Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My igs spikes are huge and he's only about 3 years old. What causes the spikes to grow? Is it due to diet? I'm thinking that is can't be age because I have seen other older igs that have much smaller spikes than my 3 year old. Anyone know?? Below is a fairly recent pic of him...

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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Austin, & Kaiya)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 Hypo Corn Snake (Egan- means "little fire")
3 Red-Eared Slider Hatchlings (Otis, Jasper, & Jade)
1 Southern Painted Hatchling (Milo)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

I've wondered about that, too. I think the long crests are very cool.

I just assume it's the result of local genetic variation in the wild.

Roger

I think there are a few factors... As Roger said, genetic variation is an issue (probably the most important one). I'm sure there are certain places where iguanas usually have large spikes and others where they are usually short. I have no idea which areas "long spiked" iguanas are indigenous to... I'm sure diet plays a role in the health of the spikes. And, their living conditions, as well as how rambunctious they are (how often do they have a chance to smash their spikes) will have an affect on how long they are allowed to get.

My ig has long spikes too:

Thanks everyone for your input! I guess it helps that I take the shed off of the spikes once they are loose. I also mist my ig alot.

ALl of your igs are beautiful. The one ig's spikes are very nice! They are so straight and long!
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Austin, & Kaiya)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 Hypo Corn Snake (Egan- means "little fire")
3 Red-Eared Slider Hatchlings (Otis, Jasper, & Jade)
1 Southern Painted Hatchling (Milo)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

Now that I think about it, I do help him with his spike shed too... (Actually I end up removing most of it myself). He doesn't get as much moisture as he should though. I spray him, but he hates baths and it's very dry here.

>>Thanks everyone for your input! I guess it helps that I take the shed off of the spikes once they are loose. I also mist my ig alot.
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>>ALl of your igs are beautiful. The one ig's spikes are very nice! They are so straight and long!

Also I've noticed that humidity and baths play a part in how they shed their spikes. If a layer or two don't shed from their spikes then it will cut off circulation and cause the spike to get damaged or come off. When the shed comes off finally the spike will be shorter ans not as strong. When I got Boris he had about 5 or 6 layers of shed on his spikes. I soaked him and put baby oil on them for a couple days. Then the shed came off pretty easily, but the spikes were a lot shorter and damaged pretty bad. Before it looked like he had really long spikes, but the stuck shed had damaged them so bad they are small now. You can see all of the layers in this picture .

Here is a picture after all the shed was removed.