new iguana

[pierce]

i'm new and i got my iguana two days ago at other forums i've been told not to use loose substrate such as barks or dirts.instead they say to use newspaper, but i'm skeptical about that and just want to know what you'll think of it.

 

[NiCoLe L RuSSeLL]

how old is your ig? Congrats.
I would use newspaper if I were you---no chance of impaction and you can truly observe an new animal's stool this way for problems.

 

[pierce]

why

but if they eat the newspaper the ink has to be bad for thier stomach right?

 

[NiCoLe L RuSSeLL]

they tend to eat loose things if they eat anything at all...is this a hatchling or adult?

 

[pierce]

i'll get you a pic, how do you do it for this site.(I'VE SEEN MANY DIFFERNT WAYS) sorry bout the caps.i'mm guesing around a year and female.

 

[number1steakfan]

why did you post this in the classifieds put this in the forum where people are more likely to look good luck

 

[NiCoLe L RuSSeLL]

about a year? Then she will be past the point where you have to worry about print...there are people who will argue about print ---I am not one of them.
If you feel concerned though---you can purchase newspaper with no print...they sell it.
As long as you humidity is in check I would use a solid substrate.
I have two rock iguanas....which are similar to greens.

 

[number1steakfan]

my greenie has grass growing at one end with peet moss at the other end with pebbles filling the bottom for water run off a couple of spider plants and a dracena i havent had a problem with him eating the plants or the grass. i would use grass because it would help raise humidity and it wont hurt him if ingested

 

[NiCoLe L RuSSeLL]

depends on th lighting---I use MVBs so any type of plants will get fried

 

[Rydia]

I have plenty of experience, everything i have typed is based off my own experiences and my opinions. I find that carpet is the best all round bedding. When i first heard that i thought it was absurd, but i tried it and found you can wash it whenever, you don't have to keep buying new substrate when it gets dirty so its cheaper, and it looks professional. you can also vacume and dust bust it very easily. also its harder for bugs to get in, well some. almost all of my guys have carpet. and my baby iggs are in there own closet.
anywho your iggy is not going to spend much time on the ground anyway, they feel safe up high, and he'll probably spend alot of time soaking in his water and pooping in his water anyway.
what kind of cage do you have him in? is it tall? also I'm not sure how much you know about them yet so just to be safe, you know that they get 6ft of 72 razor sharp teeth backed by strong jaws, HUGE claws with shear weight and muscle, and a tail with sharp scales that can easily cut you open, also to make it all better the average iguana is terrified of a humongous predator like you and me.
They are one of the WORST starter lizard and alot of pros hate them for that. But once you know what your doing they can be one of the most rewarding of the reptiles, they look awesome and are relatively cheap to feed.
but getting started can get very expensive. I'm not saying you got the wrong lizard, I'm saying its going to be a hard start off. i can give you plenty of tips and even teach you how to read your lizard. but he will ALWAYS be able to read you better. your average person doesn't realize how much depth there is to reptiles, and a simple thing like Leaning over your iguana is VERY offensive to him.
I had (from what i know about you, which is nothing) started off like you with an iguana, made the worst mistakes before i got it right, and now I'm hooked, and i hope that you will be as happy with them as many of us are and become hooked too! you might know but just in case here are some of the very basice MUST HAVES

