Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have some questions for the green iguana experts in this forum. At the moment I do not have an iguana. I plan on getting one very soon. I plan on purchasing my baby from LLL Reptiles and they have a package that they will sell you with it. The package includes a 65 Gallon reptarium with a light and UVB bulb and various vines and other things that allow for climbing and so on. I would like to know if anyone else has purchased an iguana from them and about how long the baby will take to grow out of that enclosure. I have already purchased The Ultimate Owners Manual by James W. Hatfield III and in the book there is a plan for the ultimate iguana cage. The cage is supposed to be 8 feet in length. Unfortunately I don't have a spot that will accomidate that and I do not want to put him in my snake room which I fear will only stress him. Will it be seriously detrimental to the iguana that I want to get if I only make the cage 6 ft in length, 4 ft wide and about 6 ft tall? I really would like to build this huge structure while he is growing in the 65 gallon enclosure. If I put him in this enclosure after he outgrows the other one will he freak? I plan on giving him free run of the house when I am at home and he gets bigger, but when I am gone I just don't feel it would be completely safe. I have an old shed out back as well and I think I may make an outdoor enclosure for him for when it is nice outside so he can have as much exposure to pure sunlight as possible. Anyway. I am very sorry that this post is so long and has so many questions. Thank you in advance for all your help.
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Vicky Lord
1.0 boyfriends (Jeremy)
1.1 cats (Oscar, Angel)
1.1 dogs (Toto, Jesse)
1.0 San Felipe Rosy Boa (Herman)
1.0 Catavina Rosy Boa (George)

I plan on purchasing my baby from LLL Reptiles and they have a package that they will sell you with it. The package includes a 65 Gallon reptarium with a light and UVB bulb and various vines and other things that allow for climbing and so on. I would like to know if anyone else has purchased an iguana from them and about how long the baby will take to grow out of that enclosure.

There are so many unwanted/homeless iguanas out there. The pet trade and irresponsible owners who bought iguanas on an impulse w/o any research are the main reasons. Buying an iguana from a petstore is keeping the cycle going. So I always recommend looking into adoptions first. I know babies are cute but adopting can be so rewarding. All my pets are adopted. And I don't regret adopting them. Sometimes adoptions will come with some of the stuff needed. Mine didn't though.

A 65 gallon reptarium will not last him too much beyond 1 year. You need to start planning soon on building his adult enclosure.

If that setup comes with particle substrate or a heat rock, dish the substrate and cut the cord off the heat rock.

I have already purchased The Ultimate Owners Manual by James W. Hatfield III and in the book there is a plan for the ultimate iguana cage. The cage is supposed to be 8 feet in length. Unfortunately I don't have a spot that will accomodate that and I do not want to put him in my snake room which I fear will only stress him. Will it be seriously detrimental to the iguana that I want to get if I only make the cage 6 ft in length, 4 ft wide and about 6 ft tall?

Bigger is always better but if you are planning to freeroam him some on a regular basis for exercise then that size will be good. The thing about freeroaming is to make sure he still gets back to bask under his UVB lights.

I really would like to build this huge structure while he is growing in the 65 gallon enclosure. If I put him in this enclosure after he outgrows the other one will he freak?

Well he may. They hate change and go through what is called relocation/change stress. It is recommended that they be not handled except when necessary for a couple of weeks. Necessary being feeding/watering, and cleaning the enclosure and him. This gives him/her time to settle into their new time. You will need to do that also when you get him. You can sit by the enclosure though talking to him to get him used to you being around.

The book you got is one of the very best. Read it thoroughly. But the diet and lighting I feel needed some updating but that is just my opinion of course. The following is something I usually recommend to new owner's

The three main things that effect growth and bone development are diet, temperatures, and UVB

DIET :

An iguana's diet should contain the following each day:
70-80% calcium rich greens: Collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelions, arugula, watercress are the better ones. Kale, beet greens, chicory greens and escarole used in combination with the better greens are also good. Stay away from lettuces (except for a very occasional treat) because they have very very little nutrition if at all and the iguana will fill up on it and not eat the nutritional food--in other words it is junk food. Spinach should only be used occasionally because it is way too high in oxalates and phosphorous. The oxalates bind with the calcium making it indigestible and the phosphorous binds with calcium in the blood making the calcium there useless. But spinach is high in iron so it is good if only used very occasionally (1-2x a month maybe).
20-30% vegetables: Winter squash (acorn, butternut, kabocha, ect..), green beans, snap peas, okra, parsnip, yucca root. Summer squash (zucchini, yellow, Mexican or white, ect...) occasionally is good too. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are good color enhancers.
No more than 10% fruit: Blueberries, figs, mango, papaya, and prickly pear (cactus) are the better fruits. Strawberries, raspberries, black berries and melons are good. Flowers should be considered a fruit
percentages based on volume
ABSOLUTELY NO ANIMAL PROTEIN OR BY PRODUCTS

Many say that with a good diet you don't need supplements and others say our soil is so depleted we need some supplements. This is just one of the ways that I recommend doing it.

