Re: spikes breaking

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Posted by BabyHerp on April 08, 2001 at 01:23:21:

In Reply to: spikes breaking posted by TJ on April 08, 2001 at 00:33:12:

How close are those spikes to his heat source?
I had a theory about frayed/splintered looking spikes (acquired my iguanas with them)when I noticed after about a year (doh!) that their spikes continued to fray and looked almost burned at the tips. What I did was move the basking lamp off center instead of beating down on their spikes (my temp gauges are set at shoulder height..never dawned on me that the 1-3 inches of spikes were getting much more intense heat exposure)...Now NO more frayed tips!! Took quite a few sheds...but see if moving overhead lights off center doesn't help this...If the spikes are cracking or breaking and folded/crimped and its not the tips ...chances are he's rubbing them against something. There's a tight spot he squeezes thru and injures/breaks em, or ?. There may be some blood loss but I'd leave em be (I don't have the heart to snip em off)Sometimes they will correct themselves with subsequent sheds, and if completely broken off will grow back but it does take quite a while to get that pointy action going again.

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: How close are those spikes to his heat source? : I had a theory about frayed/splintered looking spikes (acquired my iguanas with them)when I noticed after about a year (doh!) that their spikes continued to fray and looked almost burned at the tips. What I did was move the basking lamp off center instead of beating down on their spikes (my temp gauges are set at shoulder height..never dawned on me that the 1-3 inches of spikes were getting much more intense heat exposure)...Now NO more frayed tips!! Took quite a few sheds...but see if moving overhead lights off center doesn't help this...If the spikes are cracking or breaking and folded/crimped and its not the tips ...chances are he's rubbing them against something. There's a tight spot he squeezes thru and injures/breaks em, or ?. There may be some blood loss but I'd leave em be (I don't have the heart to snip em off)Sometimes they will correct themselves with subsequent sheds, and if completely broken off will grow back but it does take quite a while to get that pointy action going again.

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