Re: Ozzy's new cage..........

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Posted by PH Meliss on November 14, 2002 at 15:05:20:

In Reply to: Ozzy's new cage.......... posted by Iguanamom on November 13, 2002 at 22:27:43:

:It is 6ft tall, 4ft wide and 2 feet deep. How do those dimensions sound? Ozzy is still young, not sure how old, but he is about 18-24 inches long,

Your dad won't want to hear this, but iguana enclosures need to be at least 1.5-2 x the iguana's total length. If an iguana is not yet full grown, you need to allow room for growth. The best thing to do, if an iguana will be a caged (rather than fully free-roaming) iguana for his entire life, would be to start them out in an adult sized enclosure. Since you don't know just how long your iguana is going to ultimately be, that means planning on his reaching at least 6 ft in overall length, which means an enclosure that is at least 9 ft wide.

You'll find more information on Iguana Age and Expected Size and Basic Iguana Cage Design Problems at my site.

:Im looking for tips on "decorating" his new cage.

Along with the Basic Iguana Cage Design Problems article, have you read my Iguana Care, Feeding & Socialization article? It goes into the types of equipment and placement.

:My dad built it with wood, plexiglass and a vinyl coated screen material. The back wall is wood, two sides screen and the front plexiglass.

Have you thought about how you are going to conserve heat in the winter? Mesh sides let the warm air out and cooler room air in - unless you are going to be heating the room to tropical temps, too. :) What kind of mesh did your dad use? Some are unsafe for use with any reptile; others can't stand up to the determined clawing of an increasing bigger and stronger iguana...especially during breeding season, and especially in one housed in a too-small enclosure.

:Was thinking about getting some plastic hanging vines for the back wall,

Make sure that they are good plastic. ;) Some have so little plastic covering the wire, and the wire isn't very strong, that the plastic comes off leaving the sharp exposed wire tips. You might also think about painting the enclosure with a jungly scene (washable child-safe paint)...

:and put some shelves in for him to bask on,

A definite requirement!

: Loves his salad of mustard greens and collard greens. Doesnt seem to like much else.

Check out the Picky Eaters article. ;)

:And I think Ozzy is a boy. I looked where his vent is and I do see two buldges, allthough I don't know how reliable of a way to tell, but it definatly looks like two separate buldges.

The femoral pores begin to differentiate in iguanas before the male's develop a noticeable hemipenal bulge. Check out the Sexing Iguanas article for info on "reading" the pores.

:I think he is just now about 18months old, but the age is a guess really.

If he is, the pores should be easily readable AND he should be heading into breeding season...

: One thing I wondered about is he has never head bobbed? What does that mean? I thought all Iguana's head bobbed?

All igs can bob, male and female. If he hasn't yet, it would be because he still sees you and any family members he hasn't bobbed at yet as still being alpha to him...which is a good thing. But if he isn't fully tame and well on his way to being socialized, well, that is something that is much better done before they go into their first season, though not impossible after it.

Igs are often stressed by changes in their home environment, including changes in or to their enclosure, even if the changed conditions are better for him. Might want to read the Change-Related Stress article before moving him so you will know what to expect or be able to figure out what's going on if you see any changes in color, behavior, routine, appetite, etc.

Let us know how it goes!

PH Meliss
Pet Host for PetHobbyist.com * Iguanas
Herps and Iguanas
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