Future Iggy owner with questions

[Bagheera]

Hello everyone. I'm Bagheera and I am new to Iguana Zone. Although I do not currently have an Iggy, I most definitely plan on getting one sometime in the Spring or early summer of next year due to expecting a baby girl in July

I have long wanted an Iguana but I don't really support Pet Stores when it comes to Iggy sales. I see a lot of baby iguanas for sale on craigslist due to the owner losing interest in them or some other reason. Most often, when I see pictures of the iguanas, more often the babies or juvies, they are almost always housed in small aquariums with substrate and barely or none of the right lighting/heating. Depending on how things go between this July and the time I turn 21 next summer, we'll definitely have a baby iguana. Hopefully, it's not too much of a hassle having both a 1 year old and an Iggy but I do hear of people with children and iggys so it's not impossible. I just want to get a routine/bond started with my baby first

I have a small question on enclosures. I'm definitely going to build a custom enclosure out of plywood or melamine. The cage plans I've came up with are 6'Lx3'Dx6'T. I know a lot of people say 8 feet or bigger or 10 feet as a minimum but as of right now, I don't think I can really go any bigger. Would this work out alright for an Iguana as long it is allowed free roam time and time to bask outdoors? I live in Ohio and the summers here are nice overall so it'll be getting a lot of outdoor time, especially in spring and summer.

One last question is one that has really been giving me a tough time to answer on my own. I know the whole "salmonella and reptiles" thing is highly exaggerated but should I be worried of my baby girl getting sick from the iguana? She won't have any access to the iguana for a very long time but I know I'll be doing a lot of handling and taming and carrying it around, etc. Should I wear different clothes or something when I'm tending to the Iguana? What should I do about free roaming? Maybe I could block off an area somewhere just for him where he can bask, explore, eat, etc? Say maybe part of the living room that she won't have access to? Good hygiene is pretty much second nature to me so the hand washing I'm not worried about. I just want to know are there any extra precautions I can take so that it won't be a problem keeping one in the same house as a toddler.

I do plan on getting the Green Iguana Manual by James Hatfield in a week or two and thorougly reading it so when I do get an iggy next year, I'll be more knowledgeable on their care. I'm also currently researching reptile vets in our area so once I do get one, he'll have a good vet to go to regularly.

Thanks for reading my post

[JennaAndIguanaGwen]

Hey Bagheera, welcome to Iguana Zone

I'm so glad to hear that you are doing research beforehand and you know about the situation with pet stores. Congratulations on (soon to be) having a baby by the way! I'm also glad to hear that you will keeping your child and the iguana separate for a very long time. I have a jacket and padded arm guards I wear when handling Gwendolyn (my iguana). Having a separate jacket just for handling the iguana should be just fine to keep anything from cross contaminating between the baby and the iguana (and washing hands as you mentioned )

As for housing and free roaming; the size of your enclosure should be just fine and free roaming is not for every iguana. An option for free roaming needs to be strictly based on an iguana by iguana basis. Gwendolyn has free roam of my room though she spends the vast majority of her time under her basking light in her enclosure. Blocking off certain areas doesn't go over well with iguanas (or should I say they are good at going over) but you might be able to work something out. A closed door is the best barrier there is. Since your house is going to be baby proofed I don't know what more there would be to do in order to iguana proof your house if you do get an iguana that has the right temperament for it (of course the iguana should also be of a certain size before you attempt it with a watchful eye).

A summertime outdoor enclosure with part shade part sun would also be helpful for outdoor basking. I have a large open dog crate that we put out on our deck in the summertime mainly for our indoor cat but also for Gwen. Sometimes I'll just hold Gwen outside and other times I'll put her in the crate. Gwen doesn't like being confined like that so after about 30min - 1hr she gets restless and I bring her back indoors. It's helpful to have an outdoor enclosure though so I can do other things while she takes in some great UVB.

I'm so glad that you're doing research before jumping into a commitment like this, it's quite refreshing to hear ;D

I hope I answered all of your questions Thanks for joining us!

-Jenna

[Bagheera]

Hello Jenna and thank you for the welcoming

I really appreciate you for answering all my questions! I've been really confused about this whole situation for quite awhile but now that I've gotten all my questions answered, I'm a lot more confident about getting an Iggy next year. I'm so excited, I've already started writing down materials and supplies I'll need to build the enclosure as well as supplies for the little iggy himself. I usually feel terrible for most of the iguanas on craigslist. You can tell most of them were bought out of impulse but I've seen a few that seemed happy and well cared for, the owners just had overbearing situations going on that kept them from spending time with their iggys for long periods of time.

I really can't wait to get James Hatfield's book as well! The reviews on that book are outstanding and I can already see it's going to be a very good read seeing that it's 600+ pages long!

Oh! I have a few questions about heating, lighting and feeding. Until I can get around to ordering the book, I've been researching UVB. I know a lot of people use the zoo med reptisun 5.0 tube fluorescent lights. Since Iguanas need a lot of UV, I was wondering should I just get a 48" Reptisun 10.0? I also hear that Mercury Vapor Bulbs are pretty good since they put out both heat and UVB in one but I've also heard that they've caused eye problems in bearded dragons so I'm not sure if they would be safe Iggys. I'm a member on a Tegu forum and everyone there uses the Zoo Med Powersun MVB for their tegus with no ill effects. I know Iguanas are a totally different species though so I'm kinda skeptical on using one. Plus, you can not hook them up to a thermostat. I'm wondering if I should get a few of them or maybe just 1 for extra heat and UV?

