New Baby Iguanas

[iggie~N~lizzie]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum and a new baby green iguana owner. I have had my 2 baby iguanas now for about a month and honestly have some catching up to do. Still only have a 10 gallon tank (which ill b upgrading soon) but have greenery in there with a food bowl (food sprinkeled with calcium) and water dish with a drip. I have a Florescent UVB bulb with a basking bulb as well. I mist daily with water and once a day with a Zilla brand humidifying spray. Heres my concern...When i bought them both the same day, one was visually bigger than the other even though they look to be somewhat around the same age (they are about 10-12 inches from head to tail). After having them for a month, i noticed the one that was bigger is now the smaller one considerably and almost seems as though he hasnt grown much or gotten fatter at all. The one that was smaller is now the bigger fatter one and punking my other Iggy. Why isnt my Ig getting bigger? He has cut down on his eating too. We handle both Igs cause I heard it helps them get to know you and it makes them calmer. Is there something im doing wrong? Oh, and also, that same Ig im conccerned about has like milky white spots along his back and some on his legs. Goes away when i bath him but comes back when dry. What is that? Please help! Thank you.

[JennaAndIguanaGwen]

Hello and Welcome to Iguana Zone ;D
First thing to do is get them separate enclosures because as they grow they get territorial. The one that is now bigger may be intimidating the smaller one so the smaller one eats less of the food - which would cause lack of growth. Those milky spots may be the beginning of shedding or some sort of fungus from the pet shop; a vet is the best one to determine that. Could you post some pictures of the little guys?
Thanks for posting and feel free to poke around the site

-Jenna

[iggie~N~lizzie]

Good morning, and thank you for your response. My Ig's are interesting. the bigger one does punk the smaller one but not as often as you may think. I am getting a new enclosure this weekend that is about 3 ft tall and 1 1/2 wide. Do you think that will help with the territorial issues? Plus i read somewhere that Ig's dont over eat so not to worry about that. But my bigger Ig (iggy) eats A LOT! So im not sure what the deal is with that. Should i be concerned? Is he doing it to not let the other Ig (Zigggy) eat? I appreciate all the help i can get with raising baby iguanas. My first pic is of Ziggy, the smaller one. Then Iggy

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[iggie~N~lizzie]

Not the greatest of pics I know but ill hopefully have some better ones up soon

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[JennaAndIguanaGwen]

Thanks for posting the pictures ;D they are cute little guys. Getting a larger enclosure may help with territorial issues but they will eventually need separate enclosures; the sooner the better. You don't have to worry about iguanas over eating but if Iggy is eating a lot more than Ziggy then Ziggy is probably under eating. I would recommend keeping one of them in the tank, temporarily, once you get the new enclosure. Ziggy might start eating more if he feels like he has a place to call his own. When iguanas get a new enclosure they normally take a few days or a week to settle in and they usually eat less while settling in so don't be surprised if that happens. Adding goodies like strawberries, bananas, or watermelon to their meal might also encourage eating. We have a Food Chart in our Diet section with more options How are you planning on setting up the new enclosure?

[iggie~N~lizzie]

im gonna have to try the new enclosure thing and see how it works. Id love to get 2 enclosures but i dont have the money to do all that Also i think im going to try and add to the 10 gallon tank to extend the top to enlongate it. Had a seperate question as well, Ziggy, the smaller one, is VERY jumpy when i try to hold him and get him to be docile. But any opportunity he sees to jump, even if only the ground is around, he will jump. Im 6' 1" and a jump like that for a little guy seems drastic. Is there a reason that maybe he is acting like this or is it just because he is young and wild? Will he calm down and how long will that take?

[JennaAndIguanaGwen]

Young iguanas tend to be more sensitive to their surroundings and as they go through their "teenage" years they will become more erratic and they will test your patience. I haven't had an iguana from the time they are a baby to when they are full grown so I don't know the general point where iguanas start to calm down but it is different for each. My ball park estimate would be around 3 years old. Each iguana is different so I don't think there is anything wrong with Ziggy; he is just more sensitive. I don't know what is making him jump but from my own experience I know that iguanas don't like fast movements or loud/strange noises. Sometimes when I open the window next to Gwendolyn's enclosure and there is a noise she is not used to, like a lawn mower in the distance, she will get all wide eyed and puff herself up for a little while. Does Ziggy jump off the ground or is it more of a startled jerk? My Gwen, and my previous iguana, sometimes "jumps" as if something startled her even though there is absolutely no logical reason to be startled. I have heard of other iguanas also doing this so I don't think its an uncommon thing that some iguanas do. They also sneeze a lot. They are odd creatures.
Oh, and I was thinking; if you add the tank to the top how are you going to set up the lights? The tank would add a cool dome-like lookout point but UVB doesn't penetrate glass so that would be an issue if one of them spent much time in there. Maybe you could put it at the bottom of the enclosure and add water to it for them to swim around in/use as a toilet - that is another odd iguana habit; they use their water dish as a toilet. That's nearly a universal iguana thing. Perhaps you could add a ramp for them to get in/out. That would be pretty nifty and useful.