Igg-Girl's: Growing Up Iguana

Iggy Is Getting So Big!

2011-11-23T18:27:00.001-08:00

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.

2011-10-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

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

Iguanas + Emergency Situations

2011-09-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

Iggy is now 50 inches long!

Her legs are so big!

Update on Spike Issue and More!

2011-04-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-03-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

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!

Fluid Filled Spike?

2010-10-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

After Iggy's bath I took her out and wrapped her in a towel. I was standing near the window with the sun coming in, shining directly on her. I noticed something really weird catch my eye on her spike. When I looked closer it appeared that two of her spikes, one more than the other, were transparent looking with a nearly lime green fluid inside. This sounds really scary and it definitely looks pretty weird, too. I touched them to see if she flinched, but she didn't seem to notice. I might be wrong about the "fluid" part but the transparency gives it that feel. Not sure!

I looked at the other one which appears to be getting a bit of it, too. I noticed a darker spot near the greener area which reminds me of a burn. My theory is that they started out as burns and are possibly now infected? Not sure how that would happen though because the green is inside with nothing leaking out. There is no breakage of the spike or anything, either.

Here are the pictures :(

Her spikes are so beautiful and long. I really hope everything is okay. I am going to consult some of my go-to-iguana owners and see what is going on. I hope a trip to the vet isn't in the future but I am scared that the possibly infection appears beneath the spike.

Weather Changes, Drafty Houses and Iguanas

2010-10-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

It seems that in one quick week our 90 degree summer has come to a stop. Recently, we have had rainy, dreary 60 degree days. The nights have been in the 50's and we are just not used to it! Even when we lived in Chicago, our 7th floor apartment was so darn hot in the winter. We rarely ever had to use heat lamps at night for Iggy there! Now we live in a ranch house which is very drafty and cold. Luckily, the room that Iggy is in is sandwiched between 3 other rooms so it is easy to keep it warm (unlike our own bedroom which is ALWAYS cold!!).

I was going to buy a bunch of new bulbs for her but they are expensive and just don't last. She still has her normal bulbs, UVB and even her MegaRay which is probably just good for heat (it's over a year old so UVB has probably dissipated). I am just going to use a room heater to make sure it stays room temperature in here, which helps her and me, too when I am hanging out in this room.

Other than that, she's been doing good. Shedding normally, eating like a pig and still sweet and calm. She has been holding in her poop lately, I think she is too lazy to walk down the ramps and use her potty herself. She was doing really well with it earlier but I have to take her out and tub her, which leaves me with a huge disgusting iguana poop I have to clean up. Yuck!

Iguana Enclosure For Sale!!

2010-08-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

If you live in or around Chicago, IL, there is a beautiful and spacious enclosure for sale. The dimensions are 76''(L) x 70'' (H) x 25'' (W). The measurements on this enclosure are perfect for the entire lifespan of your iguana. The doors + side are glass, about 1/4'' thick.

The seller is including 6 UVB lights, 2 ceramic heat lamps, humidifier, hot rock, reptibark, climbing sticks, logs AND carrier.

The enclosure is designed to be a piece of furniture so it will look great in your living room, too! It is on casters so it is extremely easy to move!

An enclosure as large as this would run you about $1000-$1500 alone and that's if you found a great deal. Not to mention the variety of extras you get which are at the very least $350.

Seller is asking $700 OR best offer. Please don't hesitate to e-mail me or Kevin (kevinstar106@hotmail.com). Make an offer, what have you got to lose!! (Before you know it, your baby ig is going to be four feet long!)

Full shot- a MUST see in person!

Iguanas + New Pets

2010-08-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

I know I have talked about this before but I have been getting a few e-mails regarding introducing iguanas to new pets, particularly other reptiles. I am not going to give a lecture about it because every single situation is different. Personally, I would not buy another iguana or another reptile. Iggy is far too much work when I really think about it. I am used to the responsibility now and wouldn't trade her for the world, BUT adding another repti baby to my life would be just too much for me and her.

Someone recently e-mailed me and asked about how to introduce a boa constrictor to an iguana. Um, YOU DON'T!? I don't know much about snakes and I am sure I am coming off as naive to some snake owners but, wouldn't the boa be interested in eating the iguana? Especially, baby or juveniles iggs. I would never want to stress out either pet, and therefor would resist all urges to purchase such a pet. My main beef with these situations is the owners are often very young (high school age, often without jobs) and don't value the lives of their iguana enough to resist purchasing various other pets. It's upsetting to me, but what can I do!

Well, as for Iggy, she is doing great. She is just about two years and 8 months old now. She just went through a big shed and has been eating great. Iggy mostly just lays around in her enclosure and watches tv or looks out the window. She will come out when she wants to (after pooping!) and walk around a bit, but often goes right back "home". Here are some new pictures of my girl!

Hanging out with her dino blankie

Hey, pretty girl!

Her belly shed, so big!

Iggy Poop + Plumbing

2010-06-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Luckily for us Iggy has been successfully pooping in her own personal tub. We lift the tub out, dump it into the toilet and flush it away. Voila! Sometimes she does poop right in the big tub, though. She used to do this all the time during her first two years of life back at my parent's house, in chicago and at my mom-mom's house. All washed right down the drain. Iguana poop, with a few swishes, easily disintegrates so I never had a problem with clogging at all.

Now that we all live at my boyfriend's mother house, which hasn't been kept clean or orderly ever, we are having some issues with the tub plumbing. Let me rephrase that, the tub plumbing has ALWAYS had issues, but now the issues are being BLAMED on Iggy's poop! How rude!

