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Yay new huge cage for my Iguana/ I has a question!
Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:32 pm
by Moore
Long story time.
Well it all started when I got my first aquarium based pet, his name was Tito. He was a rat. He had this hollow coconut in his cage that he would crawl in and sleep in, it was the most adorable thing. I had him for three or so years, and he died. So I didn't really want another aquarium-homed pet for awhile, alas this cage stayed empty. However, last year when I turned 22 my mom knew I had always wanted an iguana, so she brought home this box and handed it to me and lo and behold my little baby iguana was inside. I named him Till after Till Lindemann from Rammstein.
FAST FORWARD.
It's now almost another year since then, and he has gotten quite large. So large that he needed another aquarium, I was building him a huge outside cage for next summer anyways and I didn't have the money for a newer big cage this winter. Well my parents do rental houses and stuff and one of our renters let me have this huge aquarium for free since he was moving and didn't want/need it. So my dad made a huge lid for it and now he's got a nice huge place to get even bigger. I'm so happy he finally has a bigger cage!
I have a few questions though to anyone who might know a bit more about iguanas.
Mine has a green body, but a very dark colored scaley looking head, is this normal? D: I can't tell if he's getting too cold or not. He has a heat rock and I think the right wattage light bulb. What can I do to keep him warmer?
Also the lady at the pet shop kind of freaks out (well she makes it clear) that she doesn't like it that I feed my Iguana crickets. He eats them and loves them he runs around chasing and eating them and doesn't seem to mind it. He always has regular iguana food in his cage too. And sometimes I hold him and just cut slices of carrots and feed them to him. So question again, Crickets? are they okay to feed him?
Re: Yay new huge cage for my Iguana/ I has a question!
Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 8:58 pm
by GormanGhaste
I've never had an iguana, but I know at least for some other reptiles they recommend under-tank heating pads (under one side of the cage) rather than heat rocks, to avoid possible burns. The best way to know if the cage is at the right temperature is to use thermometers that are designed to be put in the cage, placed at ground level.
Re: Yay new huge cage for my Iguana/ I has a question!
Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:13 pm
by zedxrgal
Proper Caging
Iguanas are big animals, they require a large enclosure. The normal size of an adult iguana is 5-6 feet. Adult iguanas should be housed in an enclosure with the minimum dimensions of 4 x 4 x 6 ft.(l x w x h). Iguanas require tall cages because they are arboreal (tree-dwelling), and prefer to spend the majority of their time as high off the ground as they can get. Branches just slightly larger than the animal's diameter must be provided for climbing. Branches can be purchased or collected, but collected branches must be sterilized with a dilute bleach solution before use (1 part bleach to 10 part water) and then washed with clean water. Young iguanas can be kept in smaller encloses, but the smallest size recommended is a 55 gallon aquarium. Within 4 months (providing you purchased your iguana at 1-3 months of age), your iguana should outgrow this size of enclosure, at which time it can be moved into the larger cage. There are no manufactured aquariums on the market today that are large enough for an adult iguana, so the only real choice is to home build or custom order a cage. Many companies who advertise in reptile trade magazines can build good custom cages of appropriate size. Proper substrates include newspaper with soy-based ink, bark chips, and Astroturf. Newspaper is by far the most practical, although the least aesthetically appealing substrate. Do not use wood shavings, corn-cob bedding, sand, or crushed walnut shells in iguana enclosures. Wood shavings (especially cedar) give off irritating fumes that can harm the animal's respiratory system. The other substrates are not digestible and can cause severe intestinal blockage if ingested. Iguanas are from tropical areas, and require rather high relative humidity to shed properly. A relative humidity of 75% or greater can be obtained by misting the enclosure once or twice a day.
A Word About "Free Roaming" Iguanas
Do not allow an iguana the free run of the house without supervision. More than one home fire has been started by a wily free roaming iguana that knocked over it's heat lamp. Free roaming iguanas also mean free roaming salmonella bacteria, which should be avoided at all costs. Unsupervised iguanas can also damage furniture, wiring, and carpet. Iguanas are also especially adept at cramming themselves into the most unlikely, and hard to reach, spaces. This can cause severe stress to both the animal and the owner when extraction is attempted.
Proper Heating
It is critically important that iguanas receive proper heating. Reptiles are ectothermic, meaning that they do not manufacture their own body heat. Reptiles must provide themselves with heating or cooling from their environments, this is done by a mechanism called thermoregulation. Thermoregualtion means that when a reptile is too cold, it moves itself into a warmer area, such as a basking spot in the sun, or a south facing hiding spot, and when it is too hot, it moves into a cooler area. When we confine reptiles in captivity, we must provide a cool area and a warm area so that the animal can determine its own body temperate as it would in the wild. Iguanas require a basking spot of 95-100 degrees F, and a cooler end of 80-85 degrees. At night the temperature can safely drop to 70-75 degrees, provided that the animal can warm up during the day. The best way to provide a basking site is to use a basking lamp. A branch should be placed laterally under the heat lamp to provide the animal with a basking site. Make sure to screen in the bulb or place the bulb out of the iguana's reach so it cannot burn itself. Proper heating is important to maintain a healthy immune system and proper digestion. It should be noted that heating rocks are not appropriate heat sources for iguanas. Arboreal reptiles do not lay their bellies against hot surfaces in the wild to warm up, and should not be forced to do so in captivity.
