Green Iguana Facts Sheet

You cannot find something more wonderful than an iguana as a pet but you need to be aware that they require tremendous attention and knowing more about them should help you give them that care and attention.  Some of the facts that you should be aware are as under:

1. They are vegetarians.

You do not have to visit a pet shop and feed your iguana with worms, crickets or any such creatures since iguanas are vegetarians and they are content feeding on greens and vegetables that you can pick from your garden or grocery

2. Iguanas are easy to build a rapport with.

Contrary to some other variety of snakes or lizards, iguanas are friendlier and take to their owners quite easily, to the extent that they are comfortable sleeping next to the owners.  They are so friendly that anybody can hold them and they even allow their masters to dress them as per their choice.

3. Iguanas have a long life.

As human beings, we tend to become attached to our pets and would like them to be with us for a long time.  That is because we invest our time, effort and money in providing them the best of care.  The good news is that iguanas can live up to 20 years and thus outlive other pets like rats, hamsters.

4. Iguanas do not cause allergy

Unlike some other pets with fur or hair, the iguana has none of these and hence is absolutely safe for even an asthmatic to handle and maintain one as a pet.

5. Iguanas can be very useful for your children.

Besides the companionship provided by the iguana as a pet, the iguana also allows for a good learning experience to children when they learn to take care of the reptile and get to know more about its physiology.

The above facts are useful in taking an informed decision to go for an iguana as a pet and how to take care of them.

Iguana Feeding Information And It’s Eating Habits

Proper nutrition is crucial factor for iguanas, because many diseases occur because of incorrect nutrition. Iguanas are exclusively herbivorous throughout their life, so don’t be fooled that juvenile iguanas can eat various insects, because it is not true and may even harm your pet!

In one of the shops of small animals in the terrarium of iguana i have even saw the inscription: “… the juveniles consume insects, with age they become strictly vegetarians  ….” Can you think of that? And then you buy iguana in such shop, which probably has already some health problems (if they are feed with such food), and you get a stupid advice that you need to feed iguana with the animal food until it’s young (with that kind of diet you make the maximum damage to iguana) ….

Iguanas daily menu sheet must consist of:

* 45% of multiple leaf vegetables
* 40% of diversified vegetable
* 10-15% of fruit

Feed him 1-2 times a week, however,  you can add cereals to to menu, which should not exceed 5% of the total ration.

It is important that iguanas menu is as diverse as possible! In drawing up the menu, you must use as many different types of leaf vegetables and plain vegetables, also use different fruits but do not overdo it, just keep it in little amounts!

Also important is terrarium temperature of iguana: Iguana digest it’s food the best if the temperature in the terrarium is at least 29 ° C and therefore must be taken into consideration that the temperature during the day, in a certain parts of terrarium, doesn’t not fall below this limit! The fall in temperature below 29 ° C strongly inhibit digestive process!

And do not forget to UVA and UVB light (natural and / or artificial).

Factors That Will Help Iguana Molt - Make It Easy

# Rough surfaces
Put into terrarium a rugged stone, a branch … so that iguana will be able to rub itself  and you can then help in to remove dead skin. Make sure that the stone will not have sharp edges (the same applies to branches or pieces of wood), that iguana won’t hurt itself when rubbing.

# Swimming

Moisture (water) will help a lot with molting of your iguana. During molting you bath your iguana daily (it is always advisable to bath it - even when they are not molting) and place a little pool in the terrarium also so iguana can soak itself if needed.

#Spraying
It is a very easy way of facilitating molt. With the spray bottle we sprinkle iguana several times a day (for spraying, the same as for the swimming-we spray even when not iguana is not molting, as it help to maintain adequate moisture in the terrarium). Use lukewarm water. Spray promptly upon the whole terrarium to create adequate moisture, which also helps to fasten the process of molting.
Warning! Do not spray iguana if the room is cold or exposed to drafts or if it is approaching the time when lights are turned off, and maybe the temperature is falling - Your iguana may catch a cold!

# Mineral oil
Mineral oil is used only if the if you see stoppage of molting in a certain part of the body (eg, if the old skin in left leg does not want to depart from the new). In that case apply a little oil to the fingers  and masagge the region where the problem is. We do this several times a day until the skin does not resign. The method of massage with mineral oil is very effective for solving problems with “stalled”  skin.

Iguana Molting

Molting, the process of reconstruction of skin that goes on for life. Usually occurs at 4-6 weeks in the spring, at summer may be more frequent, while in winter and during the mating period  the intervals between moltings are longer. Molting frequency also depends on the age, speed of growth (young iguanas molt themselves frequently and faster than adult specimens, becausethey obviously grow faster), nutrition and health. Older, sexually mature iguanas are molting only few times a year.

