Iguana Cage

The Essential Components of a Proper Iguana Cage

When people think about buying an iguana, different questions come to mind. More often than not, one of these questions is: Where do I keep it? People then try to find out the components of an iguana cage. If you are trying to find the best iguana cage for your pet, here's a guide for you:

1) Size – The first thing you want to know about is how big the iguana cage has to be. Some people have the misconception that the cage will limit the size of the iguana. This is not true. An iguana under ideal conditions will grow up to 6 feet long. This means that you will need to have a huge iguana cage in order to accommodate your pet. In fact, some people provide a whole room instead of an iguana cage for their pets!

Of course, if you are not yet ready to provide this space for your iguana, you could choose to delay until your iguana grows to its full size. However, the iguana cage that you provide should be large enough to contain the activities of your iguana. It should not cramp the animal in any way. If you choose to wait until your iguana has grown to full size, you should at least prepare and make plans for the time when you are going to need a bigger iguana cage.

2) Temperature – an iguana is cold blooded. This means that they need to regulate their body temperatures by making use of the environment. What are the implications of this? This means that you need to provide different temperatures in the iguana cage. This is so that the iguana can move from different spots to properly regulate its body temperature. You should also try to include a source of heat without light which will be used during the night time.

3) Humidity – iguanas require high levels of humidity to live comfortably. They are easily dehydrated because of the fact that iguanas aren't really inclined to drink much. This is because the native habitats of iguanas have high humidity and this keeps them from being dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to kidney failure. This means that not having enough humidity can shorten the life of your iguana. Another reason to keep your iguana cage humid is the fact that humidity helps loosen skin. This means that an iguana will have an easier time shedding skin if it is kept in a humid environment. If you wan to keep your iguana healthy, you should provide an iguana cage that has a humidity of 65 to 75 percent of the air.

4) Lighting – iguanas need a source of UVA and UVB light. Of course, the best source that you can make use of is the sun. This does not mean that you should place your iguana cage in a sunlit area. The glass or plastic of iguana cages filter out the UV light much needed by iguanas for production of vitamin D3. This vitamin helps in calcium consumption. This means that you need to let your iguana bask in direct sunlight as much as possible. This helps in developing strong bones and preventing Metabolic Bone disease which is a very common cause of death among iguanas in captivity.

Other than the sun, your iguana cage should also include an artificial source of UVA and UVB light. This is in order to make up for days when the sunlight is not enough for your iguana.

Cleaning And Maintaining Your Iguana

There is much to do to take care of your iguana, but you’ll also want to learn how to keep it healthy.  There are several things you’ll need to do to provide for your iguana’s health.

Cleanliness Of The Habitat

First, you’ll always have to maintain the level of cleanliness with your iguana.   Anything that can make you ill can do serious damage to your iguana.  Therefore, the feeding bowls and anything that is used with your pet should be kept clean and sanitary.  That goes for his food and water bowls, which should be washed every day.  If you see that there are feces or waste in his habitat, clean it up.  You’ll want to do this daily, too.  Don’t wait!

Your iguana’s habitat also needs to be sanitized.  That means that everything in there, including the floors, walls, climbing structure…everything, needs to be washed and disinfected every week.  You can purchase cleaning supplies at your local pet shop to help you to maintain the health of your iguana’s habitat.

You also have to keep you clean.  After touching your iguana or anything that belongs to him or his habitat, wash your hands with antibacterial soap really well.  They can spread salmonella!

Cleaning Your Iguana

Yes, an iguana needs a good bath, too.  To give your iguana a bath, you’ll need to place it in a tub of water that is quite shallow.  You can use your bathtub, but for sanitary reasons, it is better to purchase its own tub for bathing.  Never bath them in the skin or anywhere where the area can come in contact with food.  Everything should be sterilized before and after your iguana has a bath.

Never use any type of soap on your iguana.  Keep the water warm and allowing a soft shower to run is just fine as long as not much water stays in the tub.  Give them a batch as often as you can, even daily.  But, at least one time per week should be done.