Proper Lighting
Iguanas require what is termed "full spectrum lighting". Full spectrum lighting simulates the wavelengths of natural sunlight. Iguanas require irradiation by light in the UVB range (290-315 nm) to create vitamin D3 . Iguanas need this vitamin in order to absorb calcium in their diets. Without full spectrum lighting, iguanas develop a condition called metabolic bone disease, which is a calcium deficiency. Full spectrum lighting is provided by fluorescent bulbs specifically manufactured for use with reptiles (not plant grow lights). Make sure to obtain a full spectrum light that also provides UVB, some "full spectrum lights" do not provide these necessary wavelengths. It is important that a basking branch be placed 10-12 inches away from the fluorescent light source. The strength of the UVB lighting is severely diminished past 12 inches from the source. The fluorescent lighting in the iguana's cage should be left on 10-12 hours a day, and turned off at night. If the fluorescent light is left on at night, iguanas cannot sleep and they become stressed (and cranky). Full spectrum lights must be replaced every six months, even though they will not burn out before this time. The full spectrum effect of these bulbs wears off over time. If possible, allow the iguana access to natural, unfiltered sunlight, but be careful to provide a cooler area so it does not overheat. Unfiltered sunlight is the best source of full spectrum light, but sunlight through a window is not sufficient as glass screens out the beneficial UV rays. Do not put an iguana outside in direct sunlight in an aquarium, glass aquariums heat up quickly and can cause death from overheating. Do not take the iguana outside unless the ambient temperature is above 70 degrees F.
Diet
No single aspect of iguana husbandry seems to produce more misinformation than diet. Iguanas are entirely herbivorous (plant-eating) from the time of birth and do not require any type of animal protein at any point in their lives. Older iguana studies indicated that iguanas displayed quick growth if fed large amount of animal protein, which is true. What is also true however, is that iguanas fed large amounts of animal protein do not live very long, often as a result of gout or metabolic bone disease. It is important to offer iguanas a diet composed of calcium rich greens, fruits, and vegetables. Herbivorous reptiles require a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1 in their captive diets in order to fare well. A diet that provides for this necessity is as follows : 70-80% Dark, leafy, calcium rich greens such as: collard greens, mustard greens, endive, watercress, and dandelion greens. If they can be obtained, mulberry and hibiscus leaves should be included as often as possible. Avoid iceberg lettuce entirely, it has no nutritional value. Spinach should be either fed in small amounts or avoided entirely because it contains oxalic acid, which binds calcium in the intestinal tract, making it unavailable. 20-30% Grated vegetables such as: carrots, winter squash, pumpkin, zucchini, thawed frozen mixed vegetables, and spineless prickly pear cactus pads. Avoid or feed sparingly: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, escarole, cauliflower. These vegetables contain iodine binders that can cause thyroid problems. 10-20% Fruits and flowers such as: strawberries, raspberries, mango, papaya, kiwi, melon, apple (no seeds), prickly pear cactus fruits and flowers, hibiscus, nasturtium, and dandelion flowers. Iguanas love bananas, but they should only be offered as a treat because they have the incorrect calcium to phosphorus ratio. Make sure to cut and grate all food into bite size pieces for babies.
In addition to proper diet, iguanas require calcium supplementation. Calcium powder can be purchased at reptile stores. Calcium powder should be lightly sprinkled over the iguana salad three times a week for juveniles (who should be fed every day) and one or twice a week for adults (who are feed once every other day). Water can be offered in a dish, but the cage should also be sprayed once a day to raise the humidity. Iguanas will often lick the water either directly from the spray bottle or off cage furniture.
There you go.
The head doesn't sound normal to me. See where your husbandry is at backed against my care sheet. Alter where needed and then see if that fixes it's head color. At a year old is when temperaments start to change because they're starting the slow process of reptilian puberty.
Good luck.
Re: Yay new huge cage for my Iguana/ I has a question!
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 1:28 am
by Moore
He's had kind of a dark head like all the time that I've had him. So I didn't know.
And yeah I've been calcium supplementing his food.
Also I'll go to the store and get him a heat light, since I'm not sure about mine better to be safe D:
It's like every site I look at for help with my iguana, everyone says different things ._.
Re: Yay new huge cage for my Iguana/ I has a question!
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:11 am
by Mearra
Since a care sheet was posted, I'm just going to say my two cents.
I've never been a fan of heat rocks (just like gormanghaste), after having seen numerous injuries from them. That being said, there may have been improvements in their construction so they may have fixed that. I withdrew from the reptile world a few years back, hence why I'm not 100% up to date on the heat rock tech (I was friends with one of the best herpetologist/reptile enthusiast on the Canadian West Coast, he died to cancer, I just didn't want to look at them anymore so I let go of my zoo). Undertank heaters and lamps are always better in my experience. I'd also like to know about the lid, proper ventilation is key to avoid health problems, bacteria can also build up pretty easily in a poorly ventilated aquarium. So when you say they provided a tank, do you mean a mesh lid or a normal fish tank lid?