NO HEAT ROCK!! it does not deliver heat to the tail and this causes it to die, i cant even begin to tell you how many burns this has caused reptiles. this doesn't heat them up the right way either. remember maybe when you were a kid and had been playing in the snow. Then you come inside with frozen hands, your mom tells you the worst thing "go put them in hot water"? remember the PAIN that caused you from the shocking temperature. so your iggy has been in his cold water and steps on the heat rock, baaaad. this also goes for baths which i will cover later.
HEAT LAMP
these are cheap, i have a 150watt on one half of the tank (for tanks not my closet) what this does is create a hot spot to bring up temperature, but you also need a spot or half of the other side to cool down. if he does not have heat food ROTS in his stomach. or it will lead to up to around 7yrs of slowly and miserably dyeing. the light bulb costs around 7$, and the fixture around 15$. you should get the smaller black heat lamps because the heat is focused to create more of a hot half and cold half of the tank. also there cheaper.
UV STRIP
alot of people try and skip this part but alot of lizard species cannot be without it. what this does is make it so they can process vitamins and calcium, without it there bones will slowly get soft and they get diseases, and eventually die after a long process of not being able to poop or feed themselves. OK just for a heads up you need a strip set up for this, i have found that little lamps they tend not to bask under and they aren't powerful enough, this goes for heat and UV combo bulbs. alas we cannot go cheap for this one the proper strip fixture can be 60$ and the actual bulb is around 30 or 60$.
BIG WATER BOWL
they soak and poop in this, every reptile I have worked with needs a body sized water bowl. tropical lizards (iguanas) can get some of there moisture from this. also they poop in the water, its the thing they do
SHALLOW FEED BOWL
i use big lids from things, babies find it uncomfortable to climb halfway stomach bent trying to lick at food from a bowl, and bowls don't hold very much food for adults and ANY age iggy tips it making a mess. lids are just best.
VITAMIN DUST AND RECIPES
You need vitamine dust, the foods we can provide don't have what they need to survive so they will get deficiencies. also the need calcium dust. you just dust it on there food every meal or so. i like the "Reptical" brand, the dust is fine and its very efficient. and then there something called "Iguana Dust" there are different formulas, the best it VMF(vitamine maintenance formula) not VGF(growth formula) has less stuff in it basically.
stuff for food you should watch out for is
don't use iceberg or romaine lettuce, not healthy enough
i heard zucchini squash is poisonous to them
stuff off the top of my head that they can eat is
red and green leaf lettuce
broccoli LEAFS
yellow squash
apples
citrus foods (treat, not diet, to acidy)
carrots
bananas
ect...
they should have 65 or 75% greens, 25% veggies, 20%fruits, i hope that adds up
HEAT MAT
this you don't need because they are arboreal, in fact my green iguanas are the only ones with a heated humidifier for night heat, but i have found as long as your house is not freezing night heat is optional.
MISTING
spraying is optional, i personally don't like it. i find you need to spray them 4 or 5 times a day for it to do anything. Also 90% of reptiles it counts towards "De taming". its not fun to be sprayed in the face by cold water by a scary human. besides they really don't need that extra humidity. but i still use a humidifier, they can breath that in and it FEELS more tropical and homely.
BATHING(TRAINING TIPS)
for me it is a must have. the lizard gets time with you, gets moisture, (sometimes they don't find there water) get a good supply of water, and since they don't groom themselves they can stay nonsmelly and not sick. I'm sure your sick of reading and i am of typing but stick with me man The tub is one of the best places to tame iggies, they learn a very important lesson here and that is that you the scary human he can benefit from. I keep the lizard in there and the SECOND he gets done pooping i put my hand to his chest and pull up, he will feel like his going to fall over and probably climb onto your hand, thus saving him from an inescapable tub. You can use the "hand your going to fall over thingy" as the main way to pick him up. on the rare occasion like one of my iggys eventually will seek you out for whatever he needs. its cool!! Anywho you can bathe once a week or everyday, whatever suites you.
HARNESSES AND LEASHES
this is the worst mental thing you can do to your iggy, even when there young it breaks spikes, makes bruises, hurts arms, and is stressful to put on, your iggy is 10 times more nervous on the floor and is never going to walk next to your scary feet. he also processes the world at a different pace than you and would not move when you want to, and most lizards prefer to in short bursts anyway. there are other fun things to do handling your lizard and taking him outside or in the car (which mine thoroughly enjoy). if ones loose you even have a good chance of catching him say in your house. your stereotypical iggy is not going to want to find a cold dark place under your dresser and is going to want to bask up high likely in an obvious place. but it is a TOTALLY diffrent story when there stressed and want to find a dark place to die in
VITAMIN SPRAYS AND SUCH
these don't work, i have also found on snakes it dries them out more. iguanas scales are built to repel and keep out water, there is debate whether they can process vitamines through the skin. i haven't tried putting vitamines in the water either so try it if you feel like it. Also "Iguana Bath" i don't think does anything either, but experiment and find out for yourself.
CLAW TRIMMERS
instead of using gloves when he is older you can just clip the tip of his claws off, have a reptile person you trust or cat person, just anybody show you what you can and cannot cut. also books can show you how. anywho if you use regular scissors they tend to split the claw, so get cat claw trimmers, there circular.
MORE IGUANAS
last subject, iguanas don't get lonely, a male and female will fight like 2 males or 2 females. until you have everything down or have a huge room to give to them, DON'T GET 2! they will get along as kids but when they get a little older they can rip eachothers rib cages out and they will! Breeding and bringing in more iguanas into the world is worse than bringing in more cats and dogs into the world. the socail structure of wild iguanas is they ignore other iguanas, bob at other iguanas, and get territorial with other iguanas. They don't clean eachother off, pick off sheds, or any thing else except maybe sleep to gether in a warm spot.
anywho that covers everything i can think of, if you email me with any questions i can give you tips and even teach you how to be his "at home vet" so to say, and how to look for basic problems and fix them, sick shakes, training tips, how to guess the sex, guess age, and whatever else you want to talk about, even if you just want to share a story. there is one book that covers everything and is fun to read
"iguanas for dummies" by Mary kaplen, she has pics, huge list of poisonous plants and fun treats like rose pedals, all kinds of good stuff. try it out!
email me for anything, if questions ill answer them as best i can.
i hopes this helps
[email protected]

 

[coyote]

There is a top 4 list of leafy greens that should be daily staples.
Collards
Alfalfa
turnip greens
dandelion greens and blossoms

Other excellent additions include: arugula, water cress, chicory, cilantro, amaranth, chickweed, goosefoot/pigweed, sour dock, kale, mustard greens, spineless cactus pads.

Dark, leafy greens should make up the bulk of the diet 65%.
Avoid or only rarely offer greens high in Oxalates. They interfere/compete with absorption of calcium in the gut. EX: Spinach, parsley, chard, beet greens.
Edible flowers can be fed everyday.

