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Are you
ready for a Pet Iguana? You may want to sit back for
a little while and really think about this as you would want
to do before choosing to add any new pet into your life. Out
all over the internet you will find a lot of useful
information, and some not so useful at all. You'll find your
average everyday Pet Iguana owners,
your not so good owners, and then you'll find the Pet Iguana Fanatics. If you haven't
found them already, you will very shortly. The fanatics out
there are full of tons of information, and they mean well by
trying to help other people. They are great people, and many
of them are great friends of mine, but sometimes can seem to
be a little intimidating, and might do a very good job at
persuading you to forego your ambitions of ever owning a Pet Iguana. I'm here to tell you that
you DO NOT have to be a ROCKET SCIENTIST to be a Pet Iguana owner. It does require some
work, and this article is a brief summary on what you should
expect upon choosing to own one.
An Iguanas Diet
First off, Green
Iguanas are herbivorous. They really don't have a
need for animal protein, which in excess can cause them
kidney problems. Well some of you are saying...."well I give
my Pet Iguana crickets and meal worms
and (s)he loves to eat them" Yes, if you hand them to your Iguana it will probably eat them..
Just as with humans, and any other living thing, just
because they like eating it doesn't mean they are good for
them. Stick with the herbivorous diet, it's what's best for
them. So, what did we learn so far?
- We learned that an Iguanas diet is a blessing!!
- No live feeding
- No smelly annoying loud and
noisy crickets
- Fewer trips to the pet store
Pellet food is perfectly
acceptable to use, but should not be the only thing you feed Green Iguanas. Dark leafy greens are
great for Green Iguanas like collard
greens, dandelions and escarole. So, basically plan on
spending more time in your grocers fruit and vegetable
section than in your pet store. This will prove to be
beneficial for your diet as well as you Pet Iguanas.
Supplementation is always under
fire everywhere I turn. Most veterinarians and Iguana Fanatics suggest the use of
calcium supplementation. I agree that this is a good thing
to do for your Iguana, and will most
likely help prevent the development of metabolic bone
disease. Green Iguanas do need a
sufficient source of calcium to remain healthy. However,
without proper lighting all of your efforts will be lost.
An Iguanas Habitat
Expect to spend a significant
amount of money on heating and lighting supplies as your Pet Iguana Requires both in order to
digest its food properly. A full spectrum UVA/UVB bulb is a
must and they should be changed every 6-8 months because of
there loss of effectiveness. A Basking light should be used
as well, unless you have a combination bulb.
The enclosure should be rather
large because as you are probably aware of by now that your
little green friend will grow very big quite fast. Make sure
your Pet Iguana has plenty of space to
move around, and plenty of height for climbing. Boy do
they love to climb!! When I first got Polish, I thought to
myself "What a cute little Green Iguana
I have here. So tiny, so quiet". Wow, those days sure did
disappear quite quickly. They need stuff to climb on, or you
will pay the price.. You must believe me on this. Who could
have thought those tiny claws could drive one mad?!!
Most Green Iguana
owners choose to use some type of product to line the bottom
of the enclosure. Now this is optional,
Iguana fanatics swear that any particulate substrate
will kill your new found green little friend. However I also
know of many successful Iguana owners
that have used such products with great success. I myself
just could never use paper towels, or newspaper. However, I
would suggest staying away from products that contain Pine
and Cedar. They are known not only to be hazardous to Green Iguanas, but to many other small
animals as well. They are said to cause many respiratory ,
as well as digestive problems.
An Iguanas Handling
and Behavior
Choosing to own a
Green Iguana will require a certain amount of
dedication and time. Handling your Iguana
on a regular basis is most necessary for taming. I know we
all have other things to do during our day, but try to spend
at least 30 minutes to an hour a day getting your Pet Iguana familiar with you and other
people normally around her/him, as well as with the
surrounding environment. Besides, you wouldn't want to stay
in a tiny space all day. Iguanas love
to be explorers, so much that you will think they are
Christopher Columbus reincarnated.
A qualified
Reptile/Iguana veterinarian
One of the hardest things to
accomplish is this very step right here. Finding a
Veterinarian that is knowledgeable in Pet
Iguana Care is crucial to a long, happy, and healthy
relationship between you and your Green
Iguana. Don't be afraid to ask questions to get the
answers you're looking for. Just do so in a polite manner.
If you have any doubt about your veterinarians expertise, it
is best to go out and find a new one.
Cleaning and
Sanitizing
This not only goes for the
enclosure, and your Iguana, but for
you the owner too. Expect to get your hands a little dirty
while caring for your Pet Iguana. A
simple trick to quick and easy cleaning is to make it a
matter convenience, and don't be afraid to get a little
dirty, but don't be reckless. What I mean by making it a
matter of convenience is that, don't have your Iguanas enclosure arranged in a way
that it makes it hard to get to, and to clean. Allow
yourself clear access to the enclosure and supplies you
need. For example don't put your pile of clothes in front of
the enclosure if it makes it difficult for you to get too.
Secondly, make sure you always wash up and sanitize anything
you use to clean the enclosure. That includes your hands,
face, and any other body part. Always wash your hands after
handling your Iguana in general
because they are known to be carriers of salmonella, so a
safe and healthy habit to get into is to wash you hands
after handling your Green Iguana.
So.....to sum it all up....
here's your little checklist to see if you are truly ready
to own a Pet Iguana. Like I said
before, you don't have to be a Rocket Scientist to be a Pet Iguana Owner.
Checklist
Are you prepared to:
- Spend more time in the
supermarket than in a pet store
- deal with the fact your
little green friend will soon become a six foot Giant Green Iguana
- provide approximately
$80-$100 plus on heating and lighting equipment
- plus an additional $40-$80
every 6-8 months for the necessary replacement bulbs
- purchase or build a rather
large sized enclose for your fast growing friend
- handle the possibility of
noise from your iguanas claws climbing and scratching
- spend at least 30 minutes to
1 hour a day socializing your Green Iguana
- locate a qualified
reptile/iguana qualified veterinarian
- be a conscious hand washer
and sanitizer
If you answered yes to all of
these questions without having to crack open a quantum
physics textbook...then you know what???? Your on your way
to a successful new relationship with one worlds greatest
animals, and you're going to do it all without having a
degree in Rocket Science.
Good luck with your new venture,
and have a great day!!
--The One Stop Iguana Shop Team
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