As for feeding, how much do you spend monthly to feed your iguana? I know fruits and veggies aren't usually too expensive here and there are bags of mustard greens, collared greens, dandelion greens, etc. I was originally thinking of getting a tegu but their diet is a bit more complicated since they require a lot of different protein, which isn't bad but I refuse to raise dubia roaches in the house for food xD! Iguanas are right up my alley since I won't need any live foods and our fridge is constantly stocked with fresh fruits and veggies. As for supplementation, what supplements are the best? I'm researching the Zoo Med brand calciums vs the Rep Cal brand. I hear the rep cal brand has oyster shell or something in it and a lot of people prefer the zoo med vitamins. I know I won't need a D3 supplement so will I need a multivitamin as well?

Thank you so much for helping me out again. Here's my iguana shopping list I came up with. If I am missing anything or if something isn't right, please let me know.

• Temporary 40 Gallon Breeder Enclosure - baby iggy will only be housed in it for 2 to 3 months tops.
  
• Tile or cage carpet as substrate
  
• (x2)Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer Combos and Temp Gun
  
• UVB fluorescent tube lights - (Reptisun 5.0, 10.0, and/or ZooMed Powersun MVB)
  
• Ceramic Heat Emitter for supplemental heat
  
• Basking Lights and Fixtures
  
• Thermostat for CHE
  
• Timer
  
• Calcium w/o D3 + Multivitamin
  
• Cage decor and hides
  
• Fluorescent Fixture - (I'll be mounting the lights inside the temporary enclosure like they are here: www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=148006)
  
• Food and Water Bowls
  
• Plenty of Greens, fruit, etc
  
• Mist Bottle + Soaking Tub
  
• Humidifier (for custom enclosure)
  

[JennaAndIguanaGwen]

Lighting: I have a 160 watt Mega-Ray for Gwen and I Absolutely Love it! www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-160-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php
Since I got Gwen years ago I had been buying 100 watt Mega-Rays and I liked them. Last year I decided to try a pet store brand so I bought a Raptisun 5.0 for "tropical" reptiles. It was pretty much worthless Gwen's head was always a gray-ish color because she was not getting enough UVB. After that little experience I decided to buy the 160 watt Mega-Ray and it has been spectacular. Her head is now the purple-ish brown color again as it should be. The downside to ordering from the other side of the country is that I have occasionally gotten a bulb with a broken filament so I have to let them know, ship it back and they will send another free of charge.
As for the eye problem; all I know about it is that it's important to have the light directly over head and not at an angle where the reptile will be looking (they can tend to stare at things).
I have heard both good and bad reviews for the Zoo Med PowerSuns - so I'm not sure what to think about them. Anyway - for whatever bulb you get it's important to watch the iguana to see how it reacts to the light; as in less or more active/alert, changes in coloration from vibrant to dull or vice versa things like that.
I like to keep one spare UVB bulb in case the current one just stops working one day.

Feeding: The cost of food is very minor. I think I usually buy one butternut squash a month or two acorn squashes (about $7 for a butternut squash) and about 2 bunches of collards/mustard greens per week (one of each- $2 for 1 bunch). Occasionally some chard and dandelion greens and whatnot (Home grown organic dandelions ). Other fruits and veggies really vary according to what we have each week (I just give Gwen some of what we buy for ourselves).

Supplements: They aren't always required. The last time I took Gwen to the vet and they did some blood work they told me to slightly lower the calcium supplement I was giving her... only I wasn't giving her any supplements that made me smile. A supplement would be great for a baby though seeing as they are usually so unhealthy. I don't know much about the differences between the brands so I can't be of much help in that department (yet anyway - I might look into it )

As for the list; my comments:
Linoleum flooring is also a relatively inexpensive option. I like the idea of iguana safe carpet but it shouldn’t be around the water tub; Gwen sloshes water around and sometimes leaves a mess. I’m sure it’s not uncommon.
Kudos on the temp gun, I just use an old fashioned thermometer.
In cage décor you may not have thought to add a couple pillows or padding. Gwen loves to lay on the pillows on my bed so I got the grand idea to add a pillow on her top sleeping shelf and towels on the ramps. I’m very sure she prefers that to hard wood.
I forgot to mention; with UVB tubes, you have to get them closer to the reptile but since they are long the UVB is spread out more. With the lamps they can be farther (up to 20-24 inches away) but they are spot specific (which hasn’t been a problem for me).
CHEs are great for night time heating!
As for water bowls; Iguanas have a tendency to use their water dish as a toilet (it’s kind of like liter boxes for cats). I bought a cat liter trey and turned it into a big water dish/toilet for Gwen (cleaned very thoroughly after use) – it works like a charm. She swims around in it and drinks from it first before she does her business.

Something not on the list: Nail clippers. I use the same nail clippers for Gwen that I use for my big dogs, their nails are actually pretty similar. I might also suggest having arm padding. I have "Ig Grips" that I don't know what I'd do without. Something I didn't know before having an iguana is that along with their claws their scales also end up scratching up your arms. Against the grain, iguana scales are a lot like sandpaper.