do was buy the cage it came with. Since about september I've been reading up on everything I could get my hands on. (I'd been planning to get one for a while.)
: K, here's the info:
: Cage: 6ft 9in tall; 4ft wide; 3ft deep. It's made of wood (painted green) and coated chicken wire. Large branch (4ft) inside cage. I plan on getting him another branch.
: Floor: newpaper
: Light: 150watt bulb on top. About 1.5ft from the top of the branch. I'm getting a strip light tomorrow.
: Food/water: dish with commercial food. (something to nibble on) and of course a water dish. I also have the recommened veggies. (MKs salad)
: My questions:
: Is the cage big enough?
: Will the chicken wire hurt him?
: Will the paint hurt him?
: Is the bulb strong enough?
: Am I missing anything? :)

: Only problem is he has old burns on his belly. The guy we got (rescued) him from let the iggy go on top of the cage. The burns seem to be healing nicely though. Otherwise he is very healthy and alert. Even eating already. Is neosporin (sp?) ok to put on the burns? Or should I try something else?
: Sorry for such a long post.
: Thanks. :)

: Oh and his name is Spot. I'll explain if anyone wants me to.

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: well sounds like you have done your research congratulations! just a couple of suggestions: first, if you read in melissa web site in the section about substrates, she does not reccomend newspaper becuase the ink can give off harmful fumes. try regular butcher paer instead. also, buy a couple of thermometers to put up in the cgae in differnt areas to amke sure it is warm enough for the little guy ( 90-100 for the basking area, 75 or so for everywhere else) another thing is to read every bit of melissa kaplans site! she has wonderful information in it. another thing you might want to consider is having plexi glass or glass put on the cgae instead of the wire. it will help hold the humidity and heat in better than the wire( thisis maybe somethng to do n the future as it really isn`t too important as long as the ig has the proper temps in its cage). timers for the lights are a good idea too. speaking of lights, i don`t thimk you mentioned a full spectrum flourescent tube. you need one of these. i use the iguana light by zoo med. also, you might want to try soaking him in warm water with betadine added to help his stomach burn heal. don`t put a lot of betadine, just a little. also, try a triple antibiotic ointment to keep on there. as we all know igs are loaded with bacteria and not all of it is good so it would be best to keep that area very clean. if you haven`t already, i would suggest taking your ig to a qualified vet to be examined and bloodwork done if necessary. you didn`t include the age of the ig or how big. if it is over 3 ft long, you need to get him a new cgae( or expand the one you have) an ig should have a cage that is 1x their length for its width(depth); at least 1.5x for the heith of the cage; and 2x as long as your ig for the length. : : : Hello, I got an iguana from my work today. (It's a privately owned store. I would never work for a chain store.) My boss took this iggy in because the owner was not caring for it properly. He knew he could never sell it and asked if I wanted it. All I had to do was buy the cage it came with. Since about september I've been reading up on everything I could get my hands on. (I'd been planning to get one for a while.) : : K, here's the info: : : Cage: 6ft 9in tall; 4ft wide; 3ft deep. It's made of wood (painted green) and coated chicken wire. Large branch (4ft) inside cage. I plan on getting him another branch. : : Floor: newpaper : : Light: 150watt bulb on top. About 1.5ft from the top of the branch. I'm getting a strip light tomorrow. : : Food/water: dish with commercial food. (something to nibble on) and of course a water dish. I also have the recommened veggies. (MKs salad) : : My questions: : : Is the cage big enough? : : Will the chicken wire hurt him? : : Will the paint hurt him? : : Is the bulb strong enough? : : Am I missing anything? :) : : Only problem is he has old burns on his belly. The guy we got (rescued) him from let the iggy go on top of the cage. The burns seem to be healing nicely though. Otherwise he is very healthy and alert. Even eating already. Is neosporin (sp?) ok to put on the burns? Or should I try something else? : : Sorry for such a long post. : : Thanks. :) : : Oh and his name is Spot. I'll explain if anyone wants me to.

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