Post by LadyViper on Oct 26, 2006 14:35:44 GMT -6
found at Reptilecare. com
**************************************************
Brief Iguana Care & Cost Sheet
This is a very brief care sheet for Green Iguanas that
I have come up with myself after much reading and
research. Please do not stop reading here and read,
read, read! You cannot collect too much information
before obtaining an Iguana.
1) First of all do not depend solely on the pet store
to give you proper care instructions. Most (not all)
are sadly uninformed when it comes to reptiles,
iguanas in particular. Don't let them sell you a 10
gallon tank and a hot rock!
2) Obtain the proper set-up BEFORE the iguana comes
home. This is not a mammal that you can bring home and
put up temporarily in a box overnight! This includes
AT LEAST:
a 30-50 gallon aquarium or equivalently sized
vivarium/terrarium (at least $50) which your iguana
WILL grow out of rapidly. Think about how big this
little lizard will get (4-6 feet in length). Plan
ahead and maybe start building a custom cage right
away. Better yet, plan ahead and reserve that spare
bedroom for him!
UVB producing fluorescent tube light (i.e. Vitalite,
ZooMed Reptisun or Iguana light etc. ($20) Aquarium
lights, bird lights etc are NOT sufficient. I use
ZooMed's Reptisun 5.0.
fixture for tube light ($15-30)
basking lamp ($10 at hardware store)
basking bulb or ceramic heat element (CHE) (ranges
from less than $1 for a reg. 60-100 watt bulb to $20
for the ceramic heating element (CHE) that can be left
on all night and which also lasts for years.) CHE's
emit heat with no light but screw into a fixture like
a light bulb.
undertank heating pad (not a hot rock) ($15-70
depending on size etc.)
cage furniture including basking limb, hide box, water
(yes, iguanas need fresh water at all times) and food
dishes (cost varies, some can be obtained for free
such as the basking limb or you already might have
dishes around that you can use.)
proper food items including mainly collard greens,
mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens as a
base a salad of green beans, peas or pea pods, orange
or yellow squash, sweet potato etc. on the side (all
chopped very fine either by hand or with a food
processor). Some kale, chard or spinach is acceptable
in small amounts only. (Greens are about $1 per bunch
depending on the season)
calcium supplement without D3 added. Read the labels
and find a supplement that contains no D3. One of the
biggest problems aside from a calcium deficiency is D3
toxicity. Don't overdo the supplementation. With the
proper diet there is only a small amount of calcium
supplementation needed and you shouldn't need a
multi-vitamin supplement. One container should last a
very long time. ($5.) Rep-Cal used to make one but
appears to have stopped. Look for Bone Aid in the pet
store. It is the only one I could find.
timer - Use a timer to regulate how long the lights
stay on. 12 hours on and 12 hours off is a good rule
of thumb. Iguanas can't have the lights on all night
just like we can't. (However, CHE's can stay on all
night as they don't emit any light) ($6)
thermometers - yes, at least 2 thermometers. One on
the cool side; another as close to the hot spot as
possible. Don't try and guess at the temperature. This
is crucial! You can use any old one as long as it is
accurate. Most pet stores sell stick on ones that are
reasonably priced around $5.
For ease of use and to ensure the iguana's comfort and
safety I highly recommend some sort of thermostat
device. There are several thermostats on the market
made especially for herps including those by Helix
Controls, T-Rex, and Zoo-Med. You can hook both the
basking lamp (with ceramic non light emitting bulb)
and the heating pad up to this and control the
environmental temperature year-round). ($50-150
depending on wattage etc.)
As you can see from the above list, the set-up will
cost far more than the iguana itself. You should
easily spend over $180 right off the bat on supplies
for a $19.99 lizard. Don't cut corners. If you do you
will be risking the iguana's life. If you don't want
to or can't afford the above set-up then an iguana is
NOT for you!
3) Do make sure the iguana is warm enough. To digest
their food and metabolize calcium they need to be at
85 degrees. Make a temperature gradient from 80-90
degrees. This means that one end of the cage is 80
degrees while there is a hot spot of 90 degrees at the
other end. Use the thermometers!
