Iguana Owners Please Check In.... I need help.

[realxfresh]

Originally Posted by SiG21

Originally Posted by JordanHead2

Bearded Dragon > _________________

i've had 2, they are the best, the first one i had was so chill, i had a lil leash for him and he would walk around outside, i even would ride my bike with him on my shoulder

sounds straight outve a movie

 

[ripfan8i6]

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

Originally Posted by Physicx

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

Hope your experience goes better than mine. My iguana was possessed by the devil. Thing was pure evil.

thats pretty metal man

You ain't kidding. The little bastard got up in the blinds, and by the time I got her out of them I looked like I had just stepped out of Nightmare on Elm street. It would climb out of it's cage at night and claw the hell out of me. It bit me more times than I care to remember. Man I was never so happy to bury a pet when that thing finally died.

damn

 

[jordandude138]

i had 4 over my lifetiime. those thing get big quick when they young its ok to keep em together but once the reach maturity u gonna start seein allotta headbobbin and biting (especially two males). the last two i had was a lil longer than 4 ft each. i jus kept em out side in a big %** cage in the summer they gotalong cuz it was big enough to house the two.

u should have a uv lamp and a spot lamp (for them to bask on). they love climbing up so have something to accomodate that in the cage, if they escape 9 timesoutta ten they climbed up on something higher then u cuz they like lookin down at you. theyre not really a beginner pet (bearded dragon like said is better)but if u do ur research and keep em disease free u should be good

 

[jordan201]

Originally Posted by Nawth21

You need to keep them warm, use the red heat lamps. Iguanas are.. well. tough. I hope you did your research before purchasing these animals. They have very specific care requirements and aren't typically for the first time reptile owner. Do you have supplements? Iguanas are prone to metabolic bone disease. UVA/UVB bulbs? Don't use heat rocks, they can damage their skin if the temp control fails. Once grown, they're going to need huge cages; much like the ones you see big %*% parrots in. Iguanas like to climb, so they need height to their cages.

Should have went for the bearded dragon dude, awesome pets. I've owned reptiles for well over 10 years now and never, ever had the desire to own an iguana. they can put you in the hospital. especially the males.

At night, they have 2 temperatures. 84 and 74.

I don't know what UVA or UVB bulbs are, but I have 2 bulbs. A day bulb and a night boy. Where can I get the ceramic heaters? And again, is the cage Imentioned before any good?

And how the hell can they put you in the hospital?!

 

[nawth21]

Originally Posted by JoRDaN201

Originally Posted by Nawth21

You need to keep them warm, use the red heat lamps. Iguanas are.. well. tough. I hope you did your research before purchasing these animals. They have very specific care requirements and aren't typically for the first time reptile owner. Do you have supplements? Iguanas are prone to metabolic bone disease. UVA/UVB bulbs? Don't use heat rocks, they can damage their skin if the temp control fails. Once grown, they're going to need huge cages; much like the ones you see big %*% parrots in. Iguanas like to climb, so they need height to their cages.

Should have went for the bearded dragon dude, awesome pets. I've owned reptiles for well over 10 years now and never, ever had the desire to own an iguana. they can put you in the hospital. especially the males.

At night, they have 2 temperatures. 84 and 74.

I don't know what UVA or UVB bulbs are, but I have 2 bulbs. A day bulb and a night boy. Where can I get the ceramic heaters? And again, is the cage I mentioned before any good?

And how the hell can they put you in the hospital?!

just google iguana injuries/bites

good luck.

oh and for everything else, read some articles. Please, it's unfair to these animals to keep them at subpar conditions. With any exotic animal you shouldresearch their care requirements before purchasing them.

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

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/iguanas/a/inguanasexpect.htm

and there are some good forums and articles over on kingsnake.org or .com, cant remember.

 

[jordan201]

I've been reading a book. I understand everything, I just don't know if I'm doing it right.

I ALWAYS doubt myself.

 

[jordan201]

HOLY GOODNESS!

They can really bite you like THAT?!?!

 

[nawth21]

Originally Posted by JoRDaN201

I've been reading a book. I understand everything, I just don't know if I'm doing it right.

I ALWAYS doubt myself.

