fat Iguana
The importance of proper nutrition for your iguana
Reptiles are of different kinds. Iguanas are just one of those that belong to the largest species of lard family. Iguanas are commonly seen in tropical rain forests, hot deserts and semi-aquatic places. From the forests of North America, Canada and South America to the desert places of South Africa and Madagascar and Island of Galapagos, you will be able to see different types of iguanas.
Iguanas can easily adapt to their environment. Like other reptiles, iguanas are also egg-laying animals and cold-blooded, meaning they cannot produce heat from their body.
Different Iguanas has its unique ability to be able to become accustomed to their habitat. They have their unique skills. Iguanas that dwell in high trees for instance, can jump off the ground without having injuries. In addition, iguanas in Galapagos Island, the Amblyrhynchus cristatus, known as the marine iguana are good swimmer.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Feeding Scheme Iguanas
The Heating Technique
Iguanas should be maintained warm so that proper digestion of their food will be allowed. This technique will also save them from diseases. A good type of thermometer must be placed inside the tank so as to monitor the temperature of the house.
There should be a basking spot that has a temperature of between 95-100 degrees F. One of the best heat sources that you can opt for is a spotlight. Other options include the undertank heaters, heat tape, or ceramic lights. Some recovering iguanas will need warmer temperatures especially at night.
The Feeding Scheme
It is important to be very careful with the food that you feed your iguanas. The green iguanas are plant-eaters. Any kind of animal protein should not be feed to them. They may like the pizza and junk food treats but these food will do them no good and will henceforth subject them to kidney failures. Vegetables must be given to them in minimal quantities. Spinach is a NO NO to them.
The diet required for iguanas are the food that contain high content of calcium, vitamin D3, and low in phosphorous. The commercial iguana food can also be made part of their diet.
Iguanas should be maintained warm so that proper digestion of their food will be allowed. This technique will also save them from diseases. A good type of thermometer must be placed inside the tank so as to monitor the temperature of the house.
There should be a basking spot that has a temperature of between 95-100 degrees F. One of the best heat sources that you can opt for is a spotlight. Other options include the undertank heaters, heat tape, or ceramic lights. Some recovering iguanas will need warmer temperatures especially at night.
The Feeding Scheme
It is important to be very careful with the food that you feed your iguanas. The green iguanas are plant-eaters. Any kind of animal protein should not be feed to them. They may like the pizza and junk food treats but these food will do them no good and will henceforth subject them to kidney failures. Vegetables must be given to them in minimal quantities. Spinach is a NO NO to them.
The diet required for iguanas are the food that contain high content of calcium, vitamin D3, and low in phosphorous. The commercial iguana food can also be made part of their diet.
The Housing of the Iguana
The Housing of the Iguana
For starters, the iguana can be kept in a tank that measures about 30 to 50 gallons. During its entire growth, it will be necessary to have a custom built cage for your pet. It is important that the cage should be higher since iguanas love to jump around. The cage bottom cover is also another important consideration to dwell on.
The cover can be an orchid bark, indoor or outdoor carpeting, an artificial turf, a newspaper, or an alfalfa pellets. Remember that wood chips or barks are unadvisable, as they tend to attract insects and termites. Meanwhile, those cedar chips can be toxic too.
It is better that you set up some branches to allow the climbing sprees of the iguanas. Take note that they are tree-dwelling lizards. The branches must be able to hold on the size of your pet iguana. Hot rocks are likewise not recommended as a substitute for the lighting of the tank.
For starters, the iguana can be kept in a tank that measures about 30 to 50 gallons. During its entire growth, it will be necessary to have a custom built cage for your pet. It is important that the cage should be higher since iguanas love to jump around. The cage bottom cover is also another important consideration to dwell on.
The cover can be an orchid bark, indoor or outdoor carpeting, an artificial turf, a newspaper, or an alfalfa pellets. Remember that wood chips or barks are unadvisable, as they tend to attract insects and termites. Meanwhile, those cedar chips can be toxic too.
It is better that you set up some branches to allow the climbing sprees of the iguanas. Take note that they are tree-dwelling lizards. The branches must be able to hold on the size of your pet iguana. Hot rocks are likewise not recommended as a substitute for the lighting of the tank.
The Basics of Iguana Care
The Basics of Iguana Care
There are a lot of people who seem to adore the iguanas and they end up buying the baby iguanas out of a spur of the moment decision. But then when these baby iguanas grow larger than what they have expected at first, they cram as to whom to give them to.
If the iguanas are given the utmost care, they are likely to grow really large. It is vital to know that the iguanas can grow to some really large measurement, in fact, even larger than their containers. If you do intend to keep an iguana under your care, it is relatively essential to know the basics of iguana care.
The Selection of Iguana
If you intend to pick an iguana to be your pet, it is important to get the iguana that looks active and alert. But make sure that your choice will also get calmed especially when you try sticking your hand into its tank. The iguana of your choice must possess bright and clear eyes, must be free from any sort of abrasion, sores, scratches, and any from of marks, and should possess good health.
Ensure also that the iguana that you are to buy is not in any way covered with feces that signify its dirty environment. A disgusting environment means the presence of bacteria and the possible outbreak of a disease that can harm the health of the iguana.
There are a lot of people who seem to adore the iguanas and they end up buying the baby iguanas out of a spur of the moment decision. But then when these baby iguanas grow larger than what they have expected at first, they cram as to whom to give them to.
