Green iguana care sheet!!
 

Written By Varnyard;

Care sheet for the green iguana.

Green iguanas diet will remain the same throughout their life.

Food:
grapes, tomatoes, strawberries, melons, and just about any other soft fruit. Bananas can be given as well, but not as a staple diet, only in moderation. This is due to the high content of potassium (Known for not binding with calcium). Not more than once every couple of weeks. They also tend to have a very high phosphorous levels. Also many types of greens are great for iguanas. Spinach, is not good at all in their diet. It will cause more harm than good. Also Iceberg lettuce is not recommended, it is more water than anything else. Also many types of veggies can be offered. Green beans, squash, carrots, peas, and broccoli tops. They will also take Hibiscus flowers, and dandelions.
Vitamin dust is also recommended. My choice of vitamin dust is Herpitive or Fluker's.
It is also recommended to remove all excess food from their enclosures after they are done feeding.
I also recommend not feeding dog food to your iguanas, this can kill your iguana.


Water:
Iguanas require fresh water on a daily basis. It also would be recommended that their water dishes/bowls be big enough to soak in.

Housing:
Hatchlings will do great in a 30 tall tank, but they will outgrow these fast. As an adult they require a much larger enclosure. I house mine outside in a 6 ft tall 8 ft x 8 ft enclosure. Inside I use a 6 ft x 6 ft x 6 ft. If building your own cage, remember that these lizards are arboreal (tree dwelling), So height would be a necessity. They love to climb, be sure to add limbs. If using tree limbs for outside, be sure to treat these for parasites.

Humidity:
Iguanas require high humidity level 60%-70% for proper shedding as well as proper health. Misting on a daily basis is required. If you have another way to raise the humidity, that is fine. .

Substrate:
I don’t recommend using cypress mulch, orchid bark, Lizard litter, Repti-bark or eucalyptus mulch. These can be in jested. You do not want him to have a intestinal blockage. I recommend newspaper, indoor outdoor carpet, or reptile carpet.

Lighting:
Ultraviolet light with a full-spectrum of light is recommended. Lights that emit UVB is a must for this species of reptile. Ultraviolet lighting is important in the production of vitamin D3, which is necessary for calcium metabolism. There are some people that claim added vitamins of D3 would be a good substitute, however I do not. I do use multi-vitamin dust. But I do not depend on it for a substitute for UV lighting.

How often do u feed them? U do bigger meals less a day or more often feedings less food?

I feed my iguana a big bowl in the morning. He's ravenous first thing in the morning. His pool is changed out after he poops, usually just after he eats. I feed him a small bowl of greens in the afternoon, but never closer than 4 hours to his bedtime. They need heat to help them digest, so the night time temps are not hot enough.

howdy
 

whats the best way to get my yearling to eat from my hands?
it is still a bit shy to the touch and jumpy around hands.

If you hold a leafy green or some (pesticide free) rose petals near iggy, what does he/she do? How does he/she react? If you can, stand there when giving iggy food. I used to leave the enclosure door open, give iggy the twice daily salad and just stand there quietly. Eventually I started putting my hand resting on the shelf next to the salad and iggy would come eat. then I would start picking up the greens and holding in front of face and he'd take them from me. Then it got where he'd come over to me and take bites out of a large leaf from my fingers before I put the salad in. Just some thoughts. I haven't had an iggy for about 15 years. Good luck!!

Thanx but one more thing.
 

I think that will help ill try those tricks you just posted but my biggest issue is that I adopted a yearling and she isn't hand tame i'm assuming she came from a farm and has no previous handling except for the traumas she experienced while at the pet store. my previous ig was about 6 yrs old when i adopted her so it was very easy to maintain because she had been raise free range and well socialized. any tips? I'm determined to see this through.