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Green Iguana Care Sheet |
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~diurnal, arboreal, herbivorous~
Size:
Green
iguanas get very large. After birth, they very rapidly in the first year
of their life, reaching 3 feet TL (total length). After that they grow a
little slower each year until reaching around 6 feet, and 7 feet for the
Columbian Green Iguanas (largest, but most attractive)
Life Span:
Green
iguanas can live up to 15 years, a little more if you do everything
perfect, but most likely a little shorter.
Housing:
This is the expensive part. I wouldn't even consider getting an iguana
unless you're prepared to spend hundreds of dollars. The main
reason is the enclosure. We can custom make enclosures to fit your
needs, or you can look up ways of making them yourself. This will be
tricky, but it's mandatory for iguanas to have a very high enclosure.
They are arboreal, meaning they climb, and need more of a tall enclosure
than it is wide, by far. Mine is four feet high, but when he outgrows
it, I plan on dedicating a whole room to him. This is a great idea as
long as you can keep it safe and all hazards out.
Temperature:
During the day it should be 78-80 at the cool end of the terrarium and
93 at the very hottest spot. Keep in mind it will die around 116
degrees, so it is important your Ig can thermoregulate. LIGHTING is Very important to the health of an iguana. First, they need a 12 hour
photoperiod. Secondly, I would buy (and did buy) a $23 full spectrum
light for the cool end of the cage (AKA 20 Watt Super U.V. Coil
Lamp) and a $50 basking and full spectrum
light for the hot end; AKA "PowerSun UV(TM) 100W Bulb from ZooMed"
Furnishings:
This is where the creativity begins. The iguana will need
several branches (for in a terrarium) or a shelves (in a room) to climb
on. They need lots of exercise and having water and food at one end and
the basking spot at another and hide place in another will keep him/her
moving around all the time. WATER is Very important to iguanas.
There should be a tray for bathing big enough for the ig to fit in and
the water should be about the height of the iguana's shoulders This
should be cleaned every 3 days or so. They need a HUMIDITY level
as high as possible, actually they need 90% humidity. This is hard to
maintain without mold growing in the corners, which is why frequent
cleaning and proper air ventilation is also mandatory (it should never
smell in the tank)
Substrate:
You can either use
astroturf (this may irritate their undersides, but I haven't had a
problem with it), or a custom made substrate; tape pieces of newspaper
to two or three layers of napkins. This way they have a place to wipe
their vent and won't leak to the bottom of the enclosure. DO NOT USE:
sand or anything they could lick and digest (bark mulch and many reptile
substrates, regardless of what they say), carpet (their toes or nails
could get stuck and rip a toe off due to the looping)
Diet:
Iguanas are
strictly herbivores and should never be offered any meat. The best diet
which is great for juvies and adults would be my own; equal parts of:
yellow squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, collard
greens, asparagus, green onions, green
beans, and carrots. (green beans and carrots should only be put in every
other time, if you even want to). You can then just blend up enough to feed the ig for 5 days
and keep it in the fridge. Every five days, repeat. (This only takes
about 3 minutes). All this can be bought at Publix, or any other grocery
store. Most iguanas love apples or bananas, but shouldn't be fed more
than a couple bites a month. NEVER feed only lettuce because it is too
high in fiber and is mostly water anyway. You should NOT just feed any
vegetable to an iguana because a lot of veggies contain the wrong
amount of nutrients. My formulate diet is the cheapest, HEALTHIEST diet
you will find. It took me forever to formulate it, believe it or not.
But my iguana is the biggest and brightest for his age I can find. (In
the pictures he's 5 months old and 24 inches)
Additional:
If you still want an iguana, I HIGHLY recommend the
book "Green Iguana" by James W. Hatfield III
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