Rep-Cal Iguana food soaked is a recommended supplement that helps
**appetite--the color and smell seems to increase their appetite
**hydration--the pellets act as sponges, they soak up twice their volume of water
**regularity--the increase hydration help keep things moving
**mineral/vitamin supplements--no other supplements are needed other than a probiotic

Use 1-2 tablespoons for an adult iguana or one teaspoon for a baby. Soak it in water for about 5 minutes--it will be about twice the size after soaking. Sprinkle this over the greens/vegetable diet.

TEMPERATURE

Iguanas need heat to digest their food. They have a hindgut where they get 30-40% of their nutrients digesting the fiber in their diets. There are organisms there that break down the fiber for them so they can get the nutrients out. Those organisms go on strike if the temperature gets below 85. Then all digestion ceases at temperatures below 70-75. So iguanas need to be able to thermo regulate their body temperature. They do this by moving between warmer and cooler areas of their enclosure. So it is important to provide the correct temperature gradients (zones).
Basking should be 92-98 (some say 90-95).
Ambient (overall) should be (80-85).
Coolest (farthest and lowest from basking) should never be less than 70-75
Nighttime NO less than 70-75 but 80-85 is good if not better.
To have this you need a large enough enclosure with the heat set up properly.

Please note: Hot Rocks should not be used. Hot/heat rocks are iguana slow cookers. They need radiant heat from above like they would get in the sun. Yes, they will lie on a warm log but once they lay on it the warmth is absorbed and the log will cool off. With a hot rock it doesn't cool off and keeps slowly cooking the skin and flesh of the iguana. They end up with severe burns because they don't realize that they are getting slowly cooked. My own iguana has a scar from being burnt from her heat rock. I still have it but the cord is cut off.

UVB LIGHTINGCRITICAL requirement

Iguanas need UVB to produce natural D3. They do not utilize dietary D or D3 efficiently if at all and the dietary D3 doesn't break down like natural D3 if not needed. So it is important to either provide natural UVB (through unfiltered sunshine) or artificial. Artificial can be provided by fluorescent tubes (not compact or coil) or mercury.

Fluorescents need to be set up

Quote:from: http://www.cyber-ig-info.netfirms.com/uvb_light.htm
1) Purchase good-quality, proven fluorescent tubes. We recommend Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 manufactured by ZooMed®. These lights have shown to produce the best amount of UVA and UVB for Iguanas and other sun-basking reptiles and are readily available in most pet shops.
2) Use (2) of these lights in tandem to gain the maximum amount of UVB necessary.
3) Use a good-quality lighting fixture. Low-cost fixtures have a lesser quality ballast that effects UV output form the lamps.
4) Increase UV output by using a fixture with a highly reflective surface. Covering the reflector wings with common tin/aluminum foil (shiny-side out) will increase UV output by 50%.
5) Place the fixture so that it is no farther than 6"-8" from the back of the iguana while basking. The greater the distance from light to reptile, the less UVB is produced. This recommendation is based on the Reptisun 5 or 10 or similar fluorescents. There are a few new fluorescent tubess out there that may be dangerous at this distance so please do research.
6) Replace fluorescent tubes every six-months as a general rule. UVB weakens and disappears after about six-months. It's important to realize that even though the tube is still producing light, there may not be any UVB left. You can readily monitor the UVB amount by using a Solarmeter 6.2 UVB Radiometer. This handy device will allow you to measure the UVB emissions in microwatts per centimeter squared (mW/cm2), allowing you to know exactly when the tubes have become so weak they need to be replaced. This can save you money in the long-run as some tubes will produce UVB up to one year

Mercury vapor bulb set up will depend on the brand and strength you get. IMO MegaRay by Reptile UV is the best
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Marie
Poyner Corner

