Igg-Girl's: Growing Up Iguana

I've Lost My Mind and Made Iggy a Skirt!

2010-02-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

I always used to poke fun at my mother's love of dressing up our little yappy dogs. She would buy skirts, rain coats, shoes and coats. I thought this is just pure madness! The dogs hated it and would do a funny little sit down, jump up, sit down dance all the time. It was hilarious and pathetic, at the same time! ha ha. Well, what did I go and do? I made a skirt, yes- an iguana skirt. I won't spend money on animal clothes but I will certainly make them myself. I am new to sewing so this was quite simple! Blame it on my current unemployment or blame it on my love for Iggy, I just couldn't help myself.

She looks ridiculous, I love it! Check out her expression, she's mad!

While trying to figure out a way to put it on her, I accidently ended up turning it inside out. There is a cute green flower on one side.

The band around her belly is elastic so it was sort of pushing down on one of her spikes but I only had it on her for about 5 minutes. She just sat there staring at me and then doing a quick head turn eyeing up the skirt. It was pretty funny. I took a video, too and will be posting that shortly.

_________

So, I've been unemployed but at the same very busy with getting our apartment rented out and starting to pack. I hope that once I am settled in, back in NJ, I will start posting some more substantial and helpful posts. I've got a lot of ideas saved and can't wait to get back on.

I love all of your e-mails and for anyone new, if you ever have any questions, please e-mail me! I try to gather the best information, opinions and facts I can. I will never just throw out a suggestion based on one person or even just based on solely what I think. I know how important our babies are to us! I will do my best to help you so long as you do your best, too.

Vote for Iggy!

2010-02-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

PetMeds Cutest Pet Contest! <---- Click me and vote for Iggy, please!!!

Thank you!

Iggy's 'Odd Behavior' Continued

2010-02-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

A couple posts ago I mentioned how Iggy had a week of yellow urates and decreased appetite. On Sunday of this past week, after properly freaking myself out reading Melissa Kaplan's kidney disease articles, I made a vet appointment. I know how iguanas like to hide sickness so I wasn't going to chance it, but still everyone kept telling me that it was either nothing or, perhaps, she was in season. Well, wouldn't you know it, one hour after I made the appointment she started eating a big plate of food. I figured it was a fluke, so I kept the appointment.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday she ate 1.5-2 plates worth and also started pooping regularly and with her normal healthy looking urates. On Thursday afternoon, I canceled the 4:30 appointment (sorry Animal House of Chicago!) Iggy seemed completely back to 'normal' so I figured I would just keep an eye out for any signs of becoming gravid, then make an appointment for possible x-rays, etc. In the mean time, I ordered a calcium supplement and will be feeding her a way more varied diet of leafy greens. She usually eats collards plus one other green but now she has 4 different.

I don't know if this had anything to do with her feeling better and more hungry but she was out on our bed Sunday-Thursday, basking under her MegaRay and laying next to her humidifier. She seemed way more comfortable on a queen size bed vs her 4' wide 1' deep shelf in her enclosure. She moved around more, rubbed her head on the towels, ventured down and up the bed a few times and then fell asleep around 5pm each night.

Today she hung out on her tree, laid on the window sill and now is quite comfortable on her new pillow!

I wanted to mention to those reading, I did not cancel the vet due to laziness or financial issues. Many people ask my opinion on whether they should take their iguana to the vet and quite often, they should. But I have read a lot on iguanas, know my girl's habits and health, and have many reliable experienced people to ask for advice- so that is why I canceled the appointment. I know a vet visit is probably in the very near future but I felt that taking her now, (also in a cab in 15 degree weather) would be more stressful.

Luckily, I found a great herp vet only about 40 minutes from where I will be in NJ!

A little dark looking- notice her dewlap is extended to absorb more heat. Can't wait until I can let her hang out on the windowsill with no glass blocking out the UVB!

So pretty : )

I placed this pillow inside and the second she saw it she walked over, tongue flicked, rubbed her head and then stuck an arm back...So cute!

I Am Turning Into An Iguana!

2010-02-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick and sort of pointless post that I'm writing at 12:44 am. I just ate a salad which consisted of chard, collards, mustard greens, and dandelion greens along with some bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, and carrots...What am I- an iguana? We've been recently reading into the benefits of whole/raw foods and decided to give it a go. Not bad with a little dressing, an avocado and a piece of whole wheat bread (another of Iggy's faves!) How about that for a (after) midnight snack!

