Give him some room to grow and move around. Try a 40 Gal. breeder size tank to start, and when that's too small (in less than 2 years) build him a large enclosure. Just don't cramp him. Stress ultimately leads to death, if left unchecked.
Well, we have his tank now. Next is bedding. We're doing this "naturalistically" so carpeting or astroturf is out. Let's try a good cypress mulch (Forest Reptile Bedding) or for convenience, a weed based product (Kenaff) like Lizard Litter (ESU). In the wild, there is a rather thick layer of leaf litter on the ground, so these (either one) will work just fine. Let's do about 1.5 to 2 inches of bedding. Don't bother landscaping, he's going to rearrange it as he wants it.
The geography book says there are trees in the jungle and we already know that iguanas live in the trees, so branches or climbing posts are next on the list. Here we have to be careful. We can't just go into the backyard and cut down a tree. There are parasites (mites to name one) we don't want to introduce into our little make-believe jungle. We should get climbing stuff from a pet store that handles the appropriate sizes you'll need (and this is not to say that they are parasite-free... just parasite free-er. . . we are still going to clean and disinfect them before using, to be safe.) Get several different diameters to put into our jungle. This gives the iguana variety.
We can have a secure screen top so he can't get out; now this will be where his lighting and heating source will be. A ceramic based dome light fixture and one of the available "spot" bulbs (ESU, ZooMed, etc.) will supply his heat. And that should be 90-95 degrees F. at his basking site (where he likes to hang out.) This means we'll need a thermometer that level in the tank. We don't want the whole tank at 95 degrees, just his favorite basking spot. The lamp will keep the other parts of the tank at a reasonable temperature. Now for the lighting and required UV-B rays (see my lighting section for more.) We have a fluorescent fixture (fancy or plain, it matters not) and a ZooMed 5.0 UVB Iguana Bulb. This should be placed over his basking area (only here we want him within 10" of the bulb.) Now, you're almost set. Oh, I would leave both lights on for 10-12 hours a day only.
A water dish is controversial so here's my theory. I only place one in twice a week for an hour at a time. They get most of their moisture requirements from their veggies, and at the same time you don't want him to use his water dish as a toilet. Bacteria builds up incredibly fast in this warm environment and we don't want him drinking infested water. I used to let my Oliver (see photos) swim once or twice a week in our bathtub (then I would clean it out good before anyone else used it.) You can use a clean utility tub or a plastic kiddie pool (if you have the room.) They love to swim. And customers who have tried this and had their iguana scurry to the side and attempt to scramble out have said that their iggy didn't like the water. Believe me, they will get used to it, and in the meantime think of Bally's Spa Commercials... that good looking girl or hunk of a guy on the stair climber is doing aerobic exercise. Notice the similarities in both situations?! The exercise will do the iggy good as he isn't getting a lot in his tank (at least not enough.) Ollie, due to his large size now, has an 8 foot round, 12" deep plastic kiddie pool for nice days in the Summer (out behind the store.) When his leash goes on him (he never goes outside with it) he heads right for the back door. He really enjoys it. He also enjoys a light misting of his enclosure once or twice a day.
Food -- I'll save for a future article. Besides there are plenty of recipes on the web. Just DON'T include meat protein in their diet. I don't believe they eat bugs in the wild so I see no reason to feed it in captivity. It's not worth having your iguana develop renal failure or gout because of excess meat protein. I just don't feed it at all (every once in a while, they get a bit of tofu as a treat, but it is a vegetable protein.)
| This Amazing Iguana Book Will Teach You All About Caring For Iguana's! If You Want Your Iguana To Live For Years and Years, You Need This Book, and Your Iguana Will Thank You For it!... |
 |
Try to handle him frequently (once a day.) He needs to realize that when you pick him up, you aren't going to hurt him. You have to win his trust, and this is made a little easier by handling.
I hope this helps the new iguana owners out there and maybe makes the people who already have an iggy think. I don't pretend to be a Guru or know-it-all. I constantly learn something new, or try to, everyday.
Read all you can about them, filter good info from bad, but keep that geography book handy. It will help you.
From Tim Curran, of Radical Reptiles.