Having a few different lights are important, a big basking light (check that his basking spot itself reaches the appropriate temps) as well as a UV lighting setup is present.
I back up the veggie diet, 100% crickets are not good for any iguana, the vegetation diet with calcium is optimal. Giving him crickets here and there won't kill him (a 100% diet of them will shorten his life span drastically) but I'm sure he enjoys them, so giving a few to him a week should be fine. The easiest way to feed an iguana is prep a large batch of salad a couple times a week, store it in a nice container in the fridge and dish it out at meal time. His "Iguana Diet" pellets can always be in his cage, but Fresh is always better.
I usually used thermometers that I could move around the enclosures so I could check temperatures from different location (Ensuring there is a proper basking spot, general resting temp spot, someplace cooler for them to wander off to if needed and a nice place for them to get moist when it's shedding time). Same when it came to making the humidity levels were appropriate for each species. (I housed a varied assortment of geckos, poison dart frogs, a basilisk, and a couple chameleons and snakes. One chameleon being a blind rescue, a few geckoes were rescues from bad situations..etc etc I used to have a problem saying "No." to anything that needed a home)
As to whether your enclosure specs are what is recommended, I have no idea, since you didn't specify them exactly, and one persons version of big/large can vary from someone elses (Keeping inappropriate joke to self here). But generally, fish tanks are not optimal for iguanas. They can work for awhile when they are small, but later...not so much. They get huge, they like climbing on things, and the tanks are just plain awkward to clean (which should be done very regularly). Imagine trying to get a moody iguana out of one when it comes cleaning time? Oh dear....Tail Whips for the Pain!
You can build a suitable size enclosure and setup for a fairly decent price. There are schematics out there. I myself (along with a friend) built a 6ft tall, 4 ft wide and 2-3 ft deep enclosure for my chameleons before, with a very large front opening door to make cleaning and access very easy (I had real trees / plants and branches in there for them to climb, so being able to pull them out easily made me happy). You just have to research the proper meshing for your species and reptile safe woods etc etc.
It also had areas to hook up the UV lamps, basking lamps, night lamps, dripper systems etc. Of course a chameleon cage is narrower than what I'd recommend for an iguana.
In regards to his colour, you can have him checked by an vet that specialises in exotics. I would never offer any medical advice on a forum in case you are concerned of his health. If he's acting "off" in any other ways...that's where you should go.
Colours can varied based on the individual and specific subspecies, as well as with health, temperature, age, if they've been recently exposed to direct sunlight, if they are nearing time to shed and even their mood. (It's not just chameleons that can shift colours, though they are the masters of it and do it very drastically at times)
I'm stopping myself here, I could ramble forever....so...cutting it off.
Best advice: Do your research and always try to exceed expectations, minimal requirements are just that...minimal.
Re: Yay new huge cage for my Iguana/ I has a question!
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 6:20 pm
by Moore
The lid on his cage is actually like a wood box that goes over the tank with a mesh screen, like uhm on a storm window kind of thing? like that it's entirely open to the air and everything. And I was just reading somewhere about Iguanas heads telling you different things about them and didn't know cause he's always been green with a grey head for as long as I remember. He doesn't act "off" or anything. He's got a big limb in there to climb up to sit under the lamp if he wants too as well. And he hardly tail whips at all, the main problem I have with him is he leaps out of your hands. He's got plenty of room to move around so I'm not worried about that yet till he gets a bit bigger, my dad's a carpenter and we've built cages to spec for my friend who has reptiles before so that shouldn't be a big deal. It's just kind of frustrating one thing I read and I'm doing something right then I read another and someone else says do something different D:
Re: Yay new huge cage for my Iguana/ I has a question!
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:24 pm
by zedxrgal
The care sheet I've posted is from breeder friends of mine who also run an iguana rescue so the information is 100% reliable and reviewed by zoo's /vets.
NEVER ever use a heat rock even a new one simply because there is absolutely ZERO way to control the heat temperatures coming out of it and most reptiles don't feel the burn till it's to late. They've also been known to cause fires even when mounted /placed properly. If you must use that type of heating element over lighting, which he HAS to have to survive then buy an under tank heater. On a custom enclosure however these simply will not work so lighting is the source of heat which is truly the most natural anyway. I've rescued many unwanted iguanas and the care sheet above and help from friends and a good vet is how. 
How big is your iguana??
How big, in feet is the enclosure?
Re: Yay new huge cage for my Iguana/ I has a question!
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:00 am
by Moore
I don't know how big he is, he still fits in my hands so hes not super huge, and from side to side I know the cage is 32 inches and it's really tall, I'll have to measure to get the height. And I've been using a light and a heating rock in there, he doesn't ever actually use the heating that I've seen he just crawls up towards the light and sits. The heating rock I've got is kind of lack-luster it doesn't get hot or anything it's just like luke-warm at best, but like I said he doesn't actually use it.