"All's Well That Poops Well"

2010-02-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

That quote is the darn truth, especially in our house. It was said by a devoted iguana care giver and follower of my blog regarding an out of the ordinary incident with Iggy. The issue is still going on, but Brian keeps telling me I am overreacting. Basically, last weekend on Saturday, Iggy didn't poop or eat all day. I was a little concerned but relieved when she did poop Sunday morning. The rest of the day she only had about half a plate of food.

I attributed this out of the norm behavior to a few things. One being, she had an entire banana on Friday. Normally she gets banana, just as a treat, once or twice a week. Second, we had some people coming in and out on Friday and Saturday because we are trying to rent out our apartment. Iggy dislikes new voices and people peering into her enclosure, too. And the third, out of the ordinary thing, her lights timer didn't turn on Saturday morning at 6:45a like it usually does. We slept til 9 so, she didn't start basking until quite late. I don't know if it was one, two or all of those things. Perhaps it wasn't any of them, but I do know iguanas definitely don't like change.

So, that was 5 days ago and she is still not eating too much. Before last weekend, she ate around 2 plates a day, now it's around one half to one plate a day. She has been pooping regularly but with slightly yellow urates, even sometimes a bit thicker, as well. I attribute this to lack of food intake which means a decrease in water in take. But she has been getting extra long tub soaks and more misting to compensate, as well as more water soaked bread.

Well, I will be closely monitoring her over the next week. If anything changes for the worse, I will schedule a vet visit promptly. I took a few pictures today and have to say she still looks really good. Nice coloring, still a fatty, and is alert and looks comfy all the time. Maybe it is just the Chicago winters getting her (and me!) down....

Putting Your Iguana Up For Adoption

2010-01-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

Life brings us many expected turns and twists. Sadly, there are certain times where we may need to give up our beloved pets to another trustworthy individual such as an unexpected move or an unforeseen financial crisis. Before you decide to give your iguana up for adoption make sure you really and truly can't take care of him anymore. Iguanas don't do well with change and would much rather stay with you. This is true even for a little mischievous juvenile- don't think that your new pet "hates you" either. It always takes time (i.e. months, sometimes up to a year) to get your new friend situated, calm and trusting of you.

With that being said, if you are looking into putting your iguana up for adoption keep in mind that it is your responsibility to find a safe, caring and financially capable home. Sometimes people are just looking for a cheap pet and aren't aware of all of the needs that iguanas have, so please check out the adoptive parents. This may sound crazy to some people but if I were in this situation, I'd even call references!

The first place I'd go to is any local herptological society, lizard/herp rescue, or just general animal shelter. Even if your local animal shelter doesn't take iguanas more often than not they can point you in the right direction.

Second, I would check out the Green Iguana Society's Adoption Board. There you can submit information about your iguana in hopes of someone locally looking for an iguana.

Third, I would also post on the Green Iguana Society's Message Board, and also any other reputable herp forums or blogs. You may just get lucky and meet someone who is willing to foster your iguana.

Finally, I would use www.craigslist.org. While not always being reliable, craigslist offers a valuable tool for networking with people in your area. You may just find the perfect new iguana mom or dad on there. However, before I would adopt out my iguana I would check references with the possible new owner- including personal references, job title, and would even visit their home. I would request further contact to make sure things were going well, too. Another word about craigslist, when you are looking to adopt out your iguana- be reasonable with the adoption fee. You don't want to set it too low (unless you find the perfect person) because many young kids or those not having the means to take care of an iguana may try and adopt. Setting it too high would just be unfair to those who are willing to adopt but would rather put that money towards a better quality of life for your iguana.

Shedding, Again

2010-01-18T13:21:00.000-08:00

She's at it again people, shed number 50 something, I've lost count! Her tail hasn't even finished shedding and now the top of her head is turning milky white again. I'm glad she's healthy and growing but my goodness, I can't keep up. On Friday and Saturday she only ate 1/2 plate of food, normally she eats 1.5-3 plates total in a day. I got scared but kept an eye on her. Sure enough Sunday, I saw that milky color coming over her scales and she was back to eating 2 plates.

