new iguanas

Question
QUESTION: Hi
I have a question to ask . i juss got my new baby iguanas, its about 6 week old and its been eatin this food called Bites from the pet store that it was in, and i was wondering should i still feed it that or i should buy it better nutrition to eat.I also like to know it the lightin of my iguanas is okay for juss one heat lamp that those guy gave to me in the pet shop.Its the kind that provide light and heat, i cant tell you whats the name because i have threw it away, but its a red bulb, and neeeded to know if i need a heat and lightin separate.Also i was reading this book on all about iguanas, and on this section about bone disease shows a picture of an iguanas that the skin along side of it body kinda have extra skin and stuff and my iguana kinda looks like that to but im not sure if its normal for baby iguanas to be like that.My iguana is pretty active tho, its climbs walks around when it wants to, it also climb to the top of the cage and hang upside down likes it spider-man haha but anyways i just wanted to know about my question.
Sorry to make you read all this. Thank You

ANSWER: Hello,

For lighting you need to have a flourescent UVB light, it is very important to his health.

For Heat you will need a separate light to produce. Ceramic Heat Emitters are often the best choice, they have a low fire risk, they save on energy, and can last several times longer then regular heat bulbs.

The red light can be used as night time heat, but I don't know of anything of a red bulb that provides both.

Many pet stores don't know much about reptiles and make stuff up as they go along. I am not sure about your pet store, they may be different but their information does not seem accurate.

The bites are good for him but you need to offer him vegetables as well. Mustard Greens, Squash etc. so he gets nutrients from many different foods.

When your talking about extra skin do you mean he has like skin flaps? It might just be because he is thin. He doesn't have enough weight to stretch his skin like it is supposed to be. Keep feeding him and he should fatten up to a healthy weight. But it is common babies will look like this.

Iguanas love to climb, you just need to give him a cage big enough to do so. Right now a 50 gallon is the smallest that I would put him in. Bigger is better. If you can start building the custom cage of 6 feet tall, 5ft. wide, and 3ft deep, that would be best and he would be much much happier.

Good luck
Yexalen

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi,
thanks for the great info, i juss bought a reptisun 5.0 would that be great for my iguana and do i still need to buy a separate heat source or can i use my heat lamp that i got, my temp is 86-87 inside the tank, do it need to be at less in the 90s ? Im also feedin my iguana parsley,radish,cabbage green,green peppers,green beans,prickly pears,pears,papaya,grapefruite all mix together cut up real good so it wont have a hard time eatin. Is that enough for its everyday meal or do i need to get better ? and everytime          it poop that means its been eatin right? cuhz i never see it eat and the plate looks pretty full or i juss dont notice little chunk missing, that would be all thank you for all your time.

Answer
Hello,

Your food items sound good, it might take him a while to feel comfortable eating in front of you and be sure you replace the food fresh daily. Try hand feeding might help as well.

You can use the heat lamp you have as long as you can maintain the proper temperatures.

Good luck
Yexalen