If the iguanas are given the utmost care, they are likely to grow really large. It is vital to know that the iguanas can grow to some really large measurement, in fact, even larger than their containers. If you do intend to keep an iguana under your care, it is relatively essential to know the basics of iguana care.
The Selection of Iguana
If you intend to pick an iguana to be your pet, it is important to get the iguana that looks active and alert. But make sure that your choice will also get calmed especially when you try sticking your hand into its tank. The iguana of your choice must possess bright and clear eyes, must be free from any sort of abrasion, sores, scratches, and any from of marks, and should possess good health.
Ensure also that the iguana that you are to buy is not in any way covered with feces that signify its dirty environment. A disgusting environment means the presence of bacteria and the possible outbreak of a disease that can harm the health of the iguana.
The Essential Components of a Proper Iguana Cage
The Essential Components of a Proper Iguana Cage
When people think about buying an iguana, different questions come to mind. More often than not, one of these questions is: Where do I keep it? People then try to find out the components of an iguana cage. If you are trying to find the best iguana cage for your pet, here's a guide for you:
1) Size – The first thing you want to know about is how big the iguana cage has to be. Some people have the misconception that the cage will limit the size of the iguana. This is not true. An iguana under ideal conditions will grow up to 6 feet long. This means that you will need to have a huge iguana cage in order to accommodate your pet. In fact, some people provide a whole room instead of an iguana cage for their pets!
Of course, if you are not yet ready to provide this space for your iguana, you could choose to delay until your iguana grows to its full size. However, the iguana cage that you provide should be large enough to contain the activities of your iguana. It should not cramp the animal in any way. If you choose to wait until your iguana has grown to full size, you should at least prepare and make plans for the time when you are going to need a bigger iguana cage.
2) Temperature – an iguana is cold blooded. This means that they need to regulate their body temperatures by making use of the environment. What are the implications of this? This means that you need to provide different temperatures in the iguana cage. This is so that the iguana can move from different spots to properly regulate its body temperature. You should also try to include a source of heat without light which will be used during the night time.
3) Humidity – iguanas require high levels of humidity to live comfortably. They are easily dehydrated because of the fact that iguanas aren't really inclined to drink much. This is because the native habitats of iguanas have high humidity and this keeps them from being dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to kidney failure. This means that not having enough humidity can shorten the life of your iguana. Another reason to keep your iguana cage humid is the fact that humidity helps loosen skin. This means that an iguana will have an easier time shedding skin if it is kept in a humid environment. If you wan to keep your iguana healthy, you should provide an iguana cage that has a humidity of 65 to 75 percent of the air.
4) Lighting – iguanas need a source of UVA and UVB light. Of course, the best source that you can make use of is the sun. This does not mean that you should place your iguana cage in a sunlit area. The glass or plastic of iguana cages filter out the UV light much needed by iguanas for production of vitamin D3. This vitamin helps in calcium consumption. This means that you need to let your iguana bask in direct sunlight as much as possible. This helps in developing strong bones and preventing Metabolic Bone disease which is a very common cause of death among iguanas in captivity.
Other than the sun, your iguana cage should also include an artificial source of UVA and UVB light. This is in order to make up for days when the sunlight is not enough for your iguana.
When people think about buying an iguana, different questions come to mind. More often than not, one of these questions is: Where do I keep it? People then try to find out the components of an iguana cage. If you are trying to find the best iguana cage for your pet, here's a guide for you:
1) Size – The first thing you want to know about is how big the iguana cage has to be. Some people have the misconception that the cage will limit the size of the iguana. This is not true. An iguana under ideal conditions will grow up to 6 feet long. This means that you will need to have a huge iguana cage in order to accommodate your pet. In fact, some people provide a whole room instead of an iguana cage for their pets!
Of course, if you are not yet ready to provide this space for your iguana, you could choose to delay until your iguana grows to its full size. However, the iguana cage that you provide should be large enough to contain the activities of your iguana. It should not cramp the animal in any way. If you choose to wait until your iguana has grown to full size, you should at least prepare and make plans for the time when you are going to need a bigger iguana cage.
2) Temperature – an iguana is cold blooded. This means that they need to regulate their body temperatures by making use of the environment. What are the implications of this? This means that you need to provide different temperatures in the iguana cage. This is so that the iguana can move from different spots to properly regulate its body temperature. You should also try to include a source of heat without light which will be used during the night time.
3) Humidity – iguanas require high levels of humidity to live comfortably. They are easily dehydrated because of the fact that iguanas aren't really inclined to drink much. This is because the native habitats of iguanas have high humidity and this keeps them from being dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to kidney failure. This means that not having enough humidity can shorten the life of your iguana. Another reason to keep your iguana cage humid is the fact that humidity helps loosen skin. This means that an iguana will have an easier time shedding skin if it is kept in a humid environment. If you wan to keep your iguana healthy, you should provide an iguana cage that has a humidity of 65 to 75 percent of the air.
4) Lighting – iguanas need a source of UVA and UVB light. Of course, the best source that you can make use of is the sun. This does not mean that you should place your iguana cage in a sunlit area. The glass or plastic of iguana cages filter out the UV light much needed by iguanas for production of vitamin D3. This vitamin helps in calcium consumption. This means that you need to let your iguana bask in direct sunlight as much as possible. This helps in developing strong bones and preventing Metabolic Bone disease which is a very common cause of death among iguanas in captivity.
Other than the sun, your iguana cage should also include an artificial source of UVA and UVB light. This is in order to make up for days when the sunlight is not enough for your iguana.
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