I don't think the tub drain pipe has been cleaned in years and since I've been coming here (3 years ago), the shower- about every two days- clogs itself up. Plunging ensues and nastyness is brought up, it ain't pretty people! My boyfriend's mother has been plunging up some nasty bits, undoubtedly SOME are coming from Iggy but gross stuff always has come up. It's beginning to really aggravate me!

Introducing Other Pets to Iguanas

2010-06-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

Iggy's first year was spent living in a house with 2 yappy annoying dogs. They rarely came into the room where Iggy was so she didn't get too much exposure to them but when she did, she promptly extended her dewlap and got very mad. If she sees a dog outside she will freak out and run away. She is VERY afraid.

I was unsure of how the initial meeting between Iggy and Pixie, the cat, would go. Pixie is a pretty insane cat, super feisty and it seems like she has mental issues haha. So, I put Iggy on the ground and Pixie was about 5 feet away. Iggy did a quick territorial head-bob and than walked right past her without fear! I think the cat was more freaked out than Iggy was.

There she is, sitting on the bay window- ignoring Pixie

And there's Pixie, waiting and scoping out the situation

I will never leave the two of them alone unsupervised but I am really glad to see that there wasn't an initial hatred or attack.

Iggy Loves TV

2010-05-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Iggy has never really been in a position where she can see the TV and in her new home, she has a pretty good view of it. She has been watching Food Network with me for the last week, it's too funny. She's taking a break right now but she seems to be really in tune with what's on. She moves her eyes and head if something with brighter colors come on. Also, it seems like she recognizes animals as she becomes more alert.
Being unemployed and pregnant, all I really do is just look at Iggy so trust me on these observations haha.

So here are some new pictures of my girl hanging out. She's really been doing great here in Absecon. Honestly, I think part of it is because Brian is here. She really likes him! I'm also surprised that the smell of the cat hasn't bothered her, either.

After her bath : )

Looking outside

Hilarious pose haha

So, this television post makes me think about how many pets are out there just bored out of their mind. Whether it's an iguana, dog, or sugar glider each pet needs a certain amount of stimulation. Heck, even a hermit crab needs some space to move around in and a hamster needs a wheel. Iguanas are absolutely no different, and actually have more involved needs regarding stimulation. They like bright colors especially greens and pinks (like flowers) and enjoy staring out the window for hours, longer than even our cat or dogs care to look out the window! If you have no access to a window even some television time may be better than nothing.

Improper Care of Iguanas- at the Zoo!?

2010-05-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

I will be the first to admit, sometimes I go a little crazy when I see animals in captivity. It pains me, especially with birds and African animals like giraffes, in small areas. The same goes for our dear friend the iguana. I visited our local zoo today and found that they added 3 rhino iguanas to their reptile and amphibian house. Upon first walking into the reptile house, I was shocked and appalled. Maybe I'm missing something, maybe they know what they are doing...but here's what I saw:

-A sick and sad looking male iguana, laying on a very small ledge about 2 feet off the ground. There was no higher basking area for this guy. Maybe he was really old and couldn't climb anymore, so they didn't add anything, maybe?

-A large quantity of shredded wood chips. It was frightening how much there was.

-No obvious source of humidity.

-No fresh food and just one bowl of water on the ground.

-Two ZooMed 5.0 UVB lights, FOUR-FIVE FEET AWAY! There is no way he was getting what he needed from those bulbs.

I took some pictures but they are sort of hard to make out. Without the flash the camera gets sort of funky next to glass.

The other two were kept in a VERY large enclosure...well, not much of an enclosure like you or I would have, but a large room with was shared with a variety of tortoises. The same was going on with these two, except they looked to be in much better health. However, their UVB was even farther away and the lighting in this room was terrible. You can see in the picture all they wanted was some sun!

I wanted to reach in and pet that little iguana leg, like I do to Iggy all the time! haha

Tortoise friends + wood chips

I am considering giving the zoo a call. I tried to find some contact information online but seems like there is just a number. I don't want to come off as some high horse riding nutso iguana maniac but something just seems off and I am concerned! The other animals are pretty well taken care of with clean tanks, food, etc. I will do some research on rhino iggs and see how they differ from green iguanas, in case I am making a mistake in my presumptions.

Water Training Iguanas

2010-05-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Well, I have some great news and hopefully it should be inspiring to all those who are having trouble potty-training their lovable lizards. Iggy has always been a good girl when it came to pooping in the 'correct spot'. Very rarely did she ever poop inside her enclosure and if she did, well, she had good reason.

For the last 12+ months, I always manually picked her up and transported her to the tub (the human tub, not the one in her enclosure.) 99% of the time she did go, usually pretty quickly. But I SO wanted her to use her built-in tub at the bottom of her enclosure. By some miracle, she has started using it!

She is about two and a half years old now and I never thought she'd pick up a new habit. I was wrong! During our stay at my grandmother's, I was working 40 hours a week at an 8-5p job. I had very little time to tend to her, let alone get her in the tub for pooping. By the time I got home, after a 45 minute commute, she was almost sleeping and in no mood for pooping. I felt horrible. Then one day I came home and voila!- she had pooped inside her tub.

There was no water in the tub, because she always REFUSED to go inside of her. I cleaned it out and started filling it up with about 2-3 inches of water. For the last 4 days she has used the tub for her business! It's wonderful, my boyfriend just flushes it down the toilet, rinses it and fills it back up for her. She no longer has to wait around for me to come home and 'allow' her to use the bathroom.

So, don't give up on training your iguana. They can and will surprise you!

I Can't Wait to Come Back!