4) Do make sure that the UV light is about a foot away
from your iguana when he is under the 90 degree hot
spot. Any further away and it becomes useless.
5) Do feed a proper diet. You can't slack off here! I
did once and wound up with an iguana with a calcium
deficiency and two broken ribs. he is fine now, but he
shouldn't have gotten to that point because of my
laziness. Please click here for a detailed diet plan.
Read it and print it out; take it to the grocery
store; whatever it takes! Chop the food up small
enough for the iguana to eat. Iguana's don't chew
their food. They swallow it whole so keep this in
mind.
6) Do Find a qualified reptile veterinarian in your
area. Click here to go to herpvetconnection or here to
go to Melissa Kaplan's list of reptile veterinarians.
Collect the first bit of poop that your ig delivers
and take it to the vet for a fecal examination. This
will save money in the long run, since at this point
you don't need to bring in the whole iguana. If a
parasitic condition is present you will be faced with
a vet visit down the road.
7) Do not rely on any one source for information. Read
this and many other publications. Ask more than one
iguana owner for advice. Check out local herp
societies in your area, and go to a meeting or 2.
There is a lot to be learned there.
8) Do not feed any animal protein! This includes
insects such as crickets an mealworms. I can't believe
it but there are still pet stores out there that are
convinced that baby inguanas need animal protein. This
is just not true. Iguanas are true vegans. NO ANIMAL
PROTEIN!
9) Do not feed your iguana iceberg lettuce or any
lettuce either! There is absolutely no nutrition in
iceberg lettuce for iguanas or humans for that matter.
BE RESPONSIBLE! It is your responsibility to find out
the facts before you buy a new pet, no matter what it
is. Don't do something just because the pet store
tells you to! They are not authorities on iguanas.
Check out different pet stores. Buy a book or two. Ask
them questions that you already know the answers to to
see if they are taking proper care of the iguanas in
their care. If they say "oh yeah, iguanas are so easy
to care for" take your business elsewhere. The fact of
the matter is that they are NOT easy to care for. They
can become easy to care for if the proper research is
conducted, the proper environment is set up and the
time is set aside for the proper care.
**************************************************
Brief Iguana Care & Cost Sheet
This is a very brief care sheet for Green Iguanas that
I have come up with myself after much reading and
research. Please do not stop reading here and read,
read, read! You cannot collect too much information
before obtaining an Iguana.
1) First of all do not depend solely on the pet store
to give you proper care instructions. Most (not all)
are sadly uninformed when it comes to reptiles,
iguanas in particular. Don't let them sell you a 10
gallon tank and a hot rock!
2) Obtain the proper set-up BEFORE the iguana comes
home. This is not a mammal that you can bring home and
put up temporarily in a box overnight! This includes
AT LEAST:
a 30-50 gallon aquarium or equivalently sized
vivarium/terrarium (at least $50) which your iguana
WILL grow out of rapidly. Think about how big this
little lizard will get (4-6 feet in length). Plan
ahead and maybe start building a custom cage right
away. Better yet, plan ahead and reserve that spare
bedroom for him!
UVB producing fluorescent tube light (i.e. Vitalite,
ZooMed Reptisun or Iguana light etc. ($20) Aquarium
lights, bird lights etc are NOT sufficient. I use
ZooMed's Reptisun 5.0.
fixture for tube light ($15-30)
basking lamp ($10 at hardware store)
basking bulb or ceramic heat element (CHE) (ranges
from less than $1 for a reg. 60-100 watt bulb to $20
for the ceramic heating element (CHE) that can be left
on all night and which also lasts for years.) CHE's
emit heat with no light but screw into a fixture like
a light bulb.
undertank heating pad (not a hot rock) ($15-70
depending on size etc.)
cage furniture including basking limb, hide box, water
(yes, iguanas need fresh water at all times) and food
dishes (cost varies, some can be obtained for free
such as the basking limb or you already might have
dishes around that you can use.)
