Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have just built my Lizzie a new 5'x5'x 3' cage. It is plywood on back (5' length, top, and one 3' side. I left the other two sides wire because living in Florida, I want her outside in the warm weather and want GOOD ventilation. Now...the question...lighting. I have a basking shelf that has a 100 watt bulb and a coil repti-sun on her. But for the rest of cage I would like to have more UVB... does the actual bulb have to be the ones in pet stores like Zoomed or Repti-Sun? There are bulbs at Home Depot that are florescent for plant and aquariums....are those ok? They sure are a lot, I mean a lot, cheaper. Do they put out the uvb? Also...with this size of cage...does the whole cage have to be warmed...or is the basking spot at 90 degrees ok...then the rest of cage room temp. She spends most of her time at basking spot...at night, I turn all lights out and cover open areas with blankets...Does this all sound OK/???

Is this an out-door enclosure, or both?

You have to contact ZooMed and ask them the specifications of UV output of their bulbs, and compare them to HD's. I may be wrong, but animals' need of UV is different from plants'.

Only the basking spot should be "hot", as in ideal basking temperatures. The middle ground will be slighty cooler, with the floor being cooler. Reptiles need to thermoregulate by moving around and change their body temperatures. Hence why a good enclosure has 2-3 different ambient temperatures.

At night, if the temperatures are ideal (here in SoFla it is still quite cool outside) leave it as is, and good idea with the blankets to prevent drafts. However, if it seems too cool, a red or ceramic bulb should provide sufficient night-time warmth.

-IJ

p.s. when possible, in the future, increase size of enclosure.

Thanks, Joe. Yes the enclosure will be used for "both". Right now she is inside. But as soon as it warms...out she goes to get as much UVB as she needs...Anyway...I will probably just get the Repti-Sun. I just thought if the 6.00 ones were as good...why not save...but I will throw out the 25.00 for the new light. It is better to be safe and broke ! Lizzie does have one more thing I would like to ask about. When I got her a year ago she had not been treated perfectly as there are white burns on her back, and her tail looked like it had been chopped off with a dark area in the back. Her tail has started to grow a bit, but about two weeks ago, I noticed it was getting kinda knarly looking at the end, like it was growing not smooth and straight...it also looked like it was going through a shed, but having trouble...so I watched it and kept it moist. I also took her to the vet for a COMPLETE check up. He said she looked good, no MBD, no internal parasites or external, but her tail had two little red marks in the green that he said to watch...well he was right...as two weeks later it didn't form a lump...but it got alittle swollen (not much though) and when I was running my finger smoothing it down...it started to ooze. I totally cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide and put neopsporin on it. then next day I soaked her in the tub, and really scraped at the end of her tail (stump)area. along the spines it seemed yucky too....so I just really rubbed, scraped and soaked in hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin again. She is acting fine, eating, being nice etc...She even walks around the house more than ever..very active. Is this the same as abscesses or what? I do not want to take her to the vet to have him say cut it...people say that is what they do unnecessarily, and I also heard antibiotics can be hard on their organs....what is your advice?

Tails (after claws) are the dirtiest part of an iguana. They get dragged over everything, including feces.

Sounds like it may have gotten infected, especially when you described the oozing.

Keep the cage extremely clean, and keep the tail clean as well. Gentle scrubbing with a soft tooth-brush works quite well.

Some people break Vitamin E geltabs and apply it to troublesome parts of the animals. This is debated tho, since iguanas have scales, and they do not necessarily abosrb the vitamin the way a mammalian epidermis do. However, since the area may have some exposed flesh, why not give it a try? I wouldn't give it orally.

Continue with the hydroperoxide cleaning and neosporin to keep things clean and prevent infections. During the day, I would put on a bandaid to keep the area clean and neosporin from smudging off, and at night let it breathe freely with, if you chose to, some Vitamin E on the area.

Reptiles are hardy animals, and heal quite well when properly cared. Because many live in soiled enclosures, they are exposed to a concentrated area of bacteria, hence why they so easily get infections, as to opposite when in the wild, where one sees limb-less, or tail-less animals living perfectly normal lives. But in captivity, it's a different game.

Keep it clean.
Keep up the good work.
As long as it eats, and behaves healthy, you shouldn't worry too much.
As long as it is not getting worse, you shouldn't worry too much either.
If the problem persist to no avail, go to the vet.
Ask him/her if there's an alternative to cutting it off (it will grow back anyways).

People have iguanas with regenerated tails, or who experience tail-loss all the time, and they manage well.

Hope it will get better soon!

-IJ