Re: Cyclura or Ctenosaura VS Green Iggies

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Posted by PH Meliss on October 23, 2002 at 16:31:07:

In Reply to: Cyclura or Ctenosaura VS Green Iggies posted by bast on October 23, 2002 at 06:25:42:

:Are these other two species any different?

You know the book, "Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars"? Well, it's kinda like that when you are comparing green igs, Ctenos and Cycluras. Even within the Cyclura genus, you'll find some differences.

:[Cyclura] are terrestrial

Yep, but they still climb, just not as well as greens. Not only are they bulkier (my 19" SVL Cyclura, Mikey the Cycie, is 15 lb), their hind toes are arrayed different than greens, and I think that that affects their climbing. Mikey uses the same vertical climbers that my adult greens did, but he isn't as graceful or adept, so I've added some bulk to the rope ladders to make it easier for him.

His favorite daytime lounging and nighttime sleep areas are on the L-shaped shelf that runs along two walls in my ig room, 6 ft above the floor. In the mid morning, during spring and summer, he moves to the PVC table in front of the east window. (I've some photos of part of the room in my Basking Areas page.

:[Cyclura] take up more room and eat more.

I don't know about more room - then again, I live in Mike's 1800 square foot enclosure (but, for legal reasons, my name's on the lease ;), so he has plenty of room to move around.

Having had dozens of free-roaming juvie and adult green iguanas through the years, I wouldn't say that the Cyclura (hybrids, at least - Mikey is one of David Blair's Blue Cayman Rock hybrids) are more active, but they are more present, if you will. Walk into a green's room, and you will generally be ignored, or maybe bobbed. Walk into the Cyclura's room (or, as I've heard from Cteno owners, Ctenos), and they are immediately tracking you.

If you have any skin sensitivites to irritation (dermatographia), or are a hand or arm model ;), you'll probably want to skip the Cyclura: they're like carrying a 15+ lb bag of deadweight covered in sandpaper, with various knife blade- and razor-edged appendages that can slash you from arm to ankle. The inside of my left forearm, which supports Mikey when I'm carrying him, now has a fine layer of callus from wrist to elbow. Tres chic!

:[Cyclura] eat more.

Oi! Do they! I thought I was used to greens packing it in, but Mikey, pound for pound, has them topped. He pretty routinely eats twice a day - and poops as frequently and as prodigiously.

Cyclura are reputed to be more difficult than greens to tame. I've never had any problem taming greens, including "intractable" "monsters", but still wondered about Cyclura. David said he thought I'd have no problem, even though I was considering getting one of his essentially untamed 2.5 year olds. While the "language" of Cyclura is a bit different than greens, they are similar enough that the techniques I used in taming all those greens worked with Mikey, including getting him transitioned to free roaming (though he did manage to find and take advantage of hiding places none of my greens used...brat!).

Cyclura certainly are no easier than greens. Ctenos might be, but mostly because they are smaller overall and don't require quite as much physical space as do greens and Cyclura...but for more info on Cteno, best talk to Cteno keepers.

Quick link to: Cteno & Cyclura Forum

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