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Post by iggyluke on Aug 28, 2009 9:48:52 GMT -8
my ig is just over 2 1/2ft and needs a new viv. just a few questions i really need to know and they are
whats the best wood to use?
what mm glass do i need and can i use glass round the sides as well as the front?
whats the best size for him? as i want this his last one really.
i was thinkin of doin one 6ft high 5ft long and 3ft deep
thanks luke
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Post by Brandon on Aug 28, 2009 17:40:05 GMT -8
Luke those are the minimum dimensions for an adult iguana.
You can use glass or plexi wherever you like. What you don't want is a bunch of screen or mesh that will not allow the humidity to stay up. There are quite a few examples in the housing section on builds that users have done.
What is he in now?
What kind of lighting are you using?
Can you tell us a little about your current set up?
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Post by iggyluke on Aug 29, 2009 1:41:38 GMT -8
at the mo he is in a 2x 1,1/2x 1,1/2. he is about 21/2 ft himself thats why i need to get him sorted in a new viv asap as its really small for him.
when i make my new viv what will be the best lighting to use
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Post by iggyluke on Aug 29, 2009 1:52:51 GMT -8
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Post by Brandon on Aug 29, 2009 4:53:18 GMT -8
Your Iguana needs two very important things. UVB and UVA. UVA is the light produced through any off the shelf bulb where UVB is a supplemental bulb that gives off energy similar to sunlight. That red light looks like a high watt heat emitter. What are the temp ranges in your current enclosure? The temps and humidity are important factors to consider when building a new enclosure.
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Post by Brandon on Aug 29, 2009 4:57:54 GMT -8
What is that in the food dish? fruit? It's hard to tell but are those alfalfa pellets in the substrate? The branches are great for Iguanas so keep plenty of those around for the new enclosure.  |
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Post by Merlin on Aug 29, 2009 7:51:16 GMT -8
Any wood except the chemically treated wood used for deckings. You are going to have to seal it well anyway to prevent it from rotting due to the high humidity I would use nothing less than 1/4 inch thick. And you can use glass on all sides but it will seriously raise the cost of building your cage. I would add another foot to the depth and make it 4'. This animal is going to be 6ft long! For the best buy for your money check out the Megaray at www.reptileUV.comGet that stuff out of the bottom of the cage. It will kill your iguana. There is no particulate substrate that is safe for iguanas, no matter WHAT it says on the package. They WILL ingest it. And check out proper iguana diets It should be primarily leafy greens, not chunks of fruit. |
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Post by Camrock on Aug 29, 2009 8:42:28 GMT -8
yeah before you build anything make sure you spend some money ($60-$100+) on a Megaray to ensure your giving him the best quality uvb lighting there is. That bright light you have is fine for a great source of uva (heat) but doesnt provide uvb at all, no matter what the package may of told you, i know i have that bulb. Remove the red heat bulb, from the looks of it is that you use it at night for him but the truth is the red light disturbs his sleep, and in return that can cause many other problems.
Remove the fruit from his daily diet, once in a while will be alright (as a treat, encourage good behavior using treats). As a daily diet use a mix of dark greens. I personally use Collared greens more then the rest, it doesnt rot as fast if you properly contain it.
Like what Merlin said, removing the bedding from the bottom of the habitat is for the best. Iguanas licks and try's to eats random stuff to test it out, including there own feces (which in the wild they would eat there feces more then captivity). Not to mention some bedding could get in your iguanas food and without thinking twice about it he would eat it, in return your iguanas wouldnt digest it properly and would die. I suggest using newspaper, its what most of us use here at iguanazone, take a look at some photos.
Other then that that setup you have now is perfect for a iguana under a year old, not high enough to fall down and paralyzing itself, and its glass so it will hold down the heat. Yes you will want to advance for a livetime cage, try making it big as possible for your homes living environment. What i mean is if you live in a 1 room apartment then its probably not best you make it HUGE HUGE as you wont have room to move around. I have a 4 bedroom apartment, 1 is a storage room so i can make my cage big as i want, but you got to remember it have to be able to be broke down and able to move through doorways, so that if you ever move you dont have to destroy or leave it behind. So 5' is ideal since height is always a great thing.
Show us some pictures of your iguana
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Post by iggyluke on Aug 29, 2009 9:02:21 GMT -8
i feed him on greens but that day i gave him a mix of fruit as well bet he never did eat it, hes not much of a fruit eater. i went to my local pet shop that only deails with reptiles and they told me that the pelets was the best to use for them. so i sud only use news paper on the bottom from now on. the red light is only on at a night
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Post by Camrock on Aug 29, 2009 9:20:20 GMT -8
instead using a red heat light, go to www.reptileUV.com or a petshop and buy a Heat Projector light bulb, it puts out heat with no light was so ever. By having the red light on, you have more of a chance of burning him, he is not a desert iguana and that bulb produces to much heat for an iguana. here is a paragraph from megaray talking about this kind of bulb "The surface of the Mega-Ray® HP only reaches a temperature of approximately 120 degrees - meaning neither you nor your reptile can receive burns from this unit. Even if your reptile accidentally touched the surface, it would sustain NO injuries! Don't try that with a traditional ceramic heat emitter! CHEs are notorious for third degree thermal burns in reptiles. " i dont suggest traditional ceramic heat emitter but in this case i would suggest it over that red light as its projects to much heat and an uneven rate and the light from it disturbs the iguana's sleep. |
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Post by iggyluke on Aug 29, 2009 9:42:57 GMT -8
ok thanks il go and get one tomorrow for him.
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Post by Merlin on Aug 29, 2009 10:48:29 GMT -8
You need to be feeding a mix of the big three, collard mustard and turnip greens daily, not just a single type. And youi also feed a bit of veggies and fruits daily but it should only make up 10-20% of the diet
They told you that because they sell the stuff.
They either lied outright or were misled.
Pets stores are often the absolute worst places to get your critical information as they have a vested intrest in selling you a product. Granted there are a few good ones but they seem to be few and far between.
The problem with the red light isn't the amount of heat it puts out. That is controllable. The problem is the light itself, Iguanas have a 3rd eye, the parieatl eye on top of the head that is a light sensor. It "sees" the red light and interferes with the day and night cycle. Heat projectors are unique in that they only heat the animals body, not the environment itelf. If the room the enclosure is in is too cool you will need an additional heat source.
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