Iguana?

[KITKAT]

anybody got advice on how to take care of one of these guys? We might be able to get a 30 gallon(high) tank, would that be big enough for a 3 footer? Our impulse kinda took over at a show today and he was 10 bucks so how could we resist him?
Thanks,

Alex

Melissa Kaplan has an excellent website on Iguana care. She is probably one of the world's foremost experts on Iguanas, but the website is not too technical for easy reading. I will quote what she says about enclosures below, but you really should visit her site (link below) and browse around if you want to give your Iguana a quality life that makes him or her an enjoyable pet.

Green Iguana Care Sheet and Information - WNYHS

Enclosure: The enclosure for an adult iguana is very large. The enclosure should be at least six feet tall, about 1½ to twice the length of the iguana, and 2/3 to one full length of the iguana wide. For a six foot adult iguana, this is an enclosure that is 9 to 12 feet long, four to six feet wide, and at least six feet tall. Sufficient branches and shelves for climbing and lounging should also be provided. To give you perspective on the size of the enclosure, most small bedrooms are only 9 feet wide. This is why many owners dedicate a separate room as their "iguana room." Some owners also allow their iguanas to "free range" throughout the house. If you allow your iguana to live in its own room or free range, be sure the keep the area the iguana will frequent free of small objects that the iguana may accidentally ingest.

[Serpentine99]

Wow tikichick your iguanas are beautiful. they all look great, and thanks for the advice, i love to feed him and it has been ones of the things i look forward to when i get home. it snowed today, which was supposed to be the day we got the UV light, will it have a dramatic effect on him if getting the light is delayed? your story about the car reminds me about the first day we got our iguana which i have yet to name, my dad put the defroster on and he slept on the dashboard heat vent the whole ride home.

Thanks for the information Kitkat, i found that site shortly after i posted that. I guess i should have searched a little bit before asking you guys but i trust you guys more than a google search for helpful information anyway.

[tikichick]

Thanks!

No, a few days without UVB is ok, it'd mimic overcast weather. If it goes on for more than a couple days, add calcium powder to the food. I would try not to go longer than a 3-5 days though. It can take very little time (only weeks) for metabollic bone disease to start in diurnal herps, so you'll want to give it daily UVB exposure 99 % of the time.

[Serpentine99]

ok thanks again, i beleive the petstore down the road carries UV lights, so ill see if we can go look tommorow. But its far too late to be venturing out today, plus i have school tommorow, off to ask my biology teacher why im failing her class even though its like the first week of the marking period and we havent turned anything in for a grade yet. i think she just hates me

[Lori P]

Well good luck with your teacher!! Spout off something interesting about garter snake biology and impress her... :-)

[Serpentine99]

her son has a boa that eats live rats, so she doesn't want to hear about my snakes unfortunately.

[KITKAT]

her son has a boa that eats live rats, so she doesn't want to hear about my snakes unfortunately.

Write an unsolicited essay about gartersnake biology and turn it in. If your grammar, writing skills, spelling, and facts are correct, maybe she will respect that!

[Lori P]

Well, that's pretty close minded of her. She should still want to hear what you have to say. Did you get to talk to her today?

[Serpentine99]

no, i didnt have her class today, i was gonna talk to her after school but i got what i think is my billionth ear infection, i used to get em all the time when i was little and havent had one for a while. so i have yet to solve the failing mystery

[drache]

I'm so sorry about both you ear infection and the science teacher stress
I hope it all works out