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Posted by IGUANA JOE on June 08, 2002 at 09:05:27:

Iguanas, like most (if not all) lizards, shed in patches, in no particular order. As u know, a shedding skin becomes itchy and tight, and so they will seek out a rough-surfaced object such as braches and rocks to peel it off. The key to proper shedding though, is proper humidity. Yet, by now most iguana owners know that they should mist every now n then their iguanas to aid shedding, so don't worry about it too much. Being arboreal, iguanas will use bunches of branches to peel, or go on the ground and use rocks or shrubs.

A lot of owners soak their iguanas in their bath-tub in the morning to make 'em poop. Personally, I find it not the most sanitary thing in the world, even though they do use bleach to clean up afterwards.
This may be time consuming, but nonetheless relatevely easy and convenient for the cleanup. Iguans are intelligent enough to learn the routine, and look forward to the experience if it is kept enjoyable. A soaking area should be available with water all the time, for drinking and defecating. However, most people provide that themselves to their preference. U may offer it as an option. What stinks about the water thing is that u have to check it every now n then for feces, so that the animal does not drink its own escrements. Nasty uh? The water should be changed also because it is bound to get warm, evaporate, and smelly (should nature call). It does 'naturally' humidify the cage, so there's another bonus.

Now the lighting is a little tricky.
Remember that iguanas like heights, so they will stay on the upper part of the cage most of the times. The ground is mostly used to cool off, drink, and relieve their bowels.
So on a 7' high cage, a basking spot is enough. The average UV lamps used on an adult's enclosure is about 3, and one halogen or heat lamp. The top temps should be ~ 90 degrees, and the bottom ~ 75-80 degrees. That is why there should be no heating devices down in the bottom for the day time, so that the iguana can thermo-regulate like it would in the wild. At night, iguanas either sleep high or low, depending on the pet. So a ceramic heating device, that produces no light, just heat, can be placed wherever the animal sleeps, and turned on at night.
Also, look for UV lamps that produce color rendering (CR) nearest to the sun (the sun's CR is 94, so look between 90 and 100; [Hatfield]). This will also ensure that the iguana will get proper lighting so it wont suffer injuries to the eyes.

However, since these devices are bound to get hot and eventually need replacement, a good trick for very big cages (such as mine) is to put a second set (or replica) of light/heat lamps. Program them on timers so each set works at three or five hours intervals.
The benefits:
The iguana will keep moving to bask, instead of frying in one spot only.
Lower the risk of devices getting too hot for being on ~12 hours a day.
Lower risk of malfunction/fires/God knows what.

Distance of UV lamps from the animal is 12" on average, though some make it a bit more (the little devils do jump quite well).

This is why you need to make enclosures 'big':
-u need the space to properly place decors and devices.
-the animal needs space to grow and be content and thermoregulate.
-it will prevent u from cramping everything together, and so make a better job.

You can offer numerous models of different sizes. From the minimal requirements, to larger ones. My guess people in warmer states will opt for the minimals, since they often leave their igs outside in self-made oudoor enclosures (though u could do that too uh? $$$hehehe$$$). People who need to keep the igs inside may opt for larger ones.

The Dummies book by M. Kaplan has received for the most part good reviews. She is after all the "iguana queen", so maybe that is why her turtle book was not much of a hit. But she is the "pioneer" of the On-Line information for these animals' husbandry. People here disagree on some things, but for the most part she is a respected image in the iguana community.
But the book is basically what u see on her Website, so u might just print what u need to know, and save 20 bucks or so.

One final thing: avoid putting glass or clear plastic 'barriers' between the UV lamp and the animal. Though it sounds nice for the protection and safety of the animal, it fails the purpose of the UV emitting lamp (the rays wont pass through).

This is all I can cram in this post for now. Iguana site on the internet are pretty much the same, except u get to see people's setups, iguanas, and the family dog along with it. Other than that, these are people who often follow the same basics for iguana husbandry, so most of them should be great and worth checking out. A lot of those people are very nice and will further help you on other topics.

Enjoy the weekend!