I wanted to share an experiment I am doing on shedding and the uses of aloe vera. I use aloe vera, straight from the aloe leaf, on my own skin twice a day. It's wonderful and I have to say I believe it's a magical plant! I was applying some to my own skin last week when I looked over at Iggy who was shedding her spikes. Despite bathing, humidifiers, and misting her spikes felt so dry! I looked it up online and read that aloe is non-toxic to iguanas. I also read that some types are native to the southern United States all the way down through South America, pretty much iggy territory. I put a little bit on her spikes as I was slightly afraid of a possible allergic reaction but the next day it seemed nothing had happened. So now I am applying once daily to her skin- spikes- tail etc. I am wondering if this will improve the feel of her skin, not just for me to touch but for her. I know it does wonderful things for my skin, and of course, I'm not an iguana- but we'll see! So far, her spikes have shed and they feel more pliable- less stiff/brittle.

I will post some updates once I have more information on the possible aloe vera uses for iguanas!

Hanging out, looking comfy

Her color looks a little odd here, but it's the flash...Almost 44 inches! 4.5 more inches before she reaches the four foot mark, holy crow!

Green

Perfect! <3

Now she's saying, "Okay, that's enough!"

Cold Iguanas Free-Fall From Trees

2010-01-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

Check these out!
News Article: Cold Iguanas Free-Fall From Trees
News Video

Artsy Iguanas

2010-01-03T00:19:00.000-08:00

Start the New Year Off With Some Iguana-Cam

I don't really understand the point of the article but if you watch the video below, there are some serious rock star iguanas!! I may have even seen an iguana holding a guitar a la Henry Lizardlover?

Appropriate Temperatures for Your Iguana

2010-01-02T23:37:00.000-08:00

Lucky for me, Google lets me see what search phrases and keywords people type in to find my blog. A couple times a month I pick the most searched keywords and write a blog about them, hopefully helping future visitors find what they need. Today's topic is of great importance.

Temperature is such a crucial factor in the health and happiness of your iguana. It is not something to take lightly, ignore, or fix later. As I mentioned in earlier posts, my family meant well when they purchased Iggy but just didn't have the iguana husbandry knowledge and it was a struggle to keep Iggy's temps in the appropriate range.

Even today, I struggle to keep the temperature "steady" but know that Iggy's environment is the best I can give her at this point. As you can see from the pictures she is growing and looking beautiful as ever! So, here is my advice based on my own iguana care beliefs and information I've gathered from books and fellow igg owners.

Temperatures
Ambient temperatures: (temperatures throughout the iguana's cage or enclosure, but not at the basking area) should be kept at 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Chances are your iguana is not going to venture too far or too long from their basking spot- but you want to make that if they do, their temperatures are comfortable and not drastically low.

Basking spot: (temperatures directly under and close to the area where your iguana lays during most of the day- this should also be where his UVB is located) should be kept around 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Older iguanas may like it a bit warmer but the goal here is to make sure it is hot enough for the iguana to digest her food properly. Some people make the mistake of thinking it's only a comfort level thing- but it's also more than that!

Remember- should you want to purchase an iguana or if you already have one- you must also purchase, not one but at least two (or more!), thermometers. The more the better because some are unreliable or become inaccurate over time. They have a variety of styles to choose from but have found the super cheapies read false a lot. For Christmas, I received a Mastercool Infrared Temperature Gun. This thing is amazing. I point it at the surface- whether that is Iggy's back, legs, or her basking area- pillow or blanket, and I receive real time- very accurate readings. As I move the gun across the surface each new reading is shown.

I have learned that Iggy is actually much warmer than I thought she was. After having her out in our apartment for a couple of hours- her temperature stays around 78-80 degrees. The following link is the digital thermometer and ever-so-important hygrometer which measures the humidity:

Glass Habitats

Can I be honest? I hate them. When I look at a glass aquarium tank, I envision an iguana trapped in 110 degree plus temperatures and having no room to move around in; no where to escape, hide and thermo-regulate. Glass tanks are really only good for the first 6-8 months, depending on how big your iguana is. I don't want to get off track since this post is about temperatures but, remember, your baby iguana will grow (FAST!) (And no, they won't stop growing if you keep them in a small tank.)

Glass tanks, especially if placed next to a window that gets sun, will heat up very quickly. Iggy used to be in a 20 gallon tank which would get very hot and dried out, very fast.