2010-04-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

The first week in May I will have regular working internet! Be prepared for a variety of new ramblings, stories and adventures. I can't wait to come back and spread the iguana word!

Iggy update: She has completely calmed down (only took 5 weeks, jees!), eats like a piggy and has been a good girl. EXCEPT today, when she pooped on my bed! How dare she, right? Luckily my boyfriend was around to clean it up for me. I bought myself some disposable gloves for such incidents as I don't want to risk any sort of salmonella related issues for me and baby :)

That's all for now!

Iggy's Back to Her Usual Self!

2010-04-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Update! Update! Update! Last week I made an appointment at the vet for Iggy. She was drinking way too much water, losing some weight and still not eating. Literally four hours after I made the appointment, she ate everything off of her plate! Did she hear me?! I was so happy. I didn't cancel the appointment just yet but gave it another day and sure enough she has been back to eating for the last 4 days. She has completely calmed down and is her sweet and calm usual self! She had a normal poop today, too! Hooray!!

Aside from this absolutely fantastic news- I have more news! I found out last week that I am going to be a mother- of a human baby (not another iguana baby!) It's still quite early on but I am a healthy person so I have a good feeling about the progression. I start my new job tomorrow (full benefits!) and am excited for this new start of my life.

Unfortunately, now that baby is on the way, I have to be very careful with Iggy. I am constantly washing my hands and being cautious of her poop. I plan on keeping Iggy through everything despite my family suggesting I give her up. She's my first baby! That's all for now! (I still don't have the internet at my grandmother's but hopefully within the next few weeks I will be moved out and back with Brian! Which means that Iggy may need to go through another transition period, ugh!)

Do Iguanas Drink Water?

2010-03-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yes! Don't assume that they don't because if they need to, they certainly will. Many new owners never see their new lizard pet drinking so they don't think to offer water, however it is very important that you do. In two years, Iggy has never been interested in drinking water. She barely even licked it by accident. She has always been well hydrated because of the amount of water she takes in from her healthy diet, moisture in the air and foods we've purposely soaked in water. During the last few weeks, Iggy has barely eaten a thing. She is just concerned with getting out of her enclosure and looking out the window. Even if she shows any interest in a collard leaf, the attention is quickly diverted. So last night I put her in the tub for a soak and wouldn't ya know it, she started lapping up that water! I was amazed but also quickly realized, probably not a good sign : (

Overall, Iggy has calmed down a little bit. I'd love to start seeing her eat regularly again. I need to figure out a way to get her to become interested in food again. Any ideas out there! I hope I don't have to take her to the vet. It would be such an odd visit. "Why are you and Iggy here today?" "Well, Doctor, Iggy is so obsessed with looking out the window that she doesn't want to eat!"

So, back to the water drinking. I've heard a few people claim that iguanas never drink and that just isn't true at all. Even if your iguana rarely does or you've never seen him do it, why not just keep it fresh in the cage anyway? Water is the basis of life and I think offering water to any living thing is essential.

Pictures at Our New Home!

2010-03-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

Iggy's Difficulties with Change

2010-03-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

It's transition time for all of us here in NJ but especially for Iggy. She hasn't been herself in 3 weeks and I don't really blame her. The truck ride here was horrible, we then stayed a night at my mom's house with barking dogs and finally here at my grandmother's. It's a nice and quiet senior community but the biggest problem is that they are not allowed to have fences, so random neighbors traipse through the yard during the day, which scares Iggy! She is getting better though and hasn't run away and hid like she was doing last week. And it's only once every few days, too. She really seems to hate men over the age of 30!

After an absolutely horrible last few days of her trying to escape, I decided to keep the blinds shut and let her explore without sensory overload. She has walked the perimeter of the room probably 50+ times already and is constantly trying to push open the bedroom and bathroom door. Yesterday I had to leave her all day and when I returned home she made an HUGE mess out of her enclosure. She has been hanging by toes, rubbing her nose on the door, and catapulting herself from ledges. It's VERY stressful for me, but I'm sure even worse for her. I am trying to remember that despite my absolute devotion and love for her, she is, after all...a lizard. I can't babysit her 24 hours a day, I have to live my life! But it's all so very stressful on us.

Despite the closed blinds, she ended up peeking her head through and then getting fully behind the blinds. So, I had to raise them up anyway! She is quite calm right now, just looking through the window under her MegaRay. She had a few bites of mustard greens but turned down bananas, very upsetting for me to see!

While I was taking a shower earlier, she actually pushed open the door and climbed RIGHT INTO THE TUB WITH ME! She did this three times! I couldn't believe it. I don't know what she wants but I hope she finds out soon. Part of me is still thinking that maybe it could be the breeding season thing in there, too. I really hope she is not going to develop eggs. I am just not experienced enough with iguana breeding season to tell! It's also quite hard to get a direct answer as all iguanas are different.

So, that's pretty much the update. I am going to do another post with a time line of pictures since we've arrived. Check it out!

We've Arrived!

2010-03-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update considering I don't officially have the internet and this always ends up kicking me offline... We arrived in NJ 2 weeks ago. Iggy has been having a somewhat difficult time adjusting to her new environment. I think I made a mistake and sensory overloaded her with 2 windows in the room. She has been freaked out by squirrels, birds and our elderly neighbor playing golf. I decided to cut down on the window time and keep her semi-contained. Since then she has started eating (speaking of which I need to run to the store to get collards, yikes!) and pooping regularly. Also, she has been shedding, verrrrrrry slowly!, and her two front arms have a slight orange tint to them. It's very interesting!