Allow your iguana to get a bit of time in the water.  About 30 minutes will allow it to soak and enjoy itself.  Never walk away from your iguana at this time.  It only takes a second for them to disappear on you!

Training Your Iguana

It’s important to mention some training here.  That’s because you’ll want to be able to bring your iguana home to a nice, ready home and allow him to get acclimated to the area.  There are many things you’ll want to take into consideration when it comes to training your iguana.  First, realize that your iguana needs time to get adjusted to his home.  It may take some time!

Allow your iguana to visit his hiding place without being bothered or pulled out of it.  In addition, when you do pick him up and take him out of his habitat, watch for signs of stress.  If he doesn’t like what you are doing, he’s stressed and he fears for his life.  Place him near his hiding place and leave him alone.

The process of taming your iguana will take time and patience.  Use smaller sessions at first to get them used to you.  One way to help provide the right level of care to your iguana is to allow him to watch you.  Start out by watching him watch you from a distance and for a short amount of time.  Then, add onto this slowly until you are sitting near him and watching him.

After he’s used to watching you, you can begin working with touching him.  Don’t pick him up yet!  He’s not ready for that.  But, put your hand close enough to him.  Don’t touch his head or his tail.  Touch for a second and then move away.  Little by little, you’ll be able to increase how long you can touch him.  Don’t push it because if he doesn’t like being petted, it will take a lot of work to get him to allow it again.

Once your pet begins to allow you to pet him, including his head, you can begin to see that he’s comfortable with you.  It’s advisable not to actually pick up your iguana for some time.  He’s just going to take a while to adjust to you.  Once you’ve gotten to the point where he doesn’t seem bothered at all by your petting, you can consider it.  Never grab his tail!  The tail can actually break off in order for them to escape. 

By petting its underbelly, it may rise up and want to be petted there more so.  When that happens, you’ll be able to slowly pick him up.  But, for these first few times, pick him up slowly and then put him back down.  By doing this it will help to make the process easier and keep your iguana happier, longer.  With lots of practice, you’ll be able to pick him up for longer periods of time.

Feed Your Iguana

What to feed them.  Here’s a good variety: 

Greens:  At least 40 percent of their diet should be made up of foods like turnip greens, collards, dandelion, water cress, and escarole.

Vegetables:  Another 40 percent of their diets should provide vegetables like green beans, mushrooms, bell peppers, squashes, peas, parsnips, okra, alfalfa, sweet potatoes and carrots.

Fruits: Keep this to less than ten percent of their diets and it can include foods like raspberries, mango, fig, apples, bananas, papaya, or melons.

Protein supplements:  Don’t give more than five percent of this but it can come from alfalfa pellets or other commercial brands.

Grains:  Less than five percent of their food can come from grains such as cooked rice and pasta, whole wheat breads of others. 

There are other foods that should never be given to your iguana.  Those include any type of insect or animal protein, any type of dairy product, no eggs, no type of other animal pet foods, no rhubarb.  Some foods can be given but only sparingly such as foods that contain citrus, lettuce leaves, or tofu.

Taking Care Of Your Iguana Correctly

There are many aspects of caring for your iguana that you still need to take into consideration, even after building your habitat.  Let’s break them down here.

Feeding Them

Iguanas are very delicate animals and part of that comes from their dietary needs.  But, it will be up to you to determine what the right foods for your iguana are based on his tastes and your needs.  But, we’ll break it down for you too.

Don’t be fooled by myths.  Iguanas eat plants, not any type of insect or animal.  If they do ingest this it is only by accident.  They are herbivores!  Don’t make the mistake of feeding your iguana any type of animal protein. 

As for what you should do, there are several things you’ll need to take into consideration.  First, anything that you give your pet should be clean, healthy and sterile.  Fresh food and water is a must for you and so is it for them.  You’ll have an unhealthy living environment with a sick iguana if you allow them to drink dirty water.

You should feed your iguana daily.  Give him clean water several times per day, too.  Although you may hear that you don’t have to do this, it is imperative to provide your pet with fresh food daily and allow him to eat as much as he wants.