Mesh/Screen Habitats
Can I be honest, again? I dislike them (I don't hate them like I do glass tanks.) I know that you can make these work- I've seen some pretty awesome set-ups BUT these usually are very involved and require a large system of heat lamps, UVB lamps, fans, humidifiers and plastic to cover up certain areas of the habitat. It just seems annoying to me. The problem is that they let all of the heat and humidity escape out into the room and unless you can set up a pretty intricate screened-in habitat it's going to be a constant struggle to maintain your temperatures. Unless you like to keep the room temperature around 75-80 degrees, which hey!- if you like that, go ahead. (It still doesn't solve the humidity problem, though)

Wooden/Glass or Plexiglass Habitats
Iggy's habitat is a combination of wood and plexi-glass. It isn't perfect and I'll be honest- again- I'd really rather have her out of any closed in "habitat" and just devote an entire room to her! But, I can't do that yet.

Her ambient temperatures are 75-82 degrees Fahrenheit. Her basking area changes depending on the day. Even though she only has a small plexiglass window- when the sun shines it- it raises her basking temperatures 6-8 degrees higher! So, on a normal day her basking temperature may be 90 which is what I like to keep it at but around noon, if that sun peaks out of the Chicago clouds- it can reach up to 98 degrees. This is a big difference- but we are still in the comfort zone.

She likes to walk a few steps to the other side of her basking shelf if she is too hot. She will look out the other window towards the TV and bring her body temperature down to about 90 degrees.

Night Time
Depending on what part of the world you are from, your iguana may need a night time heat source. Despite being in Chicago, our apartment stays above 72 degree- often it is 75 (yuck!) so Iggy stays 'room temperature' all night. Back in New Jersey however, the room she stayed in as a juvenile iggy was around 68 and sometimes cooler if the fan was on. My brother set up two black heat lamps which worked good for her. Today I would advocate for Ceramic Heat Emitters as they only emit heat and no light (remember iguanas need total darkness for at least a 10 hour night time period.) CHE do get very very hot, so remember to properly install and keep out of reach from your iguana.

Cooling Off
Remember to always provide a cooler area for your iguana to retreat to should they get too hot. Sometimes a well insulated/contained habitat may be too warm during the spring or summer months. I read in "Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual" by James W. Hatfield III, that you may want to purchase a small fan like the ones used in computers to cool the system down- and install it in your iguana's habitat. They do an excellent job of cooling down the area.

Iguanas and Color Sensitivity

2010-01-02T22:55:00.000-08:00

Iguanas can see a wide variety of colors. Living in the wild, they are surrounded by lush green tree tops with colorful flowers and fruits. Bright blue sky above, grass or jungle floor below and most likely sparkling running water nearby. When I feed Iggy, I try and give her orange squash, red bell peppers, blue berries, and other bright fruits and vegetables because not only is it better for her but she enjoys the variety. Another way that colors effect iguanas are during breeding season.

I have heard many stories of iguanas becoming extremely sensitive to a wide variety of colors, and not only colors, but patterns, too! Iggy never seemed to care about any colors before. And, nothing that I have ever done has ever scared her, either. However, today Iggy got completely freaked out!

I was on the phone with my Grandma and Iggy was basking on the foot of my bed. She was looking pretty comfy and it was almost time for bed. I decided to put on my fleece pajamas bottoms:

I never, let me emphasis that- NEVER- wear red. I hate it. It's so abrasive and mean looking. I also never sport patterns other than a few forgettable stripes, so these pants are definitely out of the ordinary (but oh, so warm!) So, as soon as I put them on I notice Iggy is standing up looking at me with this glimmer of craziness in her eye. As I came closer, Iggy backed up. Within 3 seconds, I sat down- leaned forward- and Iggy had jumped off the bed and flew right into the wall. She landed with a plop. At this point, I had stopped listening to my Grandma as she babbled on about visiting my mom and told her to "HANG ON!" I knew it had to have been the pants, so I torn them off as quick as I could and ran over to pick up Iggy.

She was definitely spooked but she was okay. She hit the wall with such force that she rubbed off some almost shedding scales on her snout/chin area. After that, everything was fine. I put her to bed and she was off in la-la land within seconds, hopefully not dreaming about scary (ugly?) pajama pants.

Here is a picture I took of her after she had been sleeping for an hour. (It's very bright due to the flash) She has been sticking her tail up in the 1 inch space that's open below her windows. It's like perfectly nestled in that little area there, so funny!

Picture update

2009-12-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Iggy that I've taken during my vacation. We've been spending a lot of time lounging around together and she has been climbing her tree and getting into a little mischief, as well.

Oh holy night Iguana : )

Cute

Going to sleep

Climbing her tree

She was stuck under the cage for a couple minutes

I love this pose!

Beautiful!

Iggy Says:

2009-12-27T23:07:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday!

Iggy Grew Another 2 Inches!

2009-12-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

She is now officially 43 inches total (STL) and 12 inches snout to vent (SVL). It's still amazing how quickly these animals can grow. In about a month's time she grew another 2 inches! According to Melissa Kaplan, the average length for a two year old Iguana ranges from 28-36 inches total- well, Iggy is 7 inches more than that but there is no way that she is three. What a big girl I have!

Iggy Loves Sleeping on Our Bed

2009-12-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

Recently, Iggy has been spending a lot of time on our bed. Brian is home during the days now and sets up a basking area and even her humidifier. She only moves to eat and goes right back and plops down under her Mega Ray. Around 5:30p we turn off the light and she is ready for bed. The last two nights she has slept in our bed for a few hours until I move her back home to her enclosure. She looks like a little iguana angel, it's just so cute.

Last night I went in our room after we got back from the store and she was curled up halfway inside of a blanket. Both her arms were back and I quickly thought "Is there a way for me to sleep next to her?" ha ha. It's so wonderful that a lizard can be such a wonderful companion, just as a loyal dog or sweet cat can be.

This was taken early morning 3 days ago, check out that weird position while eating ha ha

Iggy's Friends from Green Iguana Society

2009-12-16T19:04:00.001-08:00

Iggy was the only iguana to get two photos in the slide show- she's famous! :) It's crazy how much older and bigger she is now and this was only posted 6 months ago :D

Careful With That Tail!

2009-12-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that once an iguana's tail grows long enough to hang over their basking area, shelf, etc that we should be mindful to move it back onto the ledge. Let me explain this a little better. Iggy loves to throw her arms and legs back when she's relaxing. I love to see it and it always makes me smile. Sometimes I see her leg thrown over her tail (pictured below.) A kind blog reader e-mailed me explaining this 'leg-on-a-tail' may be due to lack of space. Iggy's tail is about 30 inches long or so, pretty darn long, and it's quite heavy, too. If it is hanging off of the shelf there may be a problem with blood circulation.

Now I have no science to back this up and haven't read anything about it. But common knowledge would affirm that this is a possibility. Brian and I are taking special precaution to move her tail so it doesn't hang. She has been relaxing on our bed during the day time so she has the entire bed to stretch out. Here are some new pictures during our extremely relaxing weekend.

Fat and shedding :D

Lovely legs

'I'm beautiful'

Cuuuute

Meet Marley!

2009-12-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I'm pleased to introduce Marley! Marley is a juvenile iguana owned by loving parents Rachel and Nathan. Sadly, their last iguana, Jack, passed away unexpectedly at a young age. Despite the unfortunate circumstances Rachel and Nathan still kept their dream of owning an iguana going and they recently purchased Marley.

Shedding- a good sign!

Green and looking pretty good- just gotta fatten up those legs!

What big eyes you have!

Marley has a few siblings including lizards Spike, a bearded dragon and Jade, a leopard Gecko as well as tarantula and a snake.

What a nice picture!

Leopard geckos are awesome looking

Despite living in an area of the UK where it is difficult to find appropriate herp necessities, Rachel and Nathan do all they can to ensure a comfortable life for their pets. Marley was recently given a Mega Ray today which is wonderful news and will help to ensure his, hopefully, long life. Here is a picture of his living quarters :)

Marley's parents are still searching for a cool mist humidifier so he gets all the humidity he needs.

Peek a boo!

So cute :)

That's all for now!

