IGUANAS:
THE INTESIVE CARE PLAN
The most frequent causes of death for captive Iguanas are a combination of poor health due to improper diet and inadequate lighting and heat. For many years the pet industry was abound with iguanas they were for the better part, easily attainable but unfortunately many reptile enthusiast solicited the advise of misguided or improperly trained pet shop workers or reptile dealers who under pressure to make a sale set up the stage for a ill-fated experience for both the new owner and Iguana.
If you decide to purchase or adopt an iguana, it is mandatory that you consider all the important requirements to sustain a healthy life for that Iguana.
Ownership must always be considered a lifetime commitment, so research is essential to success. And there are personal decisions that must be analyzed like your personal living conditions such as wife/husband & kids, other pets, your location, area requirements, bylaws and regulations in your local. As a former owner and operator of a Animal Transportation -Rescue Unit I have witnessed firsthand the tragedies that followed a Exotic/Reptile ban in my city many years ago…. it was heartbreaking. While good owners made every attempt to relocate or provide alternative shelter for their reptiles, many more reptile owners in fear of being prosecuted or fined just abandoned or Euthanized their pets. SO KNOW YOUR BYLAWS
Research, Research, Research First and foremost is due your research, read everything and ask advice of professional breeders or keepers don’t narrow your knowledge to the local pet dealer, he may very well be an expert ask lots of questions and then find others to substantiate the answers. Not even the experts know it all but more and more research is being formulated and passed on especially with the internet it is an endless encyclopedia of information with links to reptile interest groups, breeders keepers and enthusiast.
Housing and Husbandry: See how much room you can comfortably afford to designate to your Iguana, even if your just purchasing a juvenile who may be only 8-10 inches right now, in the future he or she will grow and if it’s a Giant Green Iguana it can grow to 6ft plus with tail. So from the beginning make sure you consider this adult size requirement.
When doing your research pay close attention to the geographical regions that favor wild Iguana populations, note the tempature, most wild iguanas range from southern Mexico throughout Central/South America they live in the tropics of the world. So the type of natural environments, plants, trees, should reflect this environment. It has been my experience that the more natural the better. But that requires a lot of extra planning, lighting, and care (real plants or small trees must be tended too.) Are you considering a glass tank, to start with or a wire cage. I advise not going under a 20 gal even for the juveniles, and working up from their a full adult Giant Green Iguana should have at least 8ftLx8ftW and 4 ft deep. Even that if possible a room to exercise fully a couple times aweek is an ideal suggestion. (Safety of course must be considered, these are large animals and should be respected and treated as such, children should never be left alone with Giant Adult Iguanas to reduce risk of an accident.) If the tank on a tabletop is the table secure not tippy many accidental deaths have occurred from toppled tanks. What about the type of substrate for the bottom if you go with an artificially built environment, you can consider some of reptile sand products, do not use sawdust or cedar shavings, (intestinal blockage and respitory problems may arise.) Some people use carpet (indoor/outdoor) my experience and studies in microbiology I feel that the chance of bacterial contamination is too high. I have had huge success, with natural sand, play sanitized sand in bags, and a scooped every two weeks the sand is removed completely cage sanitized and sand is replaced with fresh. This has worked best over the years with no problems. Pebbles are a no-no the chance for ingestion and intestinal blockage is too great. Check with your area vet they can recommend a sanitizer and disinfectant strong and safe.
Feeding and Diets: Very important is daily fresh water, and do remember some iguanas will defecate in the water bowls so do try to check frequently, and rinse and disinfect bowls regularly. Because Iguanas are herbivorous they require vegetable and fruit matter for their diet added to that are readily available vitamin dusts. At least half of the diet should consist of Collard greens, Dandelion, Rapini, Grape leaves, Mulberry, Hibiscus leaves, Romaine lettuce, a good mixture of the above combined with some squash, shredded carrots, Sweet potato, Peas, and Green Beans. …This is a healthy selection,
Fruits: Prickly Pear, Raspberries, Strawberries, Papaya, Mango, Grapes, Plums, Peaches, Melon or Cantaloupes Even the flower petals from roses, or Hibiscus are good. But the fruit in the iguanas diet should be only about 15-25 percent.
Note: Some other types to add, are Parsley, Kale, Brussel Sprouts, Bean sprouts, be careful not to over feed Bananas Grapes, Carrots or Tomatoes as the phosphorous and phtates, can cause problematic health issues. Always rinse thoroughly and chop into nice small pieces, sprinkle with calcium/vitamin dust (only a couple times lightly a week for juveniles and only once weekly for adults 2-3yrs.) and you’ve made a good meal for your iguana. Some juveniles will eat crickets or mealworms but do make sure it is not the staple diet. And as best you can try to find fresh vegetables rather than frozen.
Lighting and Heat Requirements: The lighting requirements for Iguanas are very important, it is mandatory for their survival. Proper temperature and U.V. is key to development and metabolism. Iguanas are cold-blooded they require external heat source via sun and warm air tempeture.
When developing your enclosure make sure to make an area that is for sunning also referred to as a basking spot where the temp air in that area will be between 88-97 degrees. The rest of your enclosure should during day be about 78-82 degrees. And the tank heat should always remain on during the night Temperatures of about 75-78 degrees is sufficient, and it is well documented that iguanas require about a 12-hour sleep interval and 12 hour daylight schedule so timers are very advantageous. When addressing U.V. most of us think of the sun, and ideally real sun for your iguana is the best but weather and living conditions we can’t always provide that key element…. in that case the necessity for artificial U.V. is mandatory. When making purchases for your U.V.sources / incandescent day bulbs do make sure to research and shop around make sure that the particular bulb or florescent fixture is adequate for your iguana. Be careful with the use of flat substrate rocks that are called heat-rocks, burns and cord mutilation causing fire can occur, not to mention that some iguanas will spend all their time just laying on the rock and literally overheat their stomachs. Make sure that your Iguanas enclosure offers sufficient room to move around and self regulate their heat requirements.
Special Note:
When Iguanas are deprived of sufficient heat and U.V. they can not utilize their food, the digestion process is hampered, and without the key U.V. source an inability to produce vitamin D nor are they capable of proper calcium metabolization. MBD or Metabolic Bone Disorder then occurs causing weakness and debilitation, over time they are unable to walk and in severe case the jaws will become distort and the Iguana is no longer able to eat and starvation can occur. So please remember that Iguana ownership should be considered a lifetime commitment…this commitment can last well up to 20 yrs+…make sure that you are prepared to properly care for this unique creature for the duration and do your homework so that your experience will be a rewarding one …with experience you can soon be sharing and helping others who interested in Iguanas .EM
Emwild4reptilz has authored several other articles on Reptiles is the former owner and operator of an Animal Transportation-Rescue Mobile Unit, and a certified A.C.A. 96 (animal care aide) to contact em:WILD4REPTILZOO
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