Iguanas are, unlike snakes, molting in splits. We know that snakes “undress” the old skin in one part, while iguanas skin molts off in many more pieces.

Start of molting shows whitish coloration on the part of the body, which will be molting. Molting may take up to two weeks (until the entire surface of the skin is not left). Iguanas molt in captivity, it is more difficult than for wild iguanas - molting in the wild is hot, a lot of moisture and rain, many areas on where iguana can scratch and facilitate molt … it is very important to properly fix terrarium and that you maintain an optimal climate (heat, humidity).

When all skin of iguana is removed, take it away carefully! Remove the pieces of skin that is easily separated, but still left on iguana. Never drag the dead skin with force! Only if the skin is easily cut off, than you can remove it, put simply - pull it away, but if you must also use the minimum force then just don’t do it. Eventually the skin will come off itself, so there is no need to rush and potencially hurt your iguana!

Most legvani levijo easily and if you give enough attention to and carefully observe legvana during this period, even if the problems you are going to succeed in a timely manner and quickly resolved. Make sure that you will not be overlooked any old ring of skin around the fingers or the tail, and this caused problems legvanu (and myself)!

What To Consider As Essential For Your Iguana

We must know that iguanas in captivity are under stress, especially when iguana hardly get home, and is only accomodating  to live with us. When under stress, iguanas are acceptable to serious illness, so you need to provide them adequate living environment and conditions:

- appropriate and large terrarium, enough climbing areas and places for hiding …
- when resting,  never expose your iguana to loud radio or TV receiver, the light!
- iguanas need much attention of people so that does not become “bored”
- a lot of attention, the daily fresh food and water, clean living environment, respect …

Iguana is not an animal, which would only put in the terrarium and the looking at him only when you remember to - you could compare it with the dog, which most people know how to work with it. Would you like to place your dog in a cage till the end of it’s life and neglect him? Would you?

Iguanas nutritional needs are far more complex than the needs of many reptiles (little reptiles are only vegetarians!). Many iguanas suffer from deficits in the diet - we have to understand that iguanas in the wild eat up to 50 different species of plants and flowers a day, so if we will offer him five different types of vegetables won’t by far be enough. First, we must learn what types of fruit and vegetables are better for iguanas and which should be avoided. Iguana need at day  offered as many varied fruits, vegetables and flowers.

If you heard anywhere that iguanas can be feed like the cats and dogs - Well, forget about it!

If you do not want to destroy the kidneys of iguana and kill him within a few years (and these few years, I guarantee, the animal will be suffering … ) Avoid offering such food to your iguana, not only take but, in general, avoid integration of animal protein in the iguana diet!  IGUANAS are purely vegetarians! Any insect that it consume in the wild, it is consumed completely random!

Is Iguana The Right Pet For Me?

More than half of iguanas in the world die before of the fourth year of age. This is a worrying figure, which shows how little knowledge people have to opt for such an animal on its own, not only owners but also workers in the animal shops, which often do not know practically nothing about the needs of these beautiful reptiles!

What does this mean?

This means that it is not enough to get to the store and buy iguana;  according to being maintained by the advice given to you by the dealer (even those little info they will give you is false-from their own experience to tell you, because It already happened to me a few times that various dealers advised me to feed the iguana with only roquets and that it is enough that the temperature in the terrarium is 25 ° Celsius - arguing that “meetings shall be adjusted”, and similar information …).

You must read the more specialized literature, which deals not only with iguanas and reptiles in general, because each type of reptiles have different needs. You need to buy a book, find something on the Internet and then purchase iguana  with some experienced breeders and the best is yet to discuss this with a veterinarian who deals with reptiles!

Iguana is not among the animals that need easy care. Maintenance and proper care of iguana are very complex and demanding things. Consider a  fact that not every animal is for everyone, particularly those such as iguanas! Maybe this animal is not for you … really think good about it.

First, learn about everything that is important to care for Iguana, Equip sufficient Terrarium … and only then, bring him home. Never buy it and bring him home until you do have evrything that iguana needs ready!

If only for a moment you doubt the fact that some things you can not edit then don’t purchase iguana! Only when you fully believe and you will have enough time, will, knowledge, and eventually the money to care for such animal, you can choose to purchase one. Remember that this small green animal, that you see in the shop in a small terrarium, will grew up in a true giant, and will need a huge space and not just a small “box” in which he will not be able even to turn!

I hope you do not want to have your iguana included in those 60% of animals that die within the first few years of life!

So: the knowledge and desire for learning, space, time, good will, pleasure to work with both animal and money to the base, you need to live with iguana (and sounds a lot easier than you think-remember this! ).