Iggy's New Basking Spot

2009-12-05T18:56:00.000-08:00

I just love spending time with Iggy. She's truly becoming like my child, even Brian texts me in the morning asking if she pooped or how her shed is going! Normally I don't like to bring her into our bedroom because of the amount of hair that may be on the floor. My hair is very long and I brush it a lot, so I am very afraid of Iggy ingesting a clump. But I decided to do major cleaning (talk about dust bunnies under the bed, whew!) and I am going to keep most of my hair brushing contained to the bathroom. So, I figured out I could turn off the radiator and thought it'd be the perfect spot for her. I turned some of our plastic drawers sideways and draped a towel over them so she can climb across and get to her food.

She spent hours in that spot! I want to decorate the room a bit, at least some colors from a poster or tapestry so it isn't so blah. Iggy has a view of the windows from the spot, too. It's great.

So, the point to this post is to show you all just what a smarty Iggy is. Many people think iguanas are dumb and that they can't learn or remember things, but this is just not true! On Thursday and Friday, Iggy was on her new basking ledge. Like I said earlier, she was there for many hours. She explored my room and climbed up and down a couple times before settling in. Today, around noon, I took her out of her enclosure and set her on the floor. She walked from the living room, through the hall, into my bedroom (making a pit stop to admire herself in the mirror for a few minutes.) Once she reached the bedroom she went under the bed, near the window, then back around again before looking up at the radiator and deciding to scale the thing just to get to her basking spot! She climbed up with her claws in the holes and then just plopped herself down. I turned on her Mega Ray and for the rest of the day she was content with her spot.

I think it's pretty neat that she saw it and remembered she could go up. We have many other 'climable' things in the house that she rarely ever attempts to go up. She also never even ventures into our room, so it is interesting that she made a bee line right to the room.

I wish she was awake right now so we can hang together. She goes to bed way too early! Here are some pictures from our new basking spot adventures during the last couple days.

Here I am!

Totally relaxed with the back leg kicked back over her tail, love it!

Climbing across the drawers up to the ledge- nice pose!

Spike Shed Problem

2009-12-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

A little while ago Iggy was about to shed her large spikes. She had just finished shedding her base tail spikes and her face, so I knew the big spikes were next. I always keep a very close watch on all of her shedding especially the tip of the tail, toes and spikes. I knew that she had no previous stuck shed but I noticed the tips of about three spikes were looking a bit strange. Upon taking a closer look it appeared that the blood flow had been cut off and the tips of the spikes were on their way to eventually falling off! I was very upset and confused as to why this was happening.

I asked a few experienced iguana owners who all told me that it looked like she had "stuck shed." But this was just not the case. Like I said, she's never had a problem for the last year, in fact she has had some of her previously injured spikes regrow.

Well, I never did find out why this happened. It could be because she has been in continuous shed since May and her body is just trying to get off the shed too quickly. That's my theory but I'm really not sure about it, either! It looks like the shed is constricting the blood flow. Here are some pictures of what it looked like.

If you enlarge the picture you can see the second and third spike both have a tiny bit of blood beneath the shed where the spike is bent.

About four days later she shed off all of her large spikes, pretty much right on schedule but sadly the tips did end up coming off with the dead shed. I tried giving her extra tub soaks and using mineral oil to look in moisture but I just have no idea what happened!

Hopefully I will figure it out so I can prevent it from happening again.

I'm Back from New Jersey!

2009-11-30T18:01:00.000-08:00

I just returned from my 5 day visit back home to New Jersey. Iggy stayed here in Chicago with Brian. I was VERY nervous in the weeks leading up to my departure but I was assured many times that Iggy would be very well taken care of. We received the lighting timer a few days before I left so I knew she'd have her UVB and heat lamps on every morning and off at the same time in the evening. That was a relief.

I wrote up a huge list of things that should be done (tub soaks at 4pm, grapes cut into small pieces, etc) and things that shouldn't be going on (like: NO floss, string, hair, coins, or other swallowables on the floor- EVER!) Whenever I phoned Brian he told me Iggy was relaxing, as usual and things were going well without me. She pooped everyday and still ate a lot, despite being in another shed.

The last time I held Iggy before I left! She's getting to be such a big girl.

I've got LOTS of new ideas for entries coming up soon. OH and I have to post my birthday presents from Brian. I got a t-shirt that has an "I" on it with an iguana peaking out from behind, a rubber iguana hatchling (ha), and Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual by James Hatfield. That sucker is HUGE! I am excited to learn some new things about caring for iguanas so I can apply them to Iggy's care taking and also to share them with all of you!

