Iguana?

[Serpentine99]

anybody got advice on how to take care of one of these guys? We might be able to get a 30 gallon(high) tank, would that be big enough for a 3 footer? Our impulse kinda took over at a show today and he was 10 bucks so how could we resist him?:rolleyes:
Thanks,

Alex

[CrazyHedgehog]

these grow bloody huge, my friend has one and he basically has run of the house, just too big to keep in a tank. They have a tank area that he can go to for his heat lamp etc, but he wanders round house basically wrecking everything!! (he is trained though to only poop on lino which is quite weird, easy to clean, but the kitchen stinks!!)

[Stefan-A]

I don't think so. Sounds way too small for a 3 foot iguana. I think people use something like 2x2x1 meters as the "standard" cage size for an adult.

[Serpentine99]

Alright, thanks, i thought it was too small, we might have a standard adult cage that we can buy, still shopping around, apparantly if you put a water pan in the cage or, if its trained, somewhere in your house, then it will do its business in there.

[tikichick]

Congratulations! I wanna see pics! :)

I have 6 iguanas; 5 free roam (they have their own room) and 1 yearling in a reptarium (which I do not recommend - hard to keep humid and they can rub the scales off their noses against the mesh if they're stressed).

I highly recommend reading Melissa Kaplan's site if you haven't already. She has excellent info from diet, to housing, to health issues. Here's some links for you:

Melissa Kaplan's Green Iguana Care Collection (http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/) (the links to the iguana pages are down the page on the left side under "Page Index".)

Reptile Housing: Size, Dimension and Lifestyle (http://www.anapsid.org/enclsize.html) (Determining enclosure size)

Vegetable and Fruit Names: A Multi-Lingual Glossary for Herbivorous and Omnivorous Reptile Keepers (http://www.anapsid.org/resources/vegetablenames.html) (List of good and "bad" veggies)

I have written up a lot of advice/info on keeping iguanas over time as people have asked me. I don't have it in caresheet format, but I'll be glad to send you what I have if you'd like. Or if you have specific questions or concerns, hit me up anytime.

The most important things you should know off the bat -
UVB is absolutely necessary for calcium absorption and a must have
Humidity/fresh drinking water at all times/regular baths
Night temps no lower than 60 degrees F, optimal day time temps in the mid 80's F
Vegetarians- no bugs or mice
No spinach, broccoli or lettuce on a regular basis (only as treats)

If you'd like to see pics of mine, they're all in my webshots gallery (http://community.webshots.com/user/lauracox).

[adamanteus]

My advice? Always resist impulse buying.

[Stefan-A]

You're right, but I know it's sometimes hard as a buyer to distinguish between buying on impulse and seizing an opportunity.

[Serpentine99]

Stefan you kinda hit the nail on the head there, my dad thought he was seizing an opportunity, cant beat $10. Plus the guy was talking about how they were originally from a pet store and they were hating it there, so we were also feeling like rescuers.

[Serpentine99]

Thanks for the information tikichick, we're pretty much letting him free roam in a room right now, and just now while i was holding it it he kept opening his mouth so i put a slice of banana in there and he ate it, but i haven't seen him eat on his though. hes still probably settling in

[mycolorfulheart]

If you'd like to see pics of mine, they're all in my webshots gallery (http://community.webshots.com/user/lauracox).

you have an awesome collection! also i've heard a lot about people who get iguana's only to dump them when they get big; it's great to see someone who knows their stuff and can educate others.

[anji1971]

A very impressive collection!! That must keep you pretty busy!;)

[anji1971]

Oh, and congrats on the new addition Alex! I'm sure you'll get everything sorted out in no time!:)

[Serpentine99]

thanks, we're awaiting on the descision to pay for a cage or try our hand in making one ourselves, my mom even held it today, and we thought she would kick us out of the house and make us put it back were we found it like most reptiles i come home with.:D They're a little more expensive to care for than origionally thought, but, what isnt anymore.:)

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

im sure building a cage would be the cheapest by far proably save u $$200-400

i found this on the internet "A good size tank to start out with for a baby iguana is a standard 30 to 50 gallon tank. As your iguana grows, it will probably be necessary to build or have built a custom cage. The standard for deciding on cage size is one and one half times the length of the lizard in length, two thirds the length of the lizard in width, and the length of the lizard in height. We have found higher is better. Iguanas love to climb and love to be up high"

thanks, we're awaiting on the descision to pay for a cage or try our hand in making one ourselves, my mom even held it today, and we thought she would kick us out of the house and make us put it back were we found it like most reptiles i come home with.:D They're a little more expensive to care for than origionally thought, but, what isnt anymore.:)

[Serpentine99]

Thanks reed, we're leaning toward building one aswell, im curious to see how it will turn out though knowing my dads strive for perfection i have faith it will turn out alright.

[tikichick]

(blushing) Thanks, yall :)

Here's a few cage links:
http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas/cagepage/cagepagebody.html
Constructing IguanaWORLD - An Overview (http://www.lizardcages.fws1.com/iguanaworld.htm)


Nice one for decor inspiration:
Custom Reptile Cages Iguana Cage Custom Reptile Enclosure Snake Cages Reptile Habitat Aquariums (http://www.jworlds.net/intro.html)

Nifty shelf:
Napoleon's Photo Gallery - iguana pictures (http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/napphoto.htm)

Always good to let em go outside for fresh air and natural UVB. This one would also work indoors:
Outdoor Cages (http://www.greenigsociety.org/outdoorcages.htm)
The Reptile Rooms :: Bearded Dragons, other Lizards, Snakes, Turtles and more! (http://www.reptilerooms.com/Sections+index-req-viewarticle-artid-25-page-1.html)

Fun with pvc:
Knock-Down PVC Cage (http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9008/pvccage.html)

[tikichick]

Next time he opens his mouth, shove a leafy green in it. Collards are the fave of my igs, followed by turnip and then mustard greens. Thinly sliced (no wider than their heads) yam or yellow squash is another fave. Once you get something in its mouth, you can piggy-back more food - they pull the food toward the back of the mouth with the tongue, so it's like a little conveyor belt. When the first piece of greens is almost all the way in, place another one on top of it and they'll keep chewing. They do love bananas, so that could be a good way to get it started and follow up with the veggies. Some folks will shred the greens into tiny pieces. Mine big ones enjoy tearing them off the stem. I usually tear the greans into pieces the size of their heads, some smaller, some larger. It's easier for them to get a hold of than tiny little bits.

I have some short vids of my big girls eating on youtube:
YouTube - johnnieranger's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/johnnieranger)

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

lol ive always wanted to take a iguana or big monitor lizard on a walk it would be priceless to see people's faces

[drache]

gosh
you make me a little envious
not that I've got the space, but even if I did, they're illegal to keep in NY

[KITKAT]

anybody got advice on how to take care of one of these guys? We might be able to get a 30 gallon(high) tank, would that be big enough for a 3 footer? Our impulse kinda took over at a show today and he was 10 bucks so how could we resist him?:rolleyes:
Thanks,

Alex

Melissa Kaplan has an excellent website on Iguana care. She is probably one of the world's foremost experts on Iguanas, but the website is not too technical for easy reading. I will quote what she says about enclosures below, but you really should visit her site (link below) and browse around if you want to give your Iguana a quality life that makes him or her an enjoyable pet.

Green Iguana Care Sheet and Information - WNYHS (http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/lizards/green-iguana.php)

Enclosure: The enclosure for an adult iguana is very large. The enclosure should be at least six feet tall, about 1½ to twice the length of the iguana, and 2/3 to one full length of the iguana wide. For a six foot adult iguana, this is an enclosure that is 9 to 12 feet long, four to six feet wide, and at least six feet tall. Sufficient branches and shelves for climbing and lounging should also be provided. To give you perspective on the size of the enclosure, most small bedrooms are only 9 feet wide. This is why many owners dedicate a separate room as their "iguana room." Some owners also allow their iguanas to "free range" throughout the house. If you allow your iguana to live in its own room or free range, be sure the keep the area the iguana will frequent free of small objects that the iguana may accidentally ingest.

[tikichick]

lol ive always wanted to take a iguana or big monitor lizard on a walk it would be priceless to see people's faces

I've had mine in the car a few times for vet visits, or when I pick up a new rescue, and if I stop somewhere, I get all kinds of responses. Some people will think its not real and jump when it moves, others will be fascinated and want to pet them. :)

[Serpentine99]

Wow tikichick your iguanas are beautiful. they all look great, and thanks for the advice, i love to feed him and it has been ones of the things i look forward to when i get home. it snowed today, which was supposed to be the day we got the UV light, will it have a dramatic effect on him if getting the light is delayed? your story about the car reminds me about the first day we got our iguana which i have yet to name, my dad put the defroster on and he slept on the dashboard heat vent the whole ride home.

Thanks for the information Kitkat, i found that site shortly after i posted that. I guess i should have searched a little bit before asking you guys but i trust you guys more than a google search for helpful information anyway.

[tikichick]

Thanks! :)

No, a few days without UVB is ok, it'd mimic overcast weather. If it goes on for more than a couple days, add calcium powder to the food. I would try not to go longer than a 3-5 days though. It can take very little time (only weeks) for metabollic bone disease to start in diurnal herps, so you'll want to give it daily UVB exposure 99 % of the time. ;)

[Serpentine99]

ok thanks again, i beleive the petstore down the road carries UV lights, so ill see if we can go look tommorow. But its far too late to be venturing out today, plus i have school tommorow, off to ask my biology teacher why im failing her class even though its like the first week of the marking period and we havent turned anything in for a grade yet. i think she just hates me:D;)

[Lori P]

Well good luck with your teacher!! Spout off something interesting about garter snake biology and impress her... :-)

[Serpentine99]

her son has a boa that eats live rats, so she doesn't want to hear about my snakes unfortunately.

[Lori P]

Well, that's pretty close minded of her. She should still want to hear what you have to say. Did you get to talk to her today?

[Serpentine99]

no, i didnt have her class today, i was gonna talk to her after school but i got what i think is my billionth ear infection, i used to get em all the time when i was little and havent had one for a while. so i have yet to solve the failing mystery

[drache]

I'm so sorry about both you ear infection and the science teacher stress
I hope it all works out

[KITKAT]

her son has a boa that eats live rats, so she doesn't want to hear about my snakes unfortunately.

Write an unsolicited essay about gartersnake biology and turn it in. If your grammar, writing skills, spelling, and facts are correct, maybe she will respect that!:D

[Serpentine99]

I'm so sorry about both you ear infection and the science teacher stress
I hope it all works out

Thanks, i think i got everything worked out and my infections gone, plus i just finished a project on albinism and knowing my presentation skills i think it will be an easy A for me:)


Write an unsolicited essay about gartersnake biology and turn it in. If your grammar, writing skills, spelling, and facts are correct, maybe she will respect that!:D

Nows thats an idea! I think that would gain alot of her respect for me but i will have to save this essay for time of desperation because of my condition known as chronic laziness. But again its a good idea.