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Posted by jakeyjakers on April 23, 2003 at 12:21:01:
In Reply to: getting iguana soon posted by HerpGirl on April 23, 2003 at 10:57:22:
You've come to the right place! A lot of the people here know a lot about iguana's, and have been keeping them for years.
Hmmm... where to start...
Things to consider:
1. Space- iguana's need lots of it(they get 4-6 feet!)
2. Temper- can you handle an iguanas temper(sometimes they bite!)
3. Money- do you have the money it takes to care for an iguana? (Iguanas cost $15, but it can cost you hundreds to meet their needs)
4. Time- iguanas are not cats they require lots of attention(you can't fill their food bowl and then leave them alone.. well unless you want an unruly iguana)
Once you have those things out of the way, if you still want an iguana, here is a short list of things you need to know:
1. Food: NO LETTUCE.. use things like mustard, collard, or turnip greens, squash, beans, parsnip, turnip, pea pods, small amounts of fruit
2. Enclosure(cage): BIG! a cage around 4x3x3 would probably work to start with but you'd eventually need about 7x4x4 if possible. there are cage plans floating all over the net all you have to do is look for them
3. Temperature: Keep basking spot about 95ish.. rest of cage about 85ish during the day.. not below 75 at night if possible. A ceramic heating element(ask your pet store owner) helps a lot.
4. Lighting: Need UVB lights.. Reptisun is popular and at most pet stores.. also UVA basking lights are good to have.
5. Substrate(bedding): Forget about bark and all that crap. Go with newspaper, paper towel, or even a bath type towel works alright.
6. Taming: Spend as much time as you can with your iguana. The more time you spend together the better!
I hope that I haven't scared you away from having an iguana, but they are wonderful animals, and maybe if all of these things scare you, you might not want an iguana. Maybe try a gecko, bearded dragon, or even better, an anole, as a starter. I got an iguana as my first herp, and I had to learn the hard way how to care for it. If you haven't had any other herps before, and don't have a lot of money to spare, then I would recommend starting with a smaller and easier to care for herp. Often times people buy iguanas thinking that they are cool, only later to abandon them. Please don't add another iguana to the great number of cast aways. Overall, i hope that you can and want to care for an iguana. But if you do, do it the right way. Trust me your iguana will thank you with many years of its wonderful company.
If you have any questions, here's my email: Jakeyjakers@netscape.net
Jake Olsen