proper food items including mainly collard greens,
mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens as a
base a salad of green beans, peas or pea pods, orange
or yellow squash, sweet potato etc. on the side (all
chopped very fine either by hand or with a food
processor). Some kale, chard or spinach is acceptable
in small amounts only. (Greens are about $1 per bunch
depending on the season)
calcium supplement without D3 added. Read the labels
and find a supplement that contains no D3. One of the
biggest problems aside from a calcium deficiency is D3
toxicity. Don't overdo the supplementation. With the
proper diet there is only a small amount of calcium
supplementation needed and you shouldn't need a
multi-vitamin supplement. One container should last a
very long time. ($5.) Rep-Cal used to make one but
appears to have stopped. Look for Bone Aid in the pet
store. It is the only one I could find.
timer - Use a timer to regulate how long the lights
stay on. 12 hours on and 12 hours off is a good rule
of thumb. Iguanas can't have the lights on all night
just like we can't. (However, CHE's can stay on all
night as they don't emit any light) ($6)
thermometers - yes, at least 2 thermometers. One on
the cool side; another as close to the hot spot as
possible. Don't try and guess at the temperature. This
is crucial! You can use any old one as long as it is
accurate. Most pet stores sell stick on ones that are
reasonably priced around $5.
For ease of use and to ensure the iguana's comfort and
safety I highly recommend some sort of thermostat
device. There are several thermostats on the market
made especially for herps including those by Helix
Controls, T-Rex, and Zoo-Med. You can hook both the
basking lamp (with ceramic non light emitting bulb)
and the heating pad up to this and control the
environmental temperature year-round). ($50-150
depending on wattage etc.)
As you can see from the above list, the set-up will
cost far more than the iguana itself. You should
easily spend over $180 right off the bat on supplies
for a $19.99 lizard. Don't cut corners. If you do you
will be risking the iguana's life. If you don't want
to or can't afford the above set-up then an iguana is
NOT for you!
3) Do make sure the iguana is warm enough. To digest
their food and metabolize calcium they need to be at
85 degrees. Make a temperature gradient from 80-90
degrees. This means that one end of the cage is 80
degrees while there is a hot spot of 90 degrees at the
other end. Use the thermometers!
4) Do make sure that the UV light is about a foot away
from your iguana when he is under the 90 degree hot
spot. Any further away and it becomes useless.
5) Do feed a proper diet. You can't slack off here! I
did once and wound up with an iguana with a calcium
deficiency and two broken ribs. he is fine now, but he
shouldn't have gotten to that point because of my
laziness. Please click here for a detailed diet plan.
Read it and print it out; take it to the grocery
store; whatever it takes! Chop the food up small
enough for the iguana to eat. Iguana's don't chew
their food. They swallow it whole so keep this in
mind.
6) Do Find a qualified reptile veterinarian in your
area. Click here to go to herpvetconnection or here to
go to Melissa Kaplan's list of reptile veterinarians.
Collect the first bit of poop that your ig delivers
and take it to the vet for a fecal examination. This
will save money in the long run, since at this point
you don't need to bring in the whole iguana. If a
parasitic condition is present you will be faced with
a vet visit down the road.
7) Do not rely on any one source for information. Read
this and many other publications. Ask more than one
iguana owner for advice. Check out local herp
societies in your area, and go to a meeting or 2.
There is a lot to be learned there.
8) Do not feed any animal protein! This includes
insects such as crickets an mealworms. I can't believe
it but there are still pet stores out there that are
convinced that baby inguanas need animal protein. This
is just not true. Iguanas are true vegans. NO ANIMAL
PROTEIN!
9) Do not feed your iguana iceberg lettuce or any
lettuce either! There is absolutely no nutrition in
iceberg lettuce for iguanas or humans for that matter.
BE RESPONSIBLE! It is your responsibility to find out
the facts before you buy a new pet, no matter what it
is. Don't do something just because the pet store
tells you to! They are not authorities on iguanas.
Check out different pet stores. Buy a book or two. Ask
them questions that you already know the answers to to
see if they are taking proper care of the iguanas in
their care. If they say "oh yeah, iguanas are so easy
to care for" take your business elsewhere. The fact of
the matter is that they are NOT easy to care for. They
can become easy to care for if the proper research is
conducted, the proper environment is set up and the
time is set aside for the proper care.