Once again, if anyone ever has any questions, comments, suggestions or even corrections- please, don't hesitate to contact me. I check my e-mail often and have helped many people with urgent care questions. I also love to get e-mail from any readers I have out there- it's what keeps me going!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Help! I've Lost My Iguana- Some Helpful Tips

2009-11-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

How To Find Your Lost Iguana
Unfortunately, I can't guarantee he will be found but I can certainly help you think of all the best spots to look. I have heard of many iguanas either escaping their enclosure or worse yet, escaping the house. Since I was a kid I've been overly obsessed with keeping all animals indoor, all the time. I hate to think of a poor helpless pet lost outside :( That being said, let's first look indoors. Here are some things you should do first, before ripping apart your room.

Inside
1. Close the door of the room where your iguana spends most of his time. For example, if your iguana's habitat is inside of your spare room there's a good chance he's still in there.

2. Keep other pets locked up in a crate or outside so they don't mistake your missing iguana for a snack or play thing.

3. Check the floor first so you don't step on him while your searching. Then check in high spots- the top of book cases, cabinets, or curtains. Don't just look with your eyes but feel through the curtains and lift up things.

4. Check closets. Again, don't just look but feel in between clothes, coats and whatever else is hanging. I have heard of many iguanas climbing up inside of sweatshirts only to be found three days later because their owner didn't physically check.

5. Next, look inside of dark small spots. Under the couch, the space between your bed or couch and the wall. Iguanas love to cram themselves inside of itty bitty spaces as it makes them feel more secure. To this day, Iggy tries to go underneath my dresser despite it being too small for her to fit in.

6. Once you have thoroughly checked the initial room, branch out into the rest of your house or apartment. Check the floor, then look up high, then check hiding spots.

Hopefully you have found her by now! If not, don't give up. Something like 95% of all escaped iguanas do not leave their owner's property! There is hope and you will find her. Leave a plate of food out in each room and during the day you can set up a heat lamp on a certain spot so hopefully your iguana will see it and be coaxed out of their spot.

Be sure to continuously check any danger areas in the house such as the stove, radiators or other areas that can get extremely hot. You do not want to find your iguana like that :(

Outside
After you've checked the inside of your house it's time to move onto the outside yard. As we know, iguanas love to climb so any tree will be ideal. They just want to get up off the ground so they won't get eaten. If you live in a warm area of the world, your escaped iguana can live for many days provided they are in good health- so keep searching!

Put up Lost Iguana signs around your neighborhood. Alert neighbors, animal shelters, heck- if it were me I'd even call the police and fire department so they are aware of a missing iguana.

If you have a tame iguana who normally does not act aggressively, I'd suggest putting on the missing ad that he/she is sweet and not threat to children or animals. I have heard many sad stories of missing iguanas being mistaken for vicious animals so scared neighbors do what they can to 'get rid' of it before it hurts their own pet or children.

Here are some hiding spots that fellow iguana owners have found their iggs in:
- In the garage inside of a trash can
- In the shed curled up inside of a car tire
- On top of kitchen cabinets inside of a jar
- Smushed between the fridge and the wall of the kitchen
- Inside of clothing in closets
- In couches/arm chairs
- In piles of dirty laundry/laundry hamper
- Shower curtain

Best of luck finding your iguana. For those of you who have been lucky enough not to have had this happen- remember- it can! Iguanas are very sneaky when it comes to escaping out of their enclosures or just walking out the door. They are naturally very curious of their surroundings and most will venture out if given the chance. I have even heard of iguanas banging against doors in order to vibrate the lock open!

Do Iguana Spikes Grow Back?

2009-11-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes iguanas lose their spikes. This may be due to a parasite- like mites or improper shedding. I can't say in general that all iguana's spikes will grow back, in fact they may never grow back. Iggy was lucky enough to only have lost a few from when she was a baby and now has them growing back.

The process is extremely long and takes years for them to grow back to anything significant looking. I found a few pictures dating back to the beginning of this year showing one particular spikes journey. Here are the pictures:

If you click on the picture, you can see the green paint is the date. I used these pictures for a post on the Green Iguana Society message board. This picture is from April 2009.

This is from June 2009. This picture was taken in the Penske moving truck we rented to come to Chicago. It's like the teeniest little micro spike ever.

