Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Need to hear some thoughts on the use of natural local foliage for Iguana enclosures. I was wondering about using branches from trees being cut down in "Tiny's" enclosure.

Just wanted to hear everyone's thoughts good or bad. Like I said I am a croc guy and used to handling them. I included a link to our site so you can take a gander at some of our animals. The top pic is from last summer and the 2 largest in the pic ar 6 1/2 foot and 7 foot in length.
Mi Croc rescue

Natural foliage is great, just double-check for toxicity if other than branches and vines.

One draw-back with natural foliage: they can die or rot.
They can house mites and other unwanted visitors.
They cannot be cleaned, as in disinfected/sterilized like fake plants.
If one breaks/dies/etc. it is not as easy to replace with an identical one.

However, they do offer the best visual look, and if done right, can last a long time. They are however, more adapt for out-door enclosures.

Fake plants are more expensive, but they can be more easily cleaned/disinfected, they don't "die", and can be easily kept outdoors/indoors. One problem is, they may not be always sturdy to withstand the abuse of claws and weight of the animal.

Real or fake foliage should always be inspected for spiders/mites, etc. Also, some people soak either in a bath-tub in a water/bleach solution, and then rinse thoroughly. The same done with rocks taken from the land.

Sounds complicated, it really isn't.
Make sure brances can be secured with nails or screws. Gorilla glue is a tough non-toxic glue that bonds things very well.

Rocks and branches can be cleaned using steamers. Actual plants, if real, cannot, so think about it.

Make sure that whatever natural plant you acquire, it won't become food, and if the iguana eats some, it won't be toxic.

Can't wait to see pictures once finished!

-IJ

i dont use any kind of decoration inside my igs cages because im afraid they will eat them or poop on them. I dont want to arrive home after 10 hours of hard work at the office to find out that the whole fake tree is full of awful smelling branches because my igs didnt like it and decided to "show"their deslike!If the tree is real, my igs will eat the flowers, leaves, soil, whatever they think must be "yammy"" and can become poisoned, impacted, get parasites (soil) or get a diarrhea.If the plant is fake they can eat the leaves, flowers with the same result.But the parasites, lol!Or transform it in their private bathroom. No thanks! I have already spent countless nights cleaning the poop and desinfecting decorative items i put in my iguana's cages!

Iguanas have their own opinion about what they like-deslike inside their homes! Several months ago i put a gadget inside my iguana's bowl of water to make steam.TREX hated it and found a way to turn it off. I turned it on, he turned it off, i insisted and TREX bit the cable until it was destroyed for good!

If i was you i would paint the walls or use a decorative poster glued on the walls, or a beautiful wall paper as the decoration for your iguana cage.But thats only my opinion.

Flavia

I haved to disagree with the previous post a bit. I don't disagree with her decision to not use foliage, whatever works is fine. I think however, that if you would like to use foliage, it would be fine. Just make sure that there aren't any pesticides or fertilizers or other unhealthy things on it. If you choose to use live foliage, make sure it is non-toxic. If you choose fake foliage, make sure none of it can be eaten and that it is non-toxic. Tree branches sound fine. I would not reccomend any dead leaves or things of that nature due to the possibility of ingestion.