I have heard good things about LLL's reptiles and iguanas. though I dont really support breeding of iguanas and ball pythons and such that are waaay too common in the reptile world, whatever you choose is whatever you choose. I get iguanas on a regular basis, most of them aren't adults. They arent babies either. they're usually around 2-3 ft, which i think is better than getting a baby b/c babies are harder to handle and a little more nippy. there are a lot of rescues that have adult iguanas that need homes but not many people that want adult iguana. I have a list of people that want to adopt iguanas- none of them want babies, problem is, i dont have anything but the 2-3 footers right now. the problem with rescue iguanas is: they usually have never had UVB or natural sunlight so they're all MBD which isn't cureable but you can stop it from getting worse. several of the ones i've gotten are missing tails or part tails- which I see as a bonus to me- i dont get whipped near as often but they also dont get adopted and cant climb quite as well but otherwise are just as good as an ig with a tail. anyway- he will outgrow a 65 gal. in no time at all. im still amazed at how fast they grow... which is probably why i end up with so many. My cages aren't quite that big for the ones i have- just because i house so many. I'm building some cages outside right now- as well as working on the ones in my garage and finishing our big burmese/retic cage. its slow going but getting there. I've planted a bunch of crape mertyl trees along my fence in the back yard so my igs arent quite as visible. anyway- good luck with your new baby.
beth
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue

I would not mind getting a rescue iguana, but I do not wantto get one that is completely afraidofbeing handled and freaks out and bites me all the time. That would be no fun for either of us. If anyone knows of any that are up for adoption that have a somewhat sunny disposition please let me know.
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Vicky Lord
1.0 boyfriends (Jeremy)
1.1 cats (Oscar, Angel)
1.1 dogs (Toto, Jesse)
1.0 San Felipe Rosy Boa (Herman)
1.0 Catavina Rosy Boa (George)

I just want everyone to know that I just put in an application to get an iguana from the green iguana society. It is a 1 yr old ig that is STL 8" and lives in a 10 gallon tank. The person lives about 30 mintues from my house and they say everything is included, but I'm throwing that tank out and buying him a nice big 260 gallon reptarium until I have his new enclosure built. Thanks for all your help, if I get him I will post pics for you. I hope I get him all the other ones that were on the site wer in PA and NJ and that's like 2 hours away. Plus he is young enough that he shouldnt have major health problems yet. Maybe I can save him before it's too late for him.
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Vicky Lord
1.0 boyfriends (Jeremy)
1.1 cats (Oscar, Angel)
1.1 dogs (Toto, Jesse)
1.0 San Felipe Rosy Boa (Herman)
1.0 Catavina Rosy Boa (George)

That is great!!! Thank you so very much. But it may take a bit but don't get discouraged. The GIS just lists them. They pass the application on with any comments and it is up to the owner to contact prospective adopters. I put in my application for Mr Iggy (renamed Huff) in August and didn't hear anything until October 2004. I am glad I waited. He was worth the wait even if he is a turd at times. He was in a tank that was no longer than him on his branch. I didn't take the tank although I should have. I probably could have found a use for it. You may have problems but people have the same problems with ones they bought as a baby. Good luck.
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Marie
Poyner Corner

don't throw the tank away, donate it to the a rescue society.

There is no guarantees with either babies or adoptions. Babies can be mean too. It is just their bites, tailwhips, and scratches doesn't hurt as much. With adoptions though you can ask about their temperment and maybe even meet the iguana. Of course baby or adoption there will be an adjustment period. Also babies can be so very fragile.

Here is one adoption list: http://www.greenigsociety.org/adoptanig.htm

Also on that site there is a list of other adoptions/rescues.
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Marie
Poyner Corner

I want to give it a really nice cage while I am in the process of building the really large one for him. I was thinking about a 260 gallon Reptarium, but I don't know what would be the best method to heat the reptarium with. It's completely open so I don't know how it will hold the heat either. I was thinking about maybe a ceramic heat emitter because I hear heat tape doesn't work too well since they spend most of their time up on a ledge or branch. I have a 24" hood light from an old tank and I'm gonna buy a UVB bulb, but I don't know which is the best to get. I was also going to get a heat bulb for a basking spot since I have a clam lamp that is not being used. SO does anybody have any good ideas for an efective heat source and the best type of bulbs to buy: one for UVB light and another for basking light? I have a thermostat and a thermometer and I'm putting a pan in the bottom with a little water for elimination purposes. So thanks everybody for the help and sorry I have so many questions.
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Vicky Lord
1.0 boyfriends (Jeremy)
1.1 cats (Oscar, Angel)
1.1 dogs (Toto, Jesse)
1.0 San Felipe Rosy Boa (Herman)
1.0 Catavina Rosy Boa (George)

Here are some of the best sites to get you started. sorry, I don't know how to make them links, but you can copy and paste.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IguanaDen/messages

http://www.iguanaden.net/health/rehab.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BabyIguana/messages

http://www.greenigsociety.org/