Vegetables should be another 20% and Fruits the last 15%
Brightly colored vegetables are more readily accepted, like: orange and yellow squashes(butternut, pumpkin etc.), sweet potato, tomatoes, red bell peppers, carrot. Most iguanas also love green beans, green peas and broccoli.

Grate the squashes, sweet potato, carrot and fruits like apples on a grater. It tends to make them more succulent, palatable and easier to digest.

Do not feed grain based products like bread. Grains have the wrong calcium : phosphorus ratio for reptiles.

The green iguana is an obligate herbivore.
Never feed any animal based foods to a green iguana. The protein content is too rich and has been implicated in early kidney failure and death. Ex: meat, pinky mice, insects, dairy products, dog or cat food.

RE: harnesses. Personally I NEVER take my iguana outside unless he is secured on a harness.
Yes, depending on the style of the harness it will press on the spines. I have never had any spines break off. They bend over but pop back up later.

There is no better source of vital UVB than unfiltered sunlight. And spending a little time outside sunbathing is a great tonic after being cooped up inside all winter in colder climates. Iguanas must never be left unsupervised on a harness outside. And, when outside they must be supplied with a shady retreat to escape the heat when they need to.

 

[Lucille]

a simple thing like Leaning over your iguana is VERY offensive to him.

I was curious about this, please tell me more. I am puzzled about how one would, absent anthropomorphizing, be sure enough to quote this as a fact.
I do not have an iggy but I lean over my dragons and I do not see that it has done them harm.

 

[coyote]

I don't know about anyone else's experiences, but in regards to leaning over the iguana, that posture is what predators do just before they gobble you up. I believe that it is a survival reaction and that the reaction can be lessened or extinguished as the iguana ages and gains trust in the behavior of humans that it deals with daily.

That, and I had mine bite me on the nipple once when I had to lean over him to check his overhead lamp. Thank goodness I was wearing loose clothing.

 

[Rydia]

like i said this was based off my own experiences and opinions, things i read in books and tried, ect.. i am very open to trying new stuff and i will definitely try leaning over one of my iggys more instead of avoiding this action and see how he reacts compared to the others, it does make sense. i have learned that in iggy language the less dominant would put his nose th the ground, while the other would lean and bob, ect.. Another "leaning" thing, when i get my big male out of the tub and dry him he leans into my hand. Some people say its affectonent. Another "leaning" thing, i find that since they feel safer up high i will always approach them crouched below them, they seem less nervous that way, this may confirm what Coyote was saying. So leaning can depend on the situation or individual in my opinion. Also each of our iggys tells you how they feel differently, for example how they react in fear, our young female will run first thing, our small male will extend his dewlap and try and look tough, our med male will go straight to biting no dewlap out,warning or anythong, and our largest runs to a keeper(hand raised, he knows he can get things out of humans). i think that everyone should be open to eachother instead of competitive, we can learn more and become better keepers that way.
i doubt you need to worry about it with water dragons though, the stereotypical dragon is pretty tame and probably wont care. but then again he might, one of our dragons does and the other doesn't. i think it all depends on the individual, like us they all think differently. Also i find that arboreal lizards and terrestrial lizards speak a diffrent language, easy example, um.. a ground lizard may puff up and lean sideways, while the arboreal will use his dewlap.
something i think is funny, is that none of us are even talking about the posts "bedding" subject anymore. LOL
Anywho what works for one person may not work for another, you'll just have to filter all the advice people give you and try stuff out for yourself.
sorry for spelling sloppy, im in a hurry
oh yeah maybe i have a horrible vocabulary but i've never heard the word "anthropomorphizing", could you please tell me what it means?

 

[coyote]

Anthropomorphasizing= attributing HUMAN feelings, thoughts and motivations to an animal's behavior.
Interpreting the reasons for a behavior in an animal to what would be reasons in humans.

 

[Rydia]

Hey, thanks, i learned something new today

 

[coyote]

You are most welcome.
The term gets bandied about a lot in some circles, not so much in others.
It is a common tendency among the pet owning public. It often happens that a pet owner has first to be disabused of anthropomorphised notions before progress can be made in addressing undesirable behaviors in a pet.

 

[Rydia]

You seem very experienced, if you don't mind my asking how long have you been doing Herps? What do you have? Just curiouse, don't mean to pry

 

[coyote]

Thanks for asking. And thanks for the vote of confidence.
I bought my first herps while in college--Bio major in the 80's. For the first decade and a half I was only interested in lizards, ie iguanas, water dragons, mountain dragons, anoles, geckos. It wasn't until the advent of pre-killed frozen feeder rodents that I made the change over to snakes. At present I have a 5 year old male green iguana and a 2 year old male savanna monitor and nine snakes--two pythons (blood and carpet) rainbow boa, 4 kingsnakes, a cornsnake and a redtailed green ratsnake.
I was a licensed vet tech when I lived in California. While there I did an internship with a vet that specialized in birds and his partner that specialized in reptiles and fish. I completed the LA Zoo Zookeeper program. In college I lived on campus and was a student swineherd. I was involved in a few equine projects. That, and I continue to research, read and study.