Re: new baby

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Posted by Mr. D on May 26, 2002 at 10:49:21:

In Reply to: new baby posted by Amy on May 25, 2002 at 21:26:59:

The problem with the majority of small screening is that it can partially or totally filter out UVB waves simply because of the size of the weave. I'be been doing some testing around the house with a hand held radiometer and it's rather amazing just how much the UV is reduced by various screens. Everything from aluminum window screen to the cloth mesh from things like "reptariums" will tend to significantly reduce the amount of available UVB. The same holds true for the majority of plexi and regular household window glass.

In my experience, the ReptiSun & IguanaLight 5.0 bulbs are the best fluorescent tube bulbs currently on the market. I don't know about John-Paul but I haven't seen any numbers on actual UVB production from the ESU bulbs yet and I haven't had the opportunity to test them myself so I can't make any comments on them as far as the actual amount of UV they produce. The ReptiSun/IguanaLight bulbs WILL have to be within 12" of your ig in order for it to absorb any appreciable UVB radiation.

Another option would be to use a mercury vapor bulb for both UVB and basking heat. ActiveUV and PowerSun both manufacture mv bulbs that will produce as much as 5x the amount of UVB as a fluo tube, also produce a good amount of heat for basking, and are warrantied for 1 year as opposed to having to replace fluo tubes every 6 months.

Free roaming an iguana, especially a hatchling/juvenile CAN be a tricky thing to do. Since they are so curious, they'll tend to check EVERYTHING out in their surroundings which means two things. 1.) They'll tongue flick EVERYTHING in sight which means that you'll have to "ig proof" the entire room both to make sure that it can't ingest anything small in the room and so it can't escape. 2.) Having the run of an entire room all day may not allow it to get enough UV exposure. In the case of a full room being used, several UV basking spots would need to be set up. Another option would be to construct an enclosure for it on the porch, mount the UV light in the enclosure, and only allow the ig to free roam for a few hours a day. As you get up to speed on ig husbandry you'll read about Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). One of the major contributing factors to this is lack of UVB exposure.

You should also get a copy of James Hatfield's "Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual". To date, that is the most comprehensive text that I have found.

What's average humidity where you are? If you're not hitting 65-70% fairly consistantly that may be another reason to build an enclosure and only let it free roam for a few hours a day.

What are you feeding for diet?

The Iguana Spot

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Re: new baby amy 05/27/02 (0)

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: The problem with the majority of small screening is that it can partially or totally filter out UVB waves simply because of the size of the weave. I'be been doing some testing around the house with a hand held radiometer and it's rather amazing just how much the UV is reduced by various screens. Everything from aluminum window screen to the cloth mesh from things like "reptariums" will tend to significantly reduce the amount of available UVB. The same holds true for the majority of plexi and regular household window glass. : In my experience, the ReptiSun & IguanaLight 5.0 bulbs are the best fluorescent tube bulbs currently on the market. I don't know about John-Paul but I haven't seen any numbers on actual UVB production from the ESU bulbs yet and I haven't had the opportunity to test them myself so I can't make any comments on them as far as the actual amount of UV they produce. The ReptiSun/IguanaLight bulbs WILL have to be within 12" of your ig in order for it to absorb any appreciable UVB radiation. : Another option would be to use a mercury vapor bulb for both UVB and basking heat. ActiveUV and PowerSun both manufacture mv bulbs that will produce as much as 5x the amount of UVB as a fluo tube, also produce a good amount of heat for basking, and are warrantied for 1 year as opposed to having to replace fluo tubes every 6 months. : Free roaming an iguana, especially a hatchling/juvenile CAN be a tricky thing to do. Since they are so curious, they'll tend to check EVERYTHING out in their surroundings which means two things. 1.) They'll tongue flick EVERYTHING in sight which means that you'll have to "ig proof" the entire room both to make sure that it can't ingest anything small in the room and so it can't escape. 2.) Having the run of an entire room all day may not allow it to get enough UV exposure. In the case of a full room being used, several UV basking spots would need to be set up. Another option would be to construct an enclosure for it on the porch, mount the UV light in the enclosure, and only allow the ig to free roam for a few hours a day. As you get up to speed on ig husbandry you'll read about Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). One of the major contributing factors to this is lack of UVB exposure. : You should also get a copy of James Hatfield's "Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual". To date, that is the most comprehensive text that I have found. : What's average humidity where you are? If you're not hitting 65-70% fairly consistantly that may be another reason to build an enclosure and only let it free roam for a few hours a day. : What are you feeding for diet?

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