Other than that, last night she slept in bed with me. I tried moving her cage to the opposite end of the room and after moving, everything it didn't fit! So by the time I was done, she had crawled into a pillow case on my bed and fell asleep. I felt bad and didn't want to move her! She was just too cute in there. I have pictures I will post soon!

Take care everyone!

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

How Can That Be Comfortable? (Funny Iguana Poses!)

2009-11-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

Iguanas are funny animals; they love to sleep, eat and hang out in some pretty uncomfortable looking positions. I've owned many pets but I've never seen them do any of the crazy poses and positions that iguanas somehow love to do. I asked fellow Green Iguana Society forum members to submit some of their funniest shots to post here on the blog. I'm sure everyone, not just iguana owners, will find these pictures to be quite comical.

Submitted by "Stacey from TN"

Submitted by "Mindy"

Submitted by "Adam"

Submitted by "Shawn"

Submitted by "teo"

Submitted by "Robin"

Submitted by Jarett:

And here are a few of Iggy:

Hope you all enjoyed them!

Dewlap Greetings

2009-11-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

Iggy has recently really started using body language as a way to communicate. It is pretty effective and I can pick up on all of her cues easily. Within the last two weeks I have been getting a "hello" dewlap extension. It usually happens when I come home from work but sometimes in the morning, too. It's really amazing how they have control over that crazy flap of skin.

Also, notice the little clump of old food/skin in the corner? She's been shedding AGAIN and also has decided that digging through her food to look for grapes, sweet potatoes and/or bread is a good idea. I walk past her enclosure and see 1/2 of her food thrown around with her nose buried in it looking for the last bit of her favorite food ha ha.

Iggy the Trick Iguana!

2009-11-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when Iggy and I hang out together I tend to bother her. I can tell by the way she gives me that iguana stink eye. I can't help it, she's so cute I wish she'd want to play like a puppy. Unfortunately, she's not that good at playing. I do like to put things on her head so she flicks them off and eats them (I'm easily amused, it's true.)

Ta-da!

Posing very nicely ha ha

I've read that you can "play" with your iguana to some extent. Depending on your igg's personality, playing a sort of chasing game may be possible. I'm not entirely too sure any iguana would like that considering how spooked they get over tiny things. Letting your iguana climb up trees, across the curtains or inside a closet (provided he won't get lost in there!) will provide enough entertainment and fun.

Iguanas also LOVE to look out windows, probably more so than any dog or cat I've ever met. If you are constructing your iguana's enclosure I STRONGLY urge you to place it next to a window. This is a really great idea for any iguana but especially one who may be home alone most of the day. I've also known a few iguanas to enjoy watching fish inside fish tanks, too.

If you are thinking of getting an iguana, please make sure they are going to have exploring time. Iguanas like to watch the world from a nice warm spot so don't assume they can just be locked away in a cage and not need interaction!

I'm pretty sure she's saying, "Leave me alone!"

Neat picture

Back home she goes!

Fun and Exercise for Your Iguana!

2009-10-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Iguanas love to climb, it's only natural for them! Prior to owning an iguana, I thought they just wandered around dry climates and hung out in the sand; pretty ignorant of me! As I mentioned before, soon after moving to Chicago we purchased a 7 foot silk ficus tree for her to climb on and she's still loving every moment of it. It's especially important for growing iguanas as well as female iguanas to get in their fair share of exercise. Not only does it help to strengthen bones, keep them happy but also helps to prevent female iguanas from becoming eggbound. I know Iggy is at the age where she may become gravid, so I want to take every precaution to ensure it goes smoothly. Plus I just love to see her enjoying the tree!

I see you!

She almost fell asleep here! I make sure to spray her with water a lot to keep the humidity up. Actually, I'm considering buying a second humidifier to place under the tree to try and give her the most natural environment.

Here she is on her favorite branch! I also enjoy feeding her collard leaves while she's lounging in the tree.

Once your iguana is tame enough to wander and climb under your supervision I highly recommend purchasing or making something for him to climb on. We bought the ficus tree used from craigslist! You can also put up shelves with ropes or nets or use certain cat scratcher posts, too. Most of this stuff is being given away or sold for cheap on ebay or other sites.

Iggy got scared- Startled Iguanas

2009-10-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

Last week I brought 'F', the girl I nanny for, over to my place to visit with Iggy. Iggy was immediately aware of F's shrill little girl voice. As I peered inside her enclosure, Iggy stared back at me with concern almost to say, "Who the heck is that?" Considering I had F over once before, I didn't think anything would go 'wrong' as I always take necessary precautions with those whom I am responsible for. I don't want to have anything happen to F nor do I want to stress out Iggy. So, for about one hour, Iggy watched F as we ate Mac and Cheese and watched cartoons together. I figured that one hour would be enough to get Iggy a little more used to F. I may have been wrong about that!

I took Iggy out of her enclosure- after feeding her a bit- and held her close to me as F looked from a few feet away. I backed up a few inches so F could touch Iggy's back legs and pet her back. Iggy showed no signs of anything unusual- no dewlap, no tail whip, no attempted escapes. So I put her on the ground, behind the couch and sat down next to her. I told F to come VERY slowly and to sit down about 2-3 feet behind Iggy. Because I am fully responsible for F during the day I did not want to take ANY chances despite Iggy's sweet and calm demeanor. F, unfortunately did not listen to my exact instructions and shifted about 2-3 inches closer- and holy crow- this sent Iggy FLYING ACROSS THE ROOM! It all happened so quick that I can't even really remember how she ran but it was the quickest I had ever seen her go before.

