Re: Outdoor benefits for new Iguana?

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Posted by Kate on June 21, 2002 at 17:27:13:

In Reply to: Outdoor benefits for new Iguana? posted by Joe on June 21, 2002 at 12:04:17:

What is his cage made of? Glass blocks all the UV rays from the sun, which is the main benefit of having him outdoors. Screens block some of the UV, but not all... How big is his cage, by the way? Does he have a source of UVB besides the sun? This is very important for his health. Lots of real sunshine is best for iguanas, but this isn't possible in most climates all the time. That's why we have UVB lights.

As a warning, heat rocks tend to be dangerous for iguanas. The heat from the rocks doesn't spread, so an iguana will just lay directly on it for a long time and get burned. I've seen some that were really badly burned from heat rocks. A heat lamp/light is much better and more natural for an iguana anyway.

Let's see, other tips on iguana care - I don't know what you know already. So I'll do a food list. A good diet is very important for iguana health, after all. Diet should be about half or more green leafy vegetables: collards, dandelion greens, escarole, mustard greens, endive, kale, etc. The other main component of their diet is other vegetables: snow peas, French beans or green beans, bell pepper, carrot, squash, and sweet potato. (These last two will need to be cooked very briefly to soften them.) They also eat a small amount of fruit, including lots of types of berries, papaya, apple... just not the citrus fruits.

Okay, I'll stop now. Have fun!

Kate

Follow Ups:

Re: Outdoor benefits for new Iguana? Joe Kodachrome 06/22/02 (2)
- Re: Outdoor benefits for new Iguana? Kate 06/22/02 (1)
  - Re: Outdoor benefits for new Iguana? Joe Kodachrome 06/27/02 (0)
Screen cant block that much UV light, can it??? n/p Brian 06/21/02 (1)
- yes.... xta 06/21/02 (0)

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: What is his cage made of? Glass blocks all the UV rays from the sun, which is the main benefit of having him outdoors. Screens block some of the UV, but not all... How big is his cage, by the way? Does he have a source of UVB besides the sun? This is very important for his health. Lots of real sunshine is best for iguanas, but this isn't possible in most climates all the time. That's why we have UVB lights. : As a warning, heat rocks tend to be dangerous for iguanas. The heat from the rocks doesn't spread, so an iguana will just lay directly on it for a long time and get burned. I've seen some that were really badly burned from heat rocks. A heat lamp/light is much better and more natural for an iguana anyway. : Let's see, other tips on iguana care - I don't know what you know already. So I'll do a food list. A good diet is very important for iguana health, after all. Diet should be about half or more green leafy vegetables: collards, dandelion greens, escarole, mustard greens, endive, kale, etc. The other main component of their diet is other vegetables: snow peas, French beans or green beans, bell pepper, carrot, squash, and sweet potato. (These last two will need to be cooked very briefly to soften them.) They also eat a small amount of fruit, including lots of types of berries, papaya, apple... just not the citrus fruits. : Okay, I'll stop now. Have fun! : Kate

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