Ig ownership

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Posted by Blkwido on December 11, 1999 at 10:24:31:

In Reply to: Several Million Questions for the Experts on this board. posted by Priest8841 on December 10, 1999 at 23:08:54:

Everyone covered your questions really well, but I wanted to add a few things.

I have a young Ig that had been kept with Bearded Dragons, for awhile I was told they got along fine, but one day the guy went to feed them, and the poor Ig had no tail, and many of its toes were gone.
Someone compared keeping them together likes wolves and fox, I'd say more like fox and rabbits. Igs are veggie eaters, and Beardies eat meat (as well as veggies). So don't risk it.
Same with housing two Igs together. Never ever put two males together, and its not a good idea with females either. Igs are not social animals... they may lay together at the petstore under a heatlight, but not because they like eachother. They do it because that sop has something they all want. (heat, humidity, safety) In the wild, Igs have "there space" that they will defend if another Ig gets to close. (unless its a possible mate)
In captivity, the Igs can't get away from eachother. If you were to put them toger, you'd have to at least double the cage size. (A large bedroom may work) Even if they never fight, one will be more dominant, and the other will suffer constant stress, and most likely be sickly. So again, don't risk it. And besides, you'll find that even caring for one Ig is time consuming enough.
You need to cut up fresh greens everyday for your Ig. (And make sure the food is healthy for him/her, no lettuce!) Spend time cleaning the cage, really well. Spend time "playing" with your Ig... about an hour or so a day. This is "hands on"... just getting him/her out to run doesn't count towards that hour of "playing with your Ig". Maybe hand feed him some treats like berries, grapes, untreated flowers... he'll love it.
Igs get really set in their daily habits, and can stress if it changes. So try to do everything about the same time, in the same way. Feed, soak, clean, play time, etc. Use the same feed bowls, etc. If you ever need someone else to do it, tell them how/when you do everything. Your Ig may be upset enough that there is a new person doing the work. When I moved my Ig from one part of the room to the other (cage and all) She went off her feed for a few days.
There is SO much to know about Igs... Please Read, read, read. And don't blindly accept what you are told/read. Question it. If it sounds odd, look up more on the subject. Look at the source... was it a book writted 20 yrs ago? Get as much info as you can. Igs are probably the #1 abused/neglected reptile today. If you don't want to care for a 6' Ig for the next 15yrs that may not think you are his best friend all the time (or at all), then please don't get one.
But don't get me wrong, Igs can be wonderful! We are just telling you the "bad" things so you don't get one then say, "I had no idea they needed so much care"
Also, they NEED UVB light!!! I can't stress this enough.
You can't get UVB from an incandecent light. (those "normal shaped bulbs") Even if it says "full spectrum". You can only get UVB from Florecent bulbs. (the long skinny ones).. and not all florecents give off UVB. There are a few companies that make good UVB bulbs. ZooMed Iguana light 5.0 is a good one. You can also get the UVB rays from UNfiltered sunlight. If the light is coming from a window, the glass will filter 95%(?) of the UVB. So don't think just cause your Ig sits by the window that he/she is getting the UVB.
An Ig will die without this UVB... They get a disease called Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) .. Look it up.
Thank you for looking into this before getting your Ig.
And NEVER buy an Ig from a Petstore!!! Talk to a Reptile Rescue!

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: Everyone covered your questions really well, but I wanted to add a few things. : I have a young Ig that had been kept with Bearded Dragons, for awhile I was told they got along fine, but one day the guy went to feed them, and the poor Ig had no tail, and many of its toes were gone. : Someone compared keeping them together likes wolves and fox, I'd say more like fox and rabbits. Igs are veggie eaters, and Beardies eat meat (as well as veggies). So don't risk it. : Same with housing two Igs together. Never ever put two males together, and its not a good idea with females either. Igs are not social animals... they may lay together at the petstore under a heatlight, but not because they like eachother. They do it because that sop has something they all want. (heat, humidity, safety) In the wild, Igs have "there space" that they will defend if another Ig gets to close. (unless its a possible mate) : In captivity, the Igs can't get away from eachother. If you were to put them toger, you'd have to at least double the cage size. (A large bedroom may work) Even if they never fight, one will be more dominant, and the other will suffer constant stress, and most likely be sickly. So again, don't risk it. And besides, you'll find that even caring for one Ig is time consuming enough. : You need to cut up fresh greens everyday for your Ig. (And make sure the food is healthy for him/her, no lettuce!) Spend time cleaning the cage, really well. Spend time "playing" with your Ig... about an hour or so a day. This is "hands on"... just getting him/her out to run doesn't count towards that hour of "playing with your Ig". Maybe hand feed him some treats like berries, grapes, untreated flowers... he'll love it. : Igs get really set in their daily habits, and can stress if it changes. So try to do everything about the same time, in the same way. Feed, soak, clean, play time, etc. Use the same feed bowls, etc. If you ever need someone else to do it, tell them how/when you do everything. Your Ig may be upset enough that there is a new person doing the work. When I moved my Ig from one part of the room to the other (cage and all) She went off her feed for a few days. : There is SO much to know about Igs... Please Read, read, read. And don't blindly accept what you are told/read. Question it. If it sounds odd, look up more on the subject. Look at the source... was it a book writted 20 yrs ago? Get as much info as you can. Igs are probably the #1 abused/neglected reptile today. If you don't want to care for a 6' Ig for the next 15yrs that may not think you are his best friend all the time (or at all), then please don't get one. : But don't get me wrong, Igs can be wonderful! We are just telling you the "bad" things so you don't get one then say, "I had no idea they needed so much care" : Also, they NEED UVB light!!! I can't stress this enough. : You can't get UVB from an incandecent light. (those "normal shaped bulbs") Even if it says "full spectrum". You can only get UVB from Florecent bulbs. (the long skinny ones).. and not all florecents give off UVB. There are a few companies that make good UVB bulbs. ZooMed Iguana light 5.0 is a good one. You can also get the UVB rays from UNfiltered sunlight. If the light is coming from a window, the glass will filter 95%(?) of the UVB. So don't think just cause your Ig sits by the window that he/she is getting the UVB. : An Ig will die without this UVB... They get a disease called Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) .. Look it up. : Thank you for looking into this before getting your Ig. : And NEVER buy an Ig from a Petstore!!! Talk to a Reptile Rescue!

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