You should feed your iguana daily.  Give him clean water several times per day, too.  Although you may hear that you don’t have to do this, it is imperative to provide your pet with fresh food daily and allow him to eat as much as he wants. 

Don’t worry about over feeding them.  They can’t be overfed.  But, how much; give them food and let them eat.  You’ll soon be able to tell just how much is too much and how much he wants.  As he gets bigger, his appetite will grow, too.  Feed him in the morning, after he’s waken for the best, all day temperature aided digestion he needs.

Water is a funny thing with iguanas.  In fact, you should train them to drink more water.  To do this, use a highly enjoyed piece of lettuce, such as collards, and place a small amount of it in their water bowl.  When he eats it, he’ll take in water too.  Soon, make the piece smaller and smaller until he is coming to the bowl to drink water rather than to eat the treat.

One thing that is important in feeding your iguana is the amount of calcium to phosphorus that they get.  Its called the Calcium to phosphorus ratio or Ca:P.  You want this ratio to be 2 to 1.  Most foods are high in one but low in the other of these.  Remember, a variety of foods is perfect for the iguana so keeping this in mind, feed him a diet of variety that provides a 2 to 1 ratio in these elements.

Male Iguana

Iguanas – What Are They?

Iguanas are considered as a relative of lizards. They are among the exotic animals that are kept as pets by some people in the present-day society. In fact, there are many pet shops now that sell iguanas at a fairly low price. The iguanas that are usually sold in these pet shops are those that are quite young. People see these iguanas as very cute that they become interested in keeping them as pets. But the fact is they are still reptiles that has the tendency to grow bigger and bigger and can become very aggressive.

Iguanas can be a good pet but you should not forget that like other pets they need proper feeding and care. To understand the proper way to care for iguanas, it is important that you have knowledge of the basic nature of iguanas, their feeding habits, their habitat, and other issues relevant to their existence.

What is an iguana? Are they similar to lizards? What are their characteristics? Are they harmful? Iguanas belong to the family of lizards. Specifically they are a member of the family Iguanidae. They are deemed to be invasive species that are mostly found along the shores of Gasparilla Island and the coastline of the gulf of Florida. They are commonly seen in the beach and attics of houses. But generally speaking, iguanas thrive best in the wilds especially in deserts and rain forests.

There are various species of iguana. They normally vary depending on the environment in which they live. Some iguanas dwell in dry lands while others grow best in rain forests. Some are even found in the sea. These iguanas are called marine iguanas. There are also iguanas that are called as green iguanas. They are very common in Mexico and the South American countries particularly in Brazil. By and large, iguanas are classified into four major kinds namely: marine iguana, green iguana, blue iguana and lesser Antillean iguana.  In terms of the food they eat, iguanas are known as herbivores. They feed on leaves, fruits, and other parts of plants.

Iguanas have different features and behavior. In essence, a male iguana looks and acts in a different way compared to a female iguana.  In terms of territorial behavior, a male iguana will fight tooth and nail with other male iguanas even if their life is at risk. They do this to win supremacy over the territory. A male iguana will find other males and wage in war. Just like humans, the male iguanas have ego, they want to be the only powerful male iguana in a certain territory. They seek out for other males to declare war and mate with females.

Hence, there are other things that you have to know about iguanas. These include the fact that iguanas are arboreal. They dwell in trees and it’s just natural for them to climb on some stuff as well. They lay eggs and they can stay alive for 30 years.

All in all, if you want to keep an iguana as a pet, you have to take into consideration the do’s and don’ts of caring for them. The cage of your pet iguana should be cleaned well regularly. And also the cage must be very big. In addition, you have to take into account that your pet iguana should have the appropriate kind of lighting, supply of heat and water. They should be fed on a daily basis. It is important to feed them properly so as to keep them on good physical shape. And most importantly, the iguana should be taken to the vet for a checkup at least once a year. When you have understood all these things, then you’re ready to house an iguana.

