Post by Astrogoth on Dec 19, 2017 20:33:01 GMT -8
I took a sick baby ig' home from our local Petco. He was a dropoff and therefore free. He was underweight, had mites and very lethargic. He was also a kind of pale brown/green mix. Strange for a "red" ig' but whatever. The price was right and he has his original tail!
A month later with some warmth and a big water dish the little dude is eating like it's on closeout sale and is a medium green with a hint of brown. The base of his tail is no longer concave and is starting to look convex. His first big shed with me is going badly of course. His being too cold has messed up his system so that he's going to have problems with at least this one shed. Also of course he's in a bad mood. That often happens at reptile shed time but since his dorsal spikes are not shedding easy he's going to take it out on me. Bath time is a swimathon not a party. I can tell that in time when he grows up I will be able to take him to the beach on a leash and scare tourists. He'll enjoy that.
I don't mind that he's not a real red iguana. The silly look in his yellow eyes makes up for everything. I think I'll name him Hannibal.
A month later with some warmth and a big water dish the little dude is eating like it's on closeout sale and is a medium green with a hint of brown. The base of his tail is no longer concave and is starting to look convex. His first big shed with me is going badly of course. His being too cold has messed up his system so that he's going to have problems with at least this one shed. Also of course he's in a bad mood. That often happens at reptile shed time but since his dorsal spikes are not shedding easy he's going to take it out on me. Bath time is a swimathon not a party. I can tell that in time when he grows up I will be able to take him to the beach on a leash and scare tourists. He'll enjoy that.
I don't mind that he's not a real red iguana. The silly look in his yellow eyes makes up for everything. I think I'll name him Hannibal.
Also glad to hear he is eating a good amount. It can be hard to get them to eat much of anything after a lot of changes and stressful situations. A lot of baths and misting will surely help with his shedding issue. A cheap dollar store spray bottle does wonders. I was always able to get my iguana, Gwendolyn, do drink more my misting her face then just spaying more water into her mouth when she stuck out her tongue to catch the water. Keeping an iguana well hydrated was always a little more difficult than expected. Do you know about how old this guy is? Or even if it is a male? Habitat construction was always the funnest part in my opinion, do you have a full enclosure or any ideas?