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Tips for Green Iguanas
Green iguanas (Iguana iguana), decorated with a row of impressive spikes along their backs, a spiked dewlap, massive heads, and patterned, colored scales, live up to 12 years and can grow to a length of six feet.
Their natural range runs from Mexico southward to include almost two thirds of South America, and a number of islands in both the Atlantic and Pacific.
As pets, these creatures demand some extra care, especially in their housing and diet. Compared to some other lizards, Green Iguanas demand a little extra care, but these impressive reptiles can make themselves more than worth the trouble and provide you with pride in accomplishment, too.
Remember:
- Care takes 45 minutes to an hour, every day.
- Iguanas cannot be house trained.
- They can scratch if handled carelessly.
- To be healthy and happy, pet iguanas need conditions similar to those in their wild life.
Housing
- Cages: for a hatchling, a large glass aquarium of 25-55 gallons, and for adults a cage 6x6x4 feet should be adequate. (Avoid cages with clear class, screen, or hardware cloth near the floor.)
- The cage floor lining should be nontoxic and easy to replace, such as a mix of one part potting soil to three parts beach sand. (Not small gravel.)
- Provide non-toxic houseplants and safe plastic plants for basking, hiding, foraging, drinking, and elimination. Iguanas prefer to rest and bask on strong branches that slope between 10 and 30 degrees.
- Waste material must be removed from the cage regularly. You may want to feed your animal outside its cage to help keep the cage clean.
- Iguanas enjoy a light water misting. Humidity in their cages should stay around 70 to 90%.
- Include a small water bowl for drinking, and a larger one for soaking. For larger animals, a once-a-month bathtub soak is better.
Light
Iguanas need consistent periods of light and dark to regulate their body's daily activity. Twelve hours of light and dark each day is ideal.
Ultraviolet light helps them produce vitamin D, a critical nutrient, by activating a substance in their skin and converting it to the vitamin. Iguanas need full spectrum light, either from basking in direct sunlight unfiltered by glass, or from a good full spectrum artificial light, for several hours daily. (Remember to change your UV light bulb every 6 months, and keep it within 15 inches of your pet, to keep it most effective.)
Iguanas are cold blooded, and don't generate their own body heat. During the day make sure that one end of the cage is heated to 95 degrees F, and provide a cool spot of about 70 degrees at the other end. At night, the temperature can drop by 10 to 12 degrees. Intense heat and light can burn an iguana's skin. Use a thermometer to ensure that the warmest part of the cage under the lamp gets no warmer than 90-95 degrees.
Feeding
- Schedule daily feedings consistently.
- Food must include a balanced variety of nutrients, including protein, fat, carbohydrates, and minerals and vitamins, especially calcium. At times of seasonal change, offer the animal a selection of foods.
- Calcium can be offered in a number of different forms, such as oyster shell, calcium sulfate blocks, bone meal, or cuttlebone, available at any pet store. Hatchlings up to 24 inches long should get 1/4 teaspoon of calcium powder sprinkled on their food each day, 1/2 teaspoon for larger animals.
- The safest way to make sure an iguana gets enough Vitamin D is to let it produce it's own by basking in sunlight. (Note: commercial pet foods are sometimes already fortified with vitamin D, and could actually induce an overdose, so use them carefully.)
- One good source of easily digested protein is boiled egg white. One teaspoon a day seems to be a good guideline. Adults shouldn't receive any egg white. Legumes such as alfalfa and bean sprouts are excellent vegetable sources of protein.
- Iguanas may ignore water bowls. Lightly misting the inside of their cage and the rim of their water bowl with clean tap water will usually stimulate them to drink.
Food preparation
- Prepare feed for iguanas fresh every morning.
- Always allow an iguana to warm up by basking while its meal is being prepared, especially its morning meal.
- How a food feels is important to iguanas. Diced or chunked food can be difficult to eat, and they might refuse it entirely. Shredding the same food into short, thin lengths can make it much more acceptable. Later in life, as the animal develops larger and more powerful jaws, it may prefer its food in larger chunks.
Good Sources of Calcium
- Collards
- Okra
- Turnip Greens
- Kale
- Chinese Cabbage
- Parsley
- Dandelion Greens
- Cabbage
- Leeks
- Green Onion
- Spinach
- Blackberry
- Yellow Wax Beans
- Hard boiled Egg
Moderate Calcium (use sparingly)
- Celery
- Eggplant
- Squash
- Radish
- Green Beans
- Pear
- Apple
- Sweet Potato
Poor Sources of Calcium (avoid)
- Cucumber
- Strawberry
- Broccoli
- Lettuce
- Parsnip
- Apricot
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Peach
- Asparagus
- Beet
- Banana
- Plum
A Typical Meal
Kale, spinach, apple, carrot, and broccoli shredded together in a food processor, with alfalfa sprouts and bean sprouts then mixed in, and then topped with crumbled boiled egg white or chow. Half a cup of this mix will be more than enough for a hatchling. Finally, this "salad" is top dressed with calcium powder.
The basic mix can be made more colorful and tasty with moderate amounts of small berries, diced bananas, melon, tomato, corn kernels, etc.
Buying an Iguana
Select a pet that is bright green in color, active, and basking; avoid those that are dark, thin, or sluggish. Watching a group of iguanas being fed is a good way to tell which ones are feeling well.
Breeding
Young imported animals are widely available and inexpensive, so there's not much incentive to breed them domestically, but it can be fascinating. If that sounds interesting to you, we can help with advice and information.
Iguanas are clean and elegant animals that bring some of nature's wildness into our homes, and caring for them can be a deeply rewarding experience.
(Based, in part, on "Iguanas: Basic Captive Care Considerations", by Patrick J. Morris, D.V.M., San Diego Zoo Department of Veterinary Services, distributed by Herp-Net News Service. email: Mark.Miller@mail.tju.edu)
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Monitor Lizards
Ashley Legore
INTRODUCTION
The two most common species of monitors in the pet trade are the Savannah Monitor (Varanus exanthematicus) and the Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus). This care sheet applies to both species. Savannah Monitors are from west Africa and range in length from 2-3 feet. They are generally a placid and easily handled pet. Nile Monitors are from eastern and southern Africa and grow to between 4-5 feet (with the occasional larger specimen): they are generally an aggressive, ill tempered pet but with lots of attention can be "tame."
PICKING OUT A MONITOR
Look for a monitor that is active and eats readily. The specimen should be of good weight but not obese (Savannahs have a tendency to get obese). All toes should be intact and no abnormal skin should be retained from previous sheds. The mouth should be clean and free of mucus or bubbles, and the nose should be clean and free of sores or scabs. Eyes should be clear, and skin should show no signs of trauma or sores. The base of a healthy monitor's tail should be fat, at least 3/4 the thickness of the body.
HOUSING
With monitors the "bigger is better" rule is best when looking at cage size. A good rule to follow is, the length of the cage should be at least twice the length of the lizard and the width at least as wide as the length of the lizard. Monitors should be housed separately unless you are in the process of breeding. Nile monitors are arboreal lizards ( tree climbing) and require a tall cage. Plenty of branches are required for climbing. Savannah monitors are terrestrial and require some rocks and a low branch for cage furniture. Cages should be strong and sturdy, because monitors will escape readily. Cages are best made out of plywood and plexiglass with a wire mesh roof. Wire mesh is not recommended for the sides, since some species will rub their noses raw on the wire. A hide box is appreciated for privacy. Substrates that work best are newspaper, newspaper pellet litter, astroturf, linoleum, and aspen or pine bedding.
LIGHTING
Daytime temperatures should range from 82-90 degrees with a basking spot of 95-100 degrees. This is best achieved with an incandescent heat lamp or ceramic heat bulb shining on 1/2 of the cage. UV light is also required and is very important. (Remember: UV light can only be achieved with a fluorescent UV bulb.) The lights should be on a 12 hour light cycle, 12 hours on and 12 hours off. Nighttime temperatures should drop down to 70-75 degrees.
FEEDING
Monitors are carnivorous lizards and will eat just about any meat item offered. Food items include mice, rats, rabbits (for large species), crickets, meal worms, all other insects, birds, fish, eggs, and other reptiles and amphibians. A varied diet is the best way to ensure the best nutrition. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times, in a container large enough for the lizard to bathe in. Daily misting of the monitor is also required to raise humidity and aid in skin management.
REFERENCES
American Federation Of Herptoculturists (AFH), 1996, Guidelines To Responsible Monitor Ownership (Can be obtained by writing to AFH, P.O. Box 300067, Escondido, CA, 92030-0067)
Strimple,P., 1996, "Monitor Species," Reptiles USA Annual, 1996
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