Iguana Information

Iguanas: The Different and the Similar

Green iguanas are the ones you usually bring home to take care and pamper. What you may not know is that there are different types of iguanas out there. Oftentimes, you will see these other types not in pet stores but in the forests where they live.

There are actually six types of iguanas. These are the

1. Dipsosaurus, the desert iguana.

2. Ctenosaura, the spiny-tailed iguana.

3. Lemanctus, casque-headed iguana.

4. Corytophanes, the helmeted iguana.

5. Cyclura, the rhinoceros and rock iguana.

5. Chalarodon, the Madagascar iguana.

6. Green iguana.

The famous iguana that is fast becoming a part of most households is the green iguana. These iguanas may be of different types and appearances but they all have similarities terms of diet, habits and size.

1. Herbivores iguanas.

The description of herbivores is the kind that eats only plant or plant matters. It can be noted that there are not many reptiles that can live on plant food alone. This is what makes iguanas unique from them. This may be the reason why people want these reptiles for their pet. Feeding them is not as hard as any other animals.

Being herbivores does not mean that you can just pick any plant out there to feed your iguana. If you want to maintain its health, consider giving them nutritious green and leafy vegetables. Try lettuce. You can give it to them regularly. If you do not have an abundance of vegetables to supply, consider other alternative sources of leafy plants.

2. Tropical temperature.

Iguanas are used to having tropical climates all year round. That is why you will not be able to find an iguana habitat in places where there are shifts of hot and cold climates.

This is one thing that you should consider once you have decided to have a pet iguana. You are required to monitor the temperature around your house or in shelter that you have provided for them.

Iguanas need constant heat to maintain their body temperature. Many iguana owners have realized that there is an increase in the usage of their electric heaters or gas once they have an iguana in their household.

So if you are located in locations where there is a winter season, make sure that your heater works. If you do not have one reliable source of heat, then it is a wise idea not to consider getting an iguana.

3. Tamed iguana.

Your pet iguana will not get tamed on its own. As the owner, it is your responsibility to make sure that you tame your iguana well so that they will be able to socialize well with you and with others.

A tamed iguana will be able to roam around your house without moving or eating on anything that arouses its curiosity. You can also take them outdoors or in events outside of your home. You also have the ability to caress, hold and cuddle your iguana once you are assured that it will not harm you when you do so.

4. Iguanas grow big.

You might be misled into thinking that your iguana will remain small and tiny all throughout its life cycle. This is a misconception.

All types of iguanas will grow its full size once they are taken properly care of. In 3 to 4 years time, expect your iguana to be five to six feet long.

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Rhino Iguana

Facts about the Rhinoceros Iguana

The iguana family is one of the thirteen species of the lizard family. Usually they comprise the group of reptiles that belong to the largest species. The popular iguana species are commonly found in Mexico, southward to Brazil.

Features of Iguana

The common iguana is green with dark bands that form rings on tail. Similar to other reptile, iguanas are also egg-laying animal, cold-blooded with an exceptional ability to adjust to their environment. Species like iguanas vary on different colors, behaviors, sizes and their endangered condition in the wild.

Different kinds of iguanas vary in their looks and acts. You might not even recognize that they belong in the same family. Some iguanas are dull while the others have a vivid and bright color.

Iguanas are found in different habitats so each one has its own unique adaptation. Most of the iguanas are herbivores that eat flower buds, young leaves and fruits. Some of them also eat the rare juicy mealworm and wax worm.

The Origin of the Rhinoceros Iguana

The rhinoceros iguana is also one of the popular members of the iguanidae family. Its common name is rhinoceros iguana or rhino iguana.

This species got its name “rhinoceros” because of its horn-like shape that is found on the head of the male iguanas. They are found mostly on terrestrial like the rocky and dry areas. They are infrequently found in trees or in forested areas. Rhino Iguana is much heavier than common green iguana but it is not as long as the latter.

The species is composed of large reptiles, heavy-bodied lizard with a homogeneous gray body. The male has a three horn like protrusion on its head. The common rhino iguana has a total body length of 1.2m or 4.5ft long and weighs for about 10-20lbs or 4.5-9kg.

Rhino iguanas are omnivores, they eat a wide variety of vegetables as well as small mammals, birds and invertebrates. They lie for about 15-20 eggs and develop for approximately 75-100 days. Typically, rhino iguanas develop its sexual maturity when it reaches its second to third year of its birth. The most common rhino iguana lives up to 20 years or more and most of them dwell on dry rock areas and savannas.

Most of the male iguana experience complicated courtship behaviors of head bobbing and erecting the spines along the back. They normally quite timorous and will flee when approached, but during courtship rhino iguana males are aggressive. Female iguanas on the other hand have a horn-like shape but smaller than those in males. Female rhino iguanas mate with several male rhino iguanas and have the ability to hoard sperm.

Rhino iguanas are tremendously territorial and use their whip and long tails to rip off predators or intruders. The rhino species has ability to re-grow its teeth that were lost after a battle. Territorial battles of male iguanas seldom come to full aggression, the subsequent face off can last for several hours.

Due to its population, rhinoceros iguanas are particularly susceptible to environmental and man made disturbances. People in the islands often eat iguanas as food because of their accessibility and somewhat poor economic status in the island. Wide-scale release of iguanas in pet trades and zoos make them protected. There are also wildlife organizations that protect the species. Thus, they play an important role in the conservation of rhinoceros iguanas and other species.

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Iguana Habitats

Some Accessories You should Include in Iguana Habitats

If you have met the basic light, heating, space and humidity requirements of an iguana habitat, you might think that your work is all done. However, it should be stated that those are just the basic parts of an iguana habitat. This means that although these factors alone will let your iguana survive, these may not necessarily allow your iguana to thrive.

In order to assure the best of health for your iguana, the iguana habitat should have these accessories:

1) Substrates – substrates compose the surface of the iguana habitat. In choosing a substrate for your iguana habitat, you should remember the fact that iguanas constantly flick their tongues. This habit allows your iguana to process different types of information about their environment. You should not use anything small like wood chips, sand, or gravel as a substrate because of this reason. Anything that sticks to the tongue of the iguana is likely to be eaten. San and gravel would be very dangerous to the iguana if they are ingested. This goes for any particulate materials.

In choosing a substrate, you might want to try newspapers with non-toxic ink. You could also try to use other types of paper, as long as they are not toxic to animals when ingested. Some people prefer to use pieces of indoor and outdoor carpeting as substrates for their iguana habitat.

2) Basking and climbing accessories – Iguanas are arboreal. In the wild, iguanas spend most of their time up on trees. This means that you need to provide some sort of climbing material in your iguana habitat. Try including some shelves in an iguana habitat to simulate branches of trees.

If you include branches in your iguana habitat, you should provide some that are big enough for your iguana to lie on comfortably. You should also cover them with some sort of material that will help them in climbing. One option is to cover the branches with carpeting. The branches will also serve as basking places for your iguana. These spots are where your iguana will go to in order to relax.

3) Food and water dishes – you should provide your iguana with dishes for food and water. Although iguanas are not really inclined to drink often, it is still important that you provide them with a source of fresh water daily.

Iguanas love to soak in a water dish, so you should provide one that's just the right size for your pet. It should be big enough so that the iguana won't tip it over when getting in and it should be shallow enough so that the iguana won't drown. You should also realize that after soaking, an iguana usually likes to poop in the water. This means that you will have the responsibility to change the water in the dish and sanitize it regularly.

4) Hiding places – there are times when an iguana likes to be alone and unobserved. This means that you have to provide a suitable hiding place in your iguana habitat. You could place a log, a rock, or anything which your iguana could hide behind. Just like people, iguanas need privacy too.

When you add these accessories to your iguana habitat, you can be sure that your iguana will be living in a very ideal enclosure. This means that your iguana's health and well-being will be secured.

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Iguana Illnesses

Iguana Illnesses that need Immediate Attention

Like humans, these iguanas actually also fall ill. If you have learned to love your pet iguanas, you might as well want to keep them for long. Here are some of the most common iguana illnesses that require immediate veterinary attention and proper medication or else you will lose your pets.

Fibrous Osteodystrophy or the metabolic bone disease. This iguana illness comes as a result of extreme malnutrition especially when they are not fed well. Most of the shops selling the iguanas give out worthy nutritional tips and advices to the buyers of these reptiles. Most of the pet owners prefer to feed their pets with squash and lettuce. In truth, the lettuce is a water sponge—meaning there is no nutrition to be derived from it. Such shortcoming is again aggravated by the insufficient vitamin D3 and calcium intake by the reptile. When they get exposed to this dangerous situation, they might in fact die. Among the vital symptoms of the disease are a swollen lower jaw, listlessness, rubbery or soft face and lower jaw, difficulty in eating, and swollen limbs. At most times, the spine and the limbs also easily get fractured.

The paralysis of the back legs. This is the result of a deficiency in vitamin B1. The tail also gets affected. With this comes the injection of the essential minerals and vitamins to the reptile and a change in its diet is as well recommended.

The nose abrasions. The frequent attempts of the reptile to escape cause the abrasions and scratches to its face and nose. When they are in search for a way to escape, they often rub their noses on the enclosures of their tanks. The abrasions are often caused by the wire, glass, or plastic enclosures of their cages. When the nose abrasions remain untreated, ulceration of the rostrum, bacterial infection, and other deformities could result.

The thermal injuries or burns. The burns are usually acquired through the contact with the heat sources within the tank enclosures. Among the typical culprits are the hot rocks and light bulbs which are left exposed. The lights are advised to be placed above the enclosures which cannot be reached by the iguana.

The bacterial infection. There are several types of bacterial infection that can affect the iguana. The blister disease is caused by the repeated exposure to the filthy and damp environment. The dry gangrene of the toes and tails causes these body parts to turn dark gray to black, and then start to have it breaking off. The main root of these all is the insufficient sanitation. Mouth rot causes the occurrence of inflammation, swelling, and pus in the mouth of the iguana. Abscesses results in the formation of the pus.

The parasites. The parasites settle within the gastrointestinal tract just within the blood of the iguana. The parasites are the major causes of death in the iguanas which are taken captive.

Viral Infection. Researches are ongoing for the causes and cure of viral infections in iguanas.

Organ failure. Organ failure among iguanas is caused by its age or of an existing bacterial infection. The dominant symptoms are weight loss, loss of appetite, listlessness, bloating, and death.

Bladder stones. This causes the abdomen to be enlarged.

Egg-binding. This causes death among the female iguanas especially when they are unable to let the egg pass through their reproductive tracts.

These and a lot other iguana illnesses require medical attention if you do not want to risk the life of your iguana pet.

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Iguana Enclosures

Building an Iguana Enclosure

Iguanas prefer a different habitat where they can roam freely. They are more comfortable to stay in a tall, roomy, large and secure enclosure.

The iguana species being cold-blooded or endothermic need to heat their body to a high temperature daily. During the break of day, an iguana put itself into the sunlight to take some warmth in sun’s light. So, to be able to provide these needs you can build an enclosure for your iguana. You can do this by refitting or recycling an unused closet. It normally takes a longer time to refit closet properly but it will be helpful if you able to do it perfectly.

To be able to construct a perfect enclosure for iguana take a look at some possibilities for iguana enclosures:

Secured closets can be used for iguana enclosure. The size of the closet should be enough where iguana can linger. A closet with a depth of two feet is slightly narrow but it can be acceptable because of its height. For a young and female iguana, the length of the closet is all right. But for male iguana it would be confined unless it is a complement for an outdoor enclosure and a playing area in another place of the house. Daily interaction with iguana builds a bond of trust with its owner.

If your iguana lives in an open cage that is made of wires and they are under heated, the iguana may have difficulty getting the most favorable optimum level of temperature. Thus, they might feel weak.

That’s why providing a closet would be a best option. A simple closet can also be the perfect place for your iguana to have a controlled environment and temperature. However, removing waste and transporting water can be the most difficult task of setting up closet for iguana, since it is rarely close in a sink or in a bathroom. Making the closet safe and clean is the real challenge in using closet enclosure.

Iguana should not have too much space for them to hide and escape the heat. Just make the bottom two feet for space storage. Some iguanas are jerky and tend to find a hiding place usually on the bottom area. And this might bring them to the risk of having hypothermia.

The enclosure must have a round closet bar and a top shelf. Closet bar could be used to hang up the lightning fixture but it will be too low for this. Instead of hanging it to the ceiling, you can move it up ‘til the top of the closet and clip lights to it. It’s your choice; however always remember that maximizing space is the top priority.

The closet door should also be considered in using closet enclosure. The closet door will help hold the heat but it would also prevent air circulation. You have a choice to put up a screen door in the closet door space. You can inset this screen door on one side and you still have solid door to pull lock for the cold nights. Also if you have a plexi glass or solid front, always give vent to air in the wall above the door.

These are just some possibilities in using closet enclosure. You can add whatever is needed to make your iguana comfortable. Just be creative and keep in mind that your pet would live longer if given a proper enclosure.

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