Iggy Is Getting So Big!

I can't believe how big Iggy is and yet she still seems like the same "little girl" she used to be. Much like my own (human) daughter, who will be turning 1 year old come December 17th. Time flies and boy do these kids grow fast, iguanas included!

Igg still seems very content in her enclosure, which is surprising because she is looking a bit cramped. We are moving out of this (very tiny) apartment come May 2012 and hope to be in a bigger space. But I don't think Iggy will care much even if we allow her to free roam or give her a room. It never fails, we let her tub soak or explore and 10 minutes later Miss Lizard is heading back to her "home."

It is absolutely adorable how much my daughter loves Iggy already. She is OBSESSED with getting into her enclosure, which is "no-no" unfortunately. Iggy handles everything very well and allows my daughter to pet her. Luckily, she is very gentle and never smacks, grabs or does anything jerky around Iggy.

I took some pictures with my shnazzy iPhone (as much as I am a computer geek, I'm really not tech savvy and only recently got an iPhone ha ha). I'll post them for you all to enjoy.

Whenever I got your e-mails I am very happy. It breaks up my days, which although I love them are often dishes, diapers and cleaning the floor he he, but it does bring me back to my pre-baby days. I try to answer everyone and with the best advice I can. Some day soon (yeah right) I will have more time to get as serious as I set out to be with this blog.

 Iggy found my bedroom window, but the poor girl is too plump to fit on the ledge!

  Inspecting.

 There's my little squirt...and the big squirt and the spiky squirt, ha ha

 Instagram edit

Instagram edit, again. It's pretty funny remembering the conversation I had with B about whether or not we should take Iggy away from my brother in 2009. I was so nervous he would say no, but I told him as soon as he got to know Iggy he would love her. And he certainly does.

Uh oh, testing out this new blogger interface. Not quite sure what's going on here.
Testing, testing...1,2,3...

Iguanas + Emergency Situations

I never thought we would have to evacuate because of a hurricane but last week, we did! It was scary watching officials on television telling us to "get the hell out." Having a young child I was going to take no chances so I packed everything up, made hotel reservations for a few hours away and got out Iggy's carrier. Most of my family said, "You took the iguana?!" Well, of course, she was my first baby and is part of the family, duh!

Any one, at any time can fall victim to an emergency situation and have to take beloved pets with them (surely, you wouldn't leave your child, how could you leave a pet!?). So, it's important to have an emergency plan/kit available.

For evacuation orders, you should make sure you have a carrier available. Many people use pillowcases to keep their iguanas in as it keeps them more calm since they can't see all the goings on around them. Personally,  I find it very difficult to maneuver Iggy around while inside, so we have a small dog carrier. Of course food is important but honestly, most will not eat when stressed. If fresh is not available you can buy frozen veggies (squash, collards, peas) and offer some soaked wheat bread to keep the iguana hydrated. Last resort is canned and is handy to have for Super emergencies. Most importantly is heating needs. A couple years ago I purchased a Mega Ray and by now I'm sure most, if not all, of the UVB rays have dissipated but the heat of 100+ degrees still works. I keep this bulb in the closet for emergencies.

For emergencies where you must stay at home, it's important to have a generator. If you have a major snow storm and have no way to heat your iguana, things can get ugly. Last resort is to put your iguana under a blanket with you so he can use your body heat to stay warm. Some of those winter hand warmers, you know the kind you shake up?, are great to have in case of emergencies, too! Remember to shake them and put them under a blanket, never directly on skin/scales :)

We ended up bringing Iggy and Pixie the cat with us to the hotel. I think the cat was way more stressed out than Iggy which was super surprising to me. Iggy didn't change colors (no grey or brown stress signs) and she even ate. We set her up in the closet with the Mega Ray over her. And because of my excellent planning, we were able to bring fresh collards in a cooler for her. She would come out of the closet and climb up to look out the window, lol!

Me hoovering over Iggy while baby + Grandma look on (see Igg's tail? lol)

I could never imagine leaving her behind. I had horrible images of a tree falling on the house, knocking her cage over with her crawling out and getting lost in the storm! Oh, the horror! So, that's why you should definitely be prepared for these emergencies. You never think it can happen to you but then it does!

Photo Update

Iggy is now 50 inches long!

Her legs are so big! 

Update on Spike Issue and More!

I can't believe it, two posts in such a short amount of time! Go me!

I forgot that I never updated what happened with Iggy's fluid filled spike issue. Turns out, well, that I don't really know what caused them. As I inspect her other spikes they all seem to be aging and not looking as healthy as they used to. I *think* it's normal as most older iguanas seem to have some crazy looking spikes. But I have a feeling it's normal for captive iguanas and lack of proper humidity. Just a theory though!

Her spikes did end up splitting and then the ends came off. It doesn't look as bad as I thought. I applied some antibacterial ointment as they were falling off so they didn't get infected. It never seemed to bother her, either. (I was a complete lunatic during the time it was happening, though!).

So, here are a couple new pictures! I'm excited to share them as Iggy is looking more and more Queen-like as the months go by. Her 3rd birthday passed (I think sometime in January-ish). And she's still a sweetheart.

Relaxing, as usual!

Beautiful! (Notice her shorter spike-do)

"Yeah, I'm shedding, so what?!" 

It's Been A Long Time! Update!

Iggy has adapted well to our human baby :) That's to say she doesn't give a hoot about her. I have definitely been slacking with my beloved blog but still able to answer all of your e-mails, so please don't hesitate to directly e-mail me!

So, let's see what is new. Iggy has not shown any signs of becoming gravid (yet?) which is a great relief to me. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle a 3 month old baby and a 3 year old gravid iguana. Which reminds me, Iggy's birthday is around now so it's safe to say she is 3 years old. She went through another few sheds and I am planning on measuring her soon.

I am planning by next year to either build her a new monstrous enclosure or transitioning her to free roaming. We'll see. I trust Iggy as she has never been aggressive but I worry about her sharp nails and spikes on her tail with a toddler. For now she seems content in her enclosure just the same as she always has.

She had a small brownish spot on her dewlap a few weeks ago, looked like a cut that was on it's way to getting infected. I applied some antibiotic ointment and it cleared up well.

I will upload new pictures and try to finish up my blog entry on ''Iguanas + Poisonous Household Plants'' as soon as I can!

Anti-Social Iguana

Wow, first off let me say- Christmas commercial on TV! First one I have seen yet and I already LOVE it. So, excited to share Christmas with my guy, baby girl, and my first baby girl Iggy :) Even though she may not share the same sentiments, which is why I am writing this!

We have been experiencing some difficulty with Iggy and her potty habits. She is disliking the cold water in her tub, understandably so, but it makes my life (35 weeks pregnant, hello!) that much harder. I don't mind cleaning up after but the problem is her poop is getting SO big, I now have to scoop it out of the tub with a paper towel instead of letting it go down the drain. Gross! Still, I'm fine with that. So, I took her out today and put her in the tub. After her poop + shower, I wrapped her up and put her on the couch with me. She stayed there for all of 2 minutes before going directly home.

Want to see a crazy lady? Just come to my house. I was on my hands and knees (again, 35 weeks pregnant, hello!) saying to her, "No, don't leave me, please!! I want to hang out with you, don't go home!' She turned her head and gave me the iguana stink eye. How dare she! Then she went back up to her basking ledge in her enclosure, threw an arm back and started watching TV! I think she's addicted to the darn TV haha.

I really want her to come out and hang with me, explore a little or just lay on the back of the couch. I wonder if it has something to do with me being pregnant or maybe she just really adores her home that much. I am glad she likes it, I guess, but I want to spend some time with her!

Well aside from that, we are thinking of rearranging the room which would put her on the opposite wall. She'd still have a view of the TV but no window, unless she wanted to come out which would be fine by me!

Everything else is good, her spikes are still funky but after talking to some of my favorite and most trusted iguana owners, I have decided to leave them. I could clip them off as they appear to be dead but for one I am scared! And for two, I like her spikes... but mostly I am just scared.

Oh well!