This is from the end of July 2009. Still quite tiny but bigger than the previous two. At this point when Iggy shed her spikes, this little spike actually had it's own individual spike shed.

And this is from October. The spike is in full regrowing mode.

I took this picture yesterday!

She has a couple other spikes that are currently growing back, too. With each shed it seems like the spikes grow a few millimeters. I was told that spikes can never grow back but Iggy is living proof they do come back with the proper care.

Male Iguana's Hemipenal Bulge

2009-11-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

One way to tell if you've got a male iguana is by looking for the hemipenal bulge that is present in males around 1.5 years old. The hemipenal bulge is an area that is present on male iguanas (and other certain other herps) right near the base of their tail, near the vent. It appears to have a sort of swollen look to the area. This bulge is actually the inverted hemipenes which are the reproductive organs that male iguanas have tucked up inside. I don't have much experience with males but from what I've been told males sometimes flash their hemipenes after defecating and of course, before mating or humping a love toy ha ha.

Adam, from the Green Iguana Society message board, was nice enough to let me use this photo of his male iguana Falkor to show the hemipenal bulge. In this picture Falkor was found sleeping on his back! (I think this picture also belongs in my previous post about funny iguana positions!)

Enlarge the picture so you can see close up :)

All iguanas have a sort of "fold" around their vent but what we are looking at is the actual fatter area right below the vent. Also notice Falkor's enlarged femoral pores.

Anapsid's site with information on hemipenes: http://www.anapsid.org/hemipenes.html

Is Your Iguana Turning Brown?

2009-11-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple weeks I have had a variety of concerned iguana owners contact me about color change. If you notice that your iguana has changed to a darker color and has stayed like that for more than a couple hours there are a few things that can be going on. The majority of igg owners figured out it was due to change in outside temperature thus affecting the inside temperature of their iguana's enclosures.

First, check to make sure that her temperatures are in the right range. Around 88-95F, up to 100F for adults, in the basking spot and around 75-85F in the rest of the enclosure. A cold iguana will turn to a darker shade as they are trying to absorb more heat to warm themselves up. Also, make sure you have a working UVB light. Just because your UVB light is still putting out light doesn't necessarily mean it is putting out UVB. Most need to be changed every 6-10 months, depending on the brand/type.

If you find that your igg's temps are good, think about any external stresses (internal would be like parasites, etc) your iguana may be going through. Did you add a new pet to your home? Does your iguana see other reptiles or animals? Igg's may feel threatened by new people or animals, even people outside the window on a regular basis can be enough to spook an iggy. Keep loud noises, screaming kids, and barking dogs away from where your iguana regularly lives. We can't shield our iguanas from everything all the time, but a constant stress can change your iguanas color. Often a brown or gray color, especially on the head, can be a sign of stress.

Next, if there is an actual problem your iguana will probably look more brown/yellow, sort of tinged with darkness, rather than the milky dull color they get when shedding. I remember when Iggy was quite young and for the first 4-5 sheds, I always forgot what was going on. I'd notice the dull color creeping up on her neck or tail and I would freak out! With enough observation and time, I realized this is a normal occurrence for healthy shedding iguanas. However, if your iguana is not shedding but his head is turning gray this is often a sign of something else going on.

Something else you should consider is how long it took for your iguana to change colors. Has the darkening/browning change occurred quickly- let's say in only a matter of days to a couple of weeks? Or has it been a few months? I am unsure if this goes for all iguanas, in a general sense, but I know that over a course of about 6 months Iggy turned from a brilliant green blue hatchling color to an olive green, brown, black color. This is completely normal and depends on where your iguana's country of origin is.

Finally, is the color actually black? If it's black do you see spots that are raised or even fuzzy? This can be a fungal infection and a vet visit is required.

Here are some great links, some with pictures, too- showing and explaining iguana skin changes:

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/skincolor.html
http://www.greenigsociety.org/shedding.htm
http://www.greenigsociety.org/colors.htm

If your iguana changed to a brown or gray color and is also lethargic, less hungry or alert this could be signs of something very serious. Please contact your vet, your Iggy needs you!

Here is a sort of mini color time-line of Iggy's colors:

Green and tiny

Green and medium tiny with a browning neck/head/spine area

Olive green, striped, brown, black, gray, bright green belly