Marine Iguanas

What are Marine Iguanas

As its name suggests, the marine iguana is set apart from the rest of its relative mainly because it has a unique attribute of being capable to forage and live in the seawater. The marine iguana is in truth only to be found thriving within the Galapagos Islands that is why its existence in the island has branded the reptile the name “Galapagos marine iguana”. The natural habitat of the marine iguana is on the rocky shores of the Galapagos Island but they can likewise be seen in the mangrove and marshes beaches. 

Some people such as Charles Darwin describe the marine iguanas as the black lizards thriving on the sea. But the truth is that the marine iguanas are not usually black in color. The younger marine iguanas take the dorsal stripe color whereas the adult ones are grayish. Their color may be really dull but there is a reason behind this. Such color allows them to easily absorb heat right after they emerge out of the water. Their food is usually the marine algae. They expel the remaining salts from their nasal glands as they go on with basking under the heat of the sun. The salt contained in their bodies makes their faces appear whiter.

More so, the matured male marine iguanas have a varying color—all of which depend on the existing season. During the breeding seasons, the adult male marine iguanas become teal-green or reddish in colors. Those thriving in Santa Cruz appear in black and red brick while those found in Fernandina come in dull green and brick red colors. Their sizes likewise differ which depends on the island that they live in. Those found in the whole of Isabela and Fernandina are the largest marine iguanas in the entire island of Galapagos. Meanwhile, the smallest marine iguanas are to be found in Genovesa.

As said to be poikilothermic animals, the marine iguanas can only spend very little time out in the cold sea whenever they dive for their algae food. Thus, they commonly swim within the very shallow water of the island. After swimming, they proceed to bask under the sun to have their bodies warmed up again. During the cold days, the marine iguana cannot effectively move thus making them too vulnerable for their predators. Since they cannot move fast, what they do is to strike their tails up in the air and bite their enemies. During the entire breeding season, the male marine iguanas mate with the females and likewise guard them against the rest of the male reptiles.

Moreover, the marine iguanas adjust their sizes to be able to adapt to the food condition in existence. There was a time during the onset of the El Niño when the algae decreased in number so the marine iguanas actually decreased in their lengths too. When the food supply started to normalize, the reptiles returned to their normal condition. The marine iguanas are not as fast as the rest of its relatives. When taken as pets, their predators become the dogs and cats. They can be easily attacked by these predators since they are too slow and much tamed.

To date, the government of Ecuador has set up laws that aim to protect the existence of marine iguanas. There are artificial nestling sites which had been made in the smaller islands so that there will be lesser predators that can harm them. 

Iguana Information

Iguanas: The Different and the Similar

Green iguanas are the ones you usually bring home to take care and pamper. What you may not know is that there are different types of iguanas out there. Oftentimes, you will see these other types not in pet stores but in the forests where they live.

How to Take Care of a Green Iguana

When people talk about getting an iguana for a pet, they usually refer to the most common species, the “Iguana Iguana” or the green iguana.

Found in South and Central America, as well as other parts of the Pacific, the iguana has become very popular among pet owners in the United States and Europe in the past few years.

Active in daytime, the young iguana is usually bright green in color, helping it to hide itself from predators in the green vegetation of the forest. With its quick movements and sharp eyesight, the green iguana avoids capture quite easily. As the iguana grows older, its color changes from bright green to a muted green.

An iguana in the wild spends its day trying to find a sunny spot to lie on, feeding, and trying to escape from predators.

Giant Green Iguana

A Healthy Giant Green Iguana like no other

Giant green iguanas are the "in" thing now. This is one of the most popular reptiles that is being held captive and is taken care of in most households. So you should not be surprised if your child asks for one instead of the usual cats or dogs.

Iguana Health

Health is also the Wealth of Your Pet Iguana

To maintain the health of your iguana does not mean that you need to take it out on regular walks on the park, or have him groomed in your local pet center. These are the things you would do for your pet dog but not for your iguana.

Food and Shelter: The basics of proper iguana care

Food and Shelter: The basics of proper iguana care

Iguanas are very popular pets. People who take iguanas as pets do so because they may find iguanas "exotic". However, some people are put off by the fact that iguana care can be very hard work. However, if you know the basics of food and shelter for iguanas, then iguana care can actually be quite easy. Here are some things you should know about proper iguana care: