Re: Question on posts below

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Posted by Ig Chick on January 03, 2002 at 16:15:59:

In Reply to: Question on posts below posted by Wendy on January 03, 2002 at 14:32:06:

: I have a quetsion about the posts below involving Alona, Ig Chick, Christy, Xta.....etc.

: Is it possible to have 2 free roaming iguanas together if they are not a breeding pair, or is it strictly forbidden kind of thing? Are there exceptions?

Yes, it is possible but it is NOT reccomened! There are so many aspects of free roaming to take into consideration that for the average person, having a free roaming iguana is NOT a good idea.

Before we even talk about SAFETY let's address living conditions. The low end of ambiant temperature for a tropical such as an iguana is 80*. That means that year round, in your free roamer's space the temperature in that room needs to be 80* during the day. You'll also need to make sure the room is humid so plan on running both a humidifier to reach tropical humidity and a vent so that your furniture doesn't get moldy. Now, you still need to add the UVB source which can fade fabrics such as carpets, curtains and furniture. And then you need have high places for them because they are arboreal in nature.

Safety -Salmonella anyone? Where are they going to defecate? What if they decide that your sofa is the best place for that? You'll need some way to clean it off the fabric and then sanitize the area -especially if you have young children that tend to put their mouths on everything. Nick-nacks?? Forget about it! They'll knock them over when climbing or if there in their way. Electrical outlets need to have child caps so claws don't get stuck in them. Oh, and if you have radiators for heating you'll need to safeguard them from being able to get burnt on those. What are you going to do if you have company that is afraid of him/her? What if you have other free roaming pets like cats and dogs? Don't forget the windows ... you won't be able to leave them open in nice weather because an iguana can and will rip right though the screen.

What are you going to do if you can't find your free roamer? We used allow our female Mel to free roam unsupervised until the day it took us almost 3 hours to find her! When they free roam they can get into all kinds of trouble and ingest all kinds of things they aren't meant to ingest. So, another kep in free roaming is that you need to provide a spotless environent.

Are there exceptions? Sure there are! But in the end, you're going to come to the conclusion that having a suitable enclosure for iggy is a lot better for everyone, especially iggy!

Now there is the issue of having 2 iguanas. Having 2 iguanas means you have to have 2 of everything! Also, if you choose to buy an iguana as a hatchling, you aren't going to know what sex you are dealing with until 2 years of age. It's very rare that we would ever suggest anyone getting 2 iguanas as their first encounter with them. One iguana is a ton of hard work, give it some time before you get another!

Follow Ups:

agree with ig chic and more.... xta 01/03/02 (2)
- Re: agree with ig chic and more.... Wendy 01/03/02 (1)
  - Re: agree with ig chic and more.... xta 01/03/02 (0)
Re: Question on posts below Wendy 01/03/02 (0)

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: : I have a quetsion about the posts below involving Alona, Ig Chick, Christy, Xta.....etc. : : Is it possible to have 2 free roaming iguanas together if they are not a breeding pair, or is it strictly forbidden kind of thing? Are there exceptions? : Yes, it is possible but it is NOT reccomened! There are so many aspects of free roaming to take into consideration that for the average person, having a free roaming iguana is NOT a good idea. : Before we even talk about SAFETY let's address living conditions. The low end of ambiant temperature for a tropical such as an iguana is 80*. That means that year round, in your free roamer's space the temperature in that room needs to be 80* during the day. You'll also need to make sure the room is humid so plan on running both a humidifier to reach tropical humidity and a vent so that your furniture doesn't get moldy. Now, you still need to add the UVB source which can fade fabrics such as carpets, curtains and furniture. And then you need have high places for them because they are arboreal in nature. : Safety -Salmonella anyone? Where are they going to defecate? What if they decide that your sofa is the best place for that? You'll need some way to clean it off the fabric and then sanitize the area -especially if you have young children that tend to put their mouths on everything. Nick-nacks?? Forget about it! They'll knock them over when climbing or if there in their way. Electrical outlets need to have child caps so claws don't get stuck in them. Oh, and if you have radiators for heating you'll need to safeguard them from being able to get burnt on those. What are you going to do if you have company that is afraid of him/her? What if you have other free roaming pets like cats and dogs? Don't forget the windows ... you won't be able to leave them open in nice weather because an iguana can and will rip right though the screen. : What are you going to do if you can't find your free roamer? We used allow our female Mel to free roam unsupervised until the day it took us almost 3 hours to find her! When they free roam they can get into all kinds of trouble and ingest all kinds of things they aren't meant to ingest. So, another kep in free roaming is that you need to provide a spotless environent. : Are there exceptions? Sure there are! But in the end, you're going to come to the conclusion that having a suitable enclosure for iggy is a lot better for everyone, especially iggy! : Now there is the issue of having 2 iguanas. Having 2 iguanas means you have to have 2 of everything! Also, if you choose to buy an iguana as a hatchling, you aren't going to know what sex you are dealing with until 2 years of age. It's very rare that we would ever suggest anyone getting 2 iguanas as their first encounter with them. One iguana is a ton of hard work, give it some time before you get another!

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