I J

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Thanks for all your help! n/p Natalie 06/10/02 (0)

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: Iguanas, like most (if not all) lizards, shed in patches, in no particular order. As u know, a shedding skin becomes itchy and tight, and so they will seek out a rough-surfaced object such as braches and rocks to peel it off. The key to proper shedding though, is proper humidity. Yet, by now most iguana owners know that they should mist every now n then their iguanas to aid shedding, so don't worry about it too much. Being arboreal, iguanas will use bunches of branches to peel, or go on the ground and use rocks or shrubs. : A lot of owners soak their iguanas in their bath-tub in the morning to make 'em poop. Personally, I find it not the most sanitary thing in the world, even though they do use bleach to clean up afterwards. : This may be time consuming, but nonetheless relatevely easy and convenient for the cleanup. Iguans are intelligent enough to learn the routine, and look forward to the experience if it is kept enjoyable. A soaking area should be available with water all the time, for drinking and defecating. However, most people provide that themselves to their preference. U may offer it as an option. What stinks about the water thing is that u have to check it every now n then for feces, so that the animal does not drink its own escrements. Nasty uh? The water should be changed also because it is bound to get warm, evaporate, and smelly (should nature call). It does 'naturally' humidify the cage, so there's another bonus. : Now the lighting is a little tricky. : Remember that iguanas like heights, so they will stay on the upper part of the cage most of the times. The ground is mostly used to cool off, drink, and relieve their bowels. : So on a 7' high cage, a basking spot is enough. The average UV lamps used on an adult's enclosure is about 3, and one halogen or heat lamp. The top temps should be ~ 90 degrees, and the bottom ~ 75-80 degrees. That is why there should be no heating devices down in the bottom for the day time, so that the iguana can thermo-regulate like it would in the wild. At night, iguanas either sleep high or low, depending on the pet. So a ceramic heating device, that produces no light, just heat, can be placed wherever the animal sleeps, and turned on at night. : Also, look for UV lamps that produce color rendering (CR) nearest to the sun (the sun's CR is 94, so look between 90 and 100; [Hatfield]). This will also ensure that the iguana will get proper lighting so it wont suffer injuries to the eyes. : However, since these devices are bound to get hot and eventually need replacement, a good trick for very big cages (such as mine) is to put a second set (or replica) of light/heat lamps. Program them on timers so each set works at three or five hours intervals. : The benefits: : The iguana will keep moving to bask, instead of frying in one spot only. : Lower the risk of devices getting too hot for being on ~12 hours a day. : Lower risk of malfunction/fires/God knows what. : Distance of UV lamps from the animal is 12" on average, though some make it a bit more (the little devils do jump quite well). : This is why you need to make enclosures 'big': : -u need the space to properly place decors and devices. : -the animal needs space to grow and be content and thermoregulate. : -it will prevent u from cramping everything together, and so make a better job. : You can offer numerous models of different sizes. From the minimal requirements, to larger ones. My guess people in warmer states will opt for the minimals, since they often leave their igs outside in self-made oudoor enclosures (though u could do that too uh? $$$hehehe$$$). People who need to keep the igs inside may opt for larger ones. : The Dummies book by M. Kaplan has received for the most part good reviews. She is after all the "iguana queen", so maybe that is why her turtle book was not much of a hit. But she is the "pioneer" of the On-Line information for these animals' husbandry. People here disagree on some things, but for the most part she is a respected image in the iguana community. : But the book is basically what u see on her Website, so u might just print what u need to know, and save 20 bucks or so. : One final thing: avoid putting glass or clear plastic 'barriers' between the UV lamp and the animal. Though it sounds nice for the protection and safety of the animal, it fails the purpose of the UV emitting lamp (the rays wont pass through). : This is all I can cram in this post for now. Iguana site on the internet are pretty much the same, except u get to see people's setups, iguanas, and the family dog along with it. Other than that, these are people who often follow the same basics for iguana husbandry, so most of them should be great and worth checking out. A lot of those people are very nice and will further help you on other topics. : Enjoy the weekend! : I J

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