It's pretty basic. Iguanas need calcium and vitamin supplements. As for frequency, I dunno it's been awhile. You should be able to find out. Thebulbs you need will say UVA or UVB. Some of them are like Reptisun 5.0, etc etc. You can find hoods for tanks that have spots for all the bulbs - heat,uva/uvb, night lamps. Iguanas need all of them. There also needs to be a temperature gradient in the tank. This can be achieved by having a higher wattagebulb at one end of the tank and maybe the night lamp at the other end. I can't think of what Iguanas need to be kept at off hand, it could be a hot spotas high as 90 degrees. And they also need a cool spot of the tank so they can thermoregulate. And usually there is a temp drop at night as well. This is whyhaving a large tank is a plus, you can achieve the temp gradient easily. It's hard to cram all that equipment on a small tank.

And their vegetarians so they need fresh fruit and veggies everyday, another pain in the %!#

And you need to handle them on a daily basis, otherwise they will beunmanageable when they are full grown. Find a specialty vet in your area, there may be a need to bring them in. Lizards get sick too. And also find areptile store in your area, or a place that sells exotics. Your best bet is buying your supplies online. There are many reptile stores and they typicallyhave better prices than local places.

Books are good and all but I find online is usually the best for finding a lot of information on reptile care and husbandry.

 

[damnthosejs]

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

Originally Posted by Physicx

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

Hope your experience goes better than mine. My iguana was possessed by the devil. Thing was pure evil.

thats pretty metal man

You ain't kidding. The little bastard got up in the blinds, and by the time I got her out of them I looked like I had just stepped out of Nightmare on Elm street. It would climb out of it's cage at night and claw the hell out of me. It bit me more times than I care to remember. Man I was never so happy to bury a pet when that thing finally died.

you sound like you caught a phobia after that.

I've had thoughts of having them but they scare me

 

[jordan201]

I'll take a pic of what my tank looks like, tomorrow.

I think I'm doing a terrible job.

Even though the temperatures are right, the humidity is at 80%, and the food is changed everyday. I still feel that they are dry, malnutrinoed, etc.

 

[nawth21]

I don't think they need a higher humidity than 80%, but double check that. If it is low, place their water dish under the heat lamp or mist the tank with asprayer. young iguanas are skinny looking things anyways. The important things are right temps, space and temperament. A 10 gallon will be a bit small for one.Look for tanks made for reptiles, not aquariums. These have sliding screened hoods. I'd get two of the 40 gallon breeder sized. I'm not sure what theyare actually called. I'm sure you'll get it down, just go through the net and print off articles and write stuff down. Cruise the forums.

whoa these cages are pretty pimp - it's been awhile since I've shopped for cages, a lot more options these days. One other thing; reptiles areexpensive as hell to care for properly. UV bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months to a year. Supplements are good for 6 months. Fresh food. Big cages. Cageaccessories. Vet bills. They are reward but challenging pets though. Not trying to discourage you, just letting you know what you're in for. They also livefor damn near ever if taken care of properly.

http://www.bigappleherp.c...ages?sc=2&category=4

these are intersting as well - but when full grown you're better off with wire cages. they are way way cheaper than these fancy things

http://www.bigappleherp.c...ages?sc=2&category=4

heres what petco suggests for iguanas. eh. I have mixed feelings on these pet bigbox stores, but they have their uses.

http://www.petco.com/petc...x?CoreCat=RepAmp_Iguanas

Both petco and petsmart have reptile enclosures with the sliding hoods. They are $, but not super duper expensive. I'd say the largest size would beacceptable for them until they get big enough for a wire cage - but I'd keep them separate

ook so i suck at links i guess, just copy paste

 

[jordan201]

I have 2 of my Iguanas in a 10 gallon tank. I feel bad. This is what I wanna upgrade them to:

http://www.reptarium.com/

 

[jordan201]

Every night for the past 4 days, my Iguanas have slept with the red light now and a temperature of about 84.

Today I decided to cut the lights (word to Fidel) and let them sleep in the dark with the temperature of around 73-77.

Is that ok?

 

[ninjallamafromhell]

Should be fine, my iguana lived pretty well in an unheated house on the Oregon Coast. Then again it was pure evil, so that may have helped it out some.

 

[jordan201]

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

Should be fine, my iguana lived pretty well in an unheated house on the Oregon Coast. Then again it was pure evil, so that may have helped it out some.

Now I know. For my Iguanas to be evil: cut the lights and let them freeze. Got cha.

How do I know if its too cold for them?