Iggy was so scared she ended up in the corner behind a pillow and next to the wall breathing deeply. When I looked back at F she had almost started to cry and thought that Iggy hated her! I had to calm everyone down. I explained to F that iguanas are very shy, especially Iggy because she only lives with two people and no animals or kids. Once I talked softly to Iggy and put her away she calmed down. F and I said goodbye to Iggy from behind the closed doors. Luckily, F still likes Iggy and I am so glad she understands that Iggy is just a shy girl who sometimes gets a little spooked.

This makes me wonder, despite Iggy spending her first 10 months in a home with 4 people, 2 birds, and 2 dogs, will she be able to make the transition back to this environment, stress free? I may have to spend 3 months at home next year which would put Iggy and I back where we started ha ha.

So what can we take away from this? When introducing your iguana to new people- adults, children, even new animals- always expect the unexpected. I know Iggy very well and do not believe she'd ever tail whip or charge anyone unless in immediate danger, but I still always plan to keep her at a safe distance from new people.

Iggy Halloween '09

2009-10-25T10:24:00.001-07:00

Posted on youtube by MrBinty1440! I just thought this was so darn cute. MrBinty1440 is very helpful, funny and is so dedicated to iguanas. Check out his youtube channel to meet all of his iguanas and I'm sure you'll learn a lot there, too! Happy Halloween!

More on Iguanas and Humidity

2009-10-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

Despite many hours of research and consulting experienced iguana owners I just can't make up my mind about humidity. To me, there's no question that a dehydrated iguana equals kidney failure and/or other health issues. But the question remains: what is more important- humidity in the air or humidity IN your iguana? Or, are they of equal importance?

I know that many iguana owners would bet money on the notion of an iguana needing 60-80%, or more, humidity in their enclosure in order to keep their iguanas healthy and hydrated. Of course they also agree that misting food and feeding juicy fruits are not only great but quite helpful, too. However, their emphasis remains on the iguanas surrounding environment and kicking up the humidity as high as possible.

On the other hand, some iguana owners focus nearly solely on the water intake and less on the actual environment for humidity. The idea being how can an iguana become dehydrated if they are either drinking water, getting water from eating water soaked greens, bread and high water content fruits. Part of the thinking is also that iguanas being reptiles do not soak up water like amphibians do. Warm tub soaks are beneficial for exercise, as well as relaxing but mostly just for shedding purposes and some do not think that iguanas "absorb" any water through the skin.

The problem with iguana research seems to be that aside from there being very little of it out there, most "facts" are based on individual experiences shared by some. The truth is we don't actually know what sort of environment is 100% necessary for a healthy iguana (at least I have not come across anyone who knows!) Ideally, they would all be back in their native lands sunning on a rock. As far as what I believe in, well, I'm just going to try my best and provide it all. The humidifier currently gives about 60% humidity in her enclosure. I was so scared when the cold weather hit and the heat turned on because her hygrometer read only 10% or less humidity. After some adjusting, I'd say 60% is pretty good for now. As I said in an earlier post, the humidifier was cheap and running it isn't expensive, either. I can actually see her enjoying it when she lays near the mist so I'm not going to stop using it.

Aside from this and, I think, more importantly, I have upped her water intake significantly. At least 4 days out of the week someone, either me or my boyfriend, is there watching her eat. We make sure she has greens and veggies that are basically drenched in water. I also give huge juicy grapes cut up along with water soaked wheat bread that she just devours! A few times a week I also put in a wet/damp towel to raise the humidity near her basking area.

Even if you are able to provide all of the necessities and comforts to your iguana there is a chance that they could die prematurely anyway. These things just happen. I've seen some iguana owners being judged because their iguana died from kidney failure- everyone automatically thinks, "Well, she must not have been giving her iguana the proper food, UVB, humidity, etc" When actually becoming ill is just part of life for everyone.

One more thing about humidity- it seems to me that not even veterinarians can agree. This is really disheartening because I'd love to run to the vet and just believe what she says but I've heard so many different things about iguana husbandry from vets, even exotic vets--heck, even exotic vets who own iguanas! So, although I can't answer my own question that I posed in the first paragraph my advice based on what I know to this point is to feed foods that are high in water content or literally just soaked in water. Mist your iguana and her enclosure. If you have a humidifier, great- definitely use it in the winter (depending on where you live, that is) and especially if humidity dips below 40% or so. These are merely suggestions and I guess what we should all do, as iguana owners, is research and research then base our decisions on sound facts and advice. Never just assume one person or one group is going to be 100% right. Take cues from your iguana, too. If the environment is very dry and you notice your iguana has a change in behavior, poop/urates, eating patterns, etc- then adjust it to fit your iguana's needs. If you give your iguana a bath and he's lapping up the water, this may be sign he is dehydrated. If you lightly pull together the skin of your igg and it stays put, without expanding back, he may be dehydrated. Give juicy fruits, a water bowl just in case, and water soaked bread. Best of luck and stay hydrated everyone!

Reptile Awareness Day!

2009-10-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Reptile Awareness Day everyone! I guess today is nearly over but I wanted to share some things I did in honor of educating the public about our beloved reptiles. Considering I am way too shy to stage some public forum lecturing about iguana care I narrowed down my audience: the three year old I nanny for.

"F", we shall call her, already loves Iggy. I took her to visit one day and she was thrilled, nervous but thrilled nonetheless. I always show her the youtube videos of Iggy and she often asks me, "Can we talk about Iggy today?" Too cute. So today I wanted to do something creative that revolved around iguanas. Here are some of the activities we did, or at least attempted haha

Iggy sock puppets! Notice the white buttons, that's right, they will be subtympanic shields hehe. Making the spikes was pretty difficult!

Notice she has her arm back ha ha

Well, these guys came out looking more like frogs, oh well they were yummy and home made

Iggy Photoshoot

2009-10-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

When I was younger I used to like taking pictures of myself. I had all different folders holding pictures ranging from 14-18 years old. Now, well, not so much. Luckily, I have Iggy! She is usually pretty good with the camera. I have seen many iguanas who absolutely hate cameras, I think Iggy is just used to it by now. Here are a few from the past week or so! Enjoy :)

One morning last week I came in to turn off her lights and found her sleeping like this. So cute!

Can you spot the iguana?!

I had her roaming around a bit and while I was on the phone she moseyed on into the kitchen and started climbing her tree branch.

A very tired girl sleeping on her dad

Iggy making her way onto the wet towel I use for added humidity

Not the best picture but I just loved how green she looked in this!

I love iguana spike shed ha ha

Iguana Mistakes 7-Year-Old's Foot for Strawberry

2009-10-11T17:47:00.001-07:00

Iguana Mistakes 7-Year-Old's Foot for Strawberry - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com

Well, this is upsetting! I don't know the full story but as much as I trust Iggy, I wouldn't allow a young child to hang out with her as she does have a tendency to think fingers and toes are figs or apples.

How to Tub-Train Your Iguana

2009-10-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

One of the worst things was waking up to feed Iggy and seeing a huge messy iguana poop in the corner of the cage. Luckily, I don't have to worry about that anymore. I never would have guessed that you can train an iguana, a darn lizard!, to use water or newspapers to do their business. I had a hard enough time believing a rabbit could do such a thing! It really makes everyone's lives so much easier when your iguana is trained, especially tub trained. Here is how I went about training Iggy, don't be scared- it's quite simple!

When Iggy was a baby, she used to climb down to the bottom floor of her old enclosure and always poop in the same spot; behind this fake potted plant. This was before I was the sole caretaker so when I'd come to visit, I'd yell at my brother to 'clean up the poop!' Soon I started taking Iggy to the tub every time I'd come home to visit, one day she pooped! I wasn't expecting it and wasn't even trying to train her, the water just naturally relaxed her and out it came. I began to research how to train an iguana to use the tub for their potty.

Once I moved back home in March 2009, I started putting Iggy in the tub every morning between 10am-12pm. I filled it with only about 1-2 inches of warm water. In the first 2 weeks, sometimes she'd poop and other times, she wouldn't. I'd take her out after 20 minutes and get her moving- walking and climbing. Then return her to the tub about an hour later, until she pooped. I find that, even now, she will lounge in the tub without moving but as soon as I touch her and she starts moving, that's when she's about to do her business.

They have to learn that the tub is the place to 'go.' So, when you give them no other choice but to use it (via constantly putting them in there) they will eventually get it. Each time she pooped, I'd give her a treat (like 1-2 blueberries). Within about 3-4 weeks, she would poop within 5 minutes of hitting the water. I was so happy! No more messy cage and no more messy iguana tail (ugh, it's the worst when they drag their tail through it!)

If you have the time, I would suggest putting your iguana in warm water around the same time every morning and every evening. Some iguanas like to go in the morning while some like to wait until later. Essentially you can set up the schedule with good timing.

If you don't want to use the tub method, just place newspapers under the spot where your ig goes to the bathroom all the time. And when you have her out for bonding time and exploring, be sure to put newspapers in various spots around the room. If you see her start to do the iguana poop dance (back legs splayed out, butt up!) put newspapers under her. She will begin to see the pattern and you can also use positive reinforcement with a special treat.

When dealing with iguana feces and urates, be sure to always disinfect the area. Newspapers, throw away in a separate bag; tub, use a bleach and water solution and rinse; and be sure to wash your hands. I also use separate sponges when cleaning out her enclosure and the tub, too. Oh, and a quick tip for getting your ig out of the tub- just drape a towel over the edge of the tub and have him climb up.

The END :D

Iggy won "Reptile of the Day" !

2009-10-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Reptile Channel link

After only a couple days of having Iggy's pictures and bio up on Reptile Channel she won the Reptile of the Day award! I'm so proud of my girl :) The link goes right to her profile and for today, Saturday the 10th, you can see her face under the "Reptile of the Day" link on the right hand side of the page.

Blue iguanas

2009-10-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Went to the aquarium today and was so excited to see blue iguanas! Here are some shots:

I don't know much about blue iguanas, but I am guessing this one was a female as she was smaller in size and also had a more slender head.

Beautiful male!

Close up! Check out that spiny tail!

I forget the name of this guy but he is some type of lizard. I thought he was blind but that's just his eyelid, neat!

The aquarium offers a "citizen scientist" program where normal people can aid zoologists and other scientists in catching, studying and preserving rock iguanas. It's in the Bahamas and I would LOVE to go! Too bad it's a 2-3 thousands dollars. Here is the link- if you've got the money to spare it is for a great cause. You can e-mail the address at the bottom of the page for more information and a very thorough brochure. Maybe in the future I'll get to go, it definitely sounds awesome!

"My iguana just shook water out of her mouth!"

2009-10-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

The other night Iggy did something very strange. I was petting her while she was in her enclosure- as usual, she was really enjoying it and had both her eyes closed. About ten minutes prior, I gave her about 3 small pieces of a banana for a little snack. All of a sudden she shook her head back and forth very quickly while spilling out about 1 teaspoon of water, almost like she was vomiting but without any force. I was stunned and didn't really know what had just happened. She then stuck her head up in the air and kept swallowing.

Some of the liquid got on my arm- after smelling it and, yes, touching it- it appeared to be just water and maybe a bit of saliva. It was clear not cloudy, had no odor, and was runny like water. I stood there in shock for a minute before I ran to the Green Iguana Society message board and made a post asking for help.

I kept checking on Iggy and she seemed fine, as if nothing happened. When she shook the water out of her mouth there were no noises, no coughing or choking actions and it was over in a couple of seconds.

The first response I got made me even more scared but after thinking it over it just didn't make sense. Someone suggested she may have water in her lungs and I needed to go to the vet. This couldn't be right because she didn't cough it out- she just shook it out of her mouth, as if it were actually just sitting there. She is not sick and I had a feeling it was a freak occurrence- but why!?

The next few people who responded really helped me narrow down what it could have been. I am 98% sure that the banana pieces I gave her were too large. After gulping them up, they sat in her throat for a bit while saliva accumulated, then when it was too uncomfortable she opened her mouth and shook her head to shake the water/saliva out.

Some helpful posters told me that they had seen their iguanas do the same thing. Either after eating or drinking too fast, drinking and then changing their minds about it, or eating pieces of food that were too large. Others told me that sometimes if their iguana had been "snalting" a lot, it's possible for the snalt/saliva to gather before the igg shakes it out.

This is a picture of the liquid that came out, you can see it appears on both the left and right side which is the effect of her shaking it out of her mouth.

After the head shaking, she put her neck up high and kept swallowing. I'd assume moving the bananas or other food out of the way.

Now, if you ever notice your iguana having difficulty breathing or they actually cough or make odd noises- this is most likely more serious. I was all set to take Iggy to the vet if she showed any more odd symptoms because I would never play around with her life like that.

Iggy's Shedding Again!

2009-09-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

Just as soon as she finished her last shed, she's into another shedding period. I eased off the last of her spike shed, the ones that were towards the base of her tail and then the next morning I noticed a dulling on her snout- Here she goes again!

Today she has a completely dull looking tail and as usual, I can see the point where the shed will begin. Being that I just measured her a couple weeks ago, I wonder what she'll measure out to after this shed. She's growing so darn fast, I can't even keep up!

While she soaked in the tub, I cleaned out her enclosure and saw her tree branch she used to love. In her old enclosure, she used to always lay on it and bask but it just doesn't fit the right way in her new enclosure. I took it out and set it up on a chair and some boxes. She's currently loving every minute of it!

I love my old tree branch!

Getting sooo big!

Changed positions

Just a cool close up of her little hand

Where to Buy, Adopt or Rescue an Iguana

2009-09-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

A lot of people ask me where they should purchase an iguana. Provided this person knows all of the financial, emotional and physical involvement in owning an iguana I will gladly point them in the right direction. This direction is usually to classified ads, adoption boards, or local shelters. I understand that not all people can afford to take in a special need iguana and I understand that not all are prepared to own an adult iguana (as many come with 'tude problems.) But have no fear, I've seen dozens of young iguanas up for adoption weekly. Even when I lived back home in my small town in NJ, I went through www.craigslist.com and saw at least 5 adoptable, young and even tame iguanas needing homes.

Why do I advocate for adoption? Because we are having a very unfortunate problem with an excess of iguanas. Some people purchase them without knowing how much money they will cost long term, or without knowing how big they will get or they buy them for a child who soon looses interest. What happens to all of these iguanas? I have heard of some iguanas being let 'loose' in hopes they will survive, even in a place like here in Chicago. The iguana will not survive. I know of some iguanas who are left inside a tiny tank all day with no interaction while being fed dry food, dog food or meat and no UVB sources, which will eventually lead to a miserable iguana who doesn't have much time left here on earth.

If you purchase an iguana from a pet store, it will only increase their sales of exotic reptiles which will allow them to import more iguana hatchlings, thus leading to more unwanted iguanas in search of homes. If you really want an iguana, please please please do your research. Get everything you need first, as well as set aside some extra money for vet visits, then spend time (weeks or even months) searching for the perfect pet who needs You!

Here is a link to the Green Iguana Society's web page for iguana adoptions: Adoptions

Before we moved to Chicago, I had the difficult decision of whether or not to bring Iggy with us. Being that she was my brother's, mostly by title because I took care of her, I wasn't sure how it would work out. But I knew that with my brother turning 18 soon, he'd be out all the time and Iggy would either die, be given up for adoption, or let loose. Knowing how my dad has handled unwanted pets in the past, well, I'm pretty sure he'd have no problem letting her go. So, I took full responsibility and in a sense, rescued her from impending doom. (Just to put this out there- many new iguana owners mean well and I don't think you're a bad or evil person should you need to give up your iguana. But I do think we should all take responsibility for our actions and learn from our mistakes. Research and think about the future when buying or adopting an iguana!)

My baby! Lucky for me, when I made the decision to bring Iggy my boyfriend agreed it was the right thing to do. He recently told me, "I never thought I'd like iguanas as much as I do now. She is so cute, I can't even imagine her not with us." He loves to pet her dewlap and I think she loves it, too.

Iguana Sleep Schedules

2009-09-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

Iguanas should get about 12 hours of day time light with no less then 8 hours simulated UVB or a 2-5(ish) hours of natural sunlight with appropriate temperatures. They should sleep for about 12 hours and it's important to provide a completely dark area. I do not suggest using those red night time lamps as they disturb the natural sleep patterns and this can cause your iguana to become stressed and sick.

A typical day for Iggy consists of:

6:30a- eyes open, waking up
7:30a- UVB and heat lamps turned on
8:30-9:00a- tub soak/poop and serving of food
9:00a-6:00p- she basks, eats, climbs; it depends on the day and whether I am home
6:30-7:30p- she will crawl into her sleeping spot, put her arms back and stare at me to turn off her lights

She will not go to sleep until it is completely dark in her enclosure. If I have to, I will cover up the plexiglass with towels so she is not disturbed. After about an hour, she enters an extremely deep sleep. I can touch her, move her (I don't do this regularly, but have had to for various reasons in the past), play music or watch a movie and she will not wake!

On some cloudy days, especially rainy cloudy days, she will sleep later in the morning or go to sleep earlier in the evening. I have noticed her being especially lazy on these days, too. This is normal and nothing to be concerned about.

If the room your iguana is sleeping in goes below 70-72 degrees (F) at night, you will need to buy either black heat lights (in the winter I use 50w) or CHE (ceramic heat emitters), these are very hot and need to be set up at the appropriate distance from your iguana.

Happy sleeping!

Will Iggy Develop Horns?

2009-09-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about iguanas and horns. I haven't read about it at all and have only seen a select few with them. I do know that green iguanas (Iguana iguana) can grow horns, not just rock iguanas. However, green igs horns are quite different looking. I would say that they appear to be more delicate.

(taken from anapsid.org)

I've noticed in the last few months a small bump on the end of Iggy's little snout. I wonder, will she grow these horns? I really like them and I hope so!

It is pretty tiny and I guess more obvious to me- but it's there- I swear!

Iggy's First Head Bob!

2009-09-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

Iggy has always been a girl of few words. She has never head bobbed at me, her reflection or anything! Don't get me wrong, I wasn't hoping for an aggressive igg but just a little communication. Female iguanas don't head bob as much as males, but I've read that they do it for more serious reasons- specifically territorial. Whereas a male igg may just head bob to say 'hello', 'look at me' or 'thanks for the food.'

Her first head bob happened a few days ago. I was holding her on my arm for about 20 minutes, just sitting at the kitchen table. When I went to put her back in her enclosure, she just sauntered in but then walked the opposite way she usually does and stood there, stared at me, lifted her head and began wiggling it all over the place with her dewlap out. It lasted only about 4-5 seconds and then she stopped, went back over to her regular spot and let me pet her. I was amazed!! I really felt like we hit a mile stone ha ha.

The same thing happened today. I was putting her back, she walked over, and began shaking her head. Then it was over and she put her dewlap away and let me pet her. It doesn't seem very aggressive but I will definitely not test her when she's doing it. I trust her, but I also don't want to end up in the ER with an iguana bite!

I asked about head bobbing on the Green Iguana Society forum and was told that she may be doing it just in case there are any random iguanas hiding in her enclosure. Just to say "I'm back, this area is mine, get out of here!"

Unfortunately, I didn't get the head bob on camera (not yet!) But in the mean time, here are a few pictures from a few nights ago when she ended up falling asleep on our bed.

Hanging out on our bed

Tired : )

Signs of Illness in Your Iguana

2009-09-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

To begin, let me just say that iguanas are masters of deception in that they can and will hide their pain and illness, often pretty successfully. This is an adaptation for survival- in the wild if an iguana openly shows their illness they will become easy dinner for a predator.

If your ig hasn't been with you for a long time, it's sometimes difficult to gauge when they actually are sick. However, if you spend enough time with them and observe their behaviors you can often tell when something is wrong. Here are a few symptoms that your iguana may display if they are sick:

1. Significant decrease or complete loss of appetite (for more than a couple days.) Sometimes if an Iguana is too cold they may not eat. Some other possible reasons may be the beginning of shedding or breeding season. But if these possibilities are ruled out- not eating is a definite red flag.

2. Lethargy. If your iguana is usually alert, focused and lively (which they should be!) but now suddenly appear extremely tired, listless, or sleepy there may be a problem. Weakness and lethargy are often a definite sign of a major problem at hand.

3. Limping (and holding a limb up, as if in pain.) Sometimes iguanas leap, jump, hang or even fall and injure themselves. Breaks in bones or swollen joints are something that iguanas tend to be able to hide very well. Twitching is also a symptom that requires immediate attention.

4. Abnormal poop. A typical iguana poop may change from day to day depending upon which new veggies or fruits they are fed. Sometimes lack of humidity may dry up the urates, too. But if you are seeing extremely loose stools, foul smelling poop, or lack of defecation it is a serious symptom.

5. Discharge. Iguanas are prone to getting infections in the mouth but can also experience discharge from the eyes, nose, or vent area. During breeding season, males may emit seminal fluids but if it is something other than that it may be a sign of infection.

6. Bumps. Sometimes if an infection isn't cleared up properly, an iguana may develop an abscess. An abscess is an infection that has turned to hardened pus. It is usually painful and obvious to see.

7. Discoloration. This is a tough symptom to really gauge because iggs change their colors a lot. If your iguana is extremely dark, they may just be too cold. However, a discoloration that turns a brightly color igg to a grey igg may be a sign of stress. Also, note that burns may discolor skin and require immediate attention.

If your iguana is acting "weird", eating less and appearing weak I'd definitely only give it 24 hours, if you see no improvement (often you will see worsening,) please call your herp vet and schedule an appointment. Other issues can sometimes be resolved with antibiotic ointments or a change in environment (keeping an iguana in a room that is too loud or has other animals in it, may stress your igg out) but a vet visit is usually in order.

Your iguana needs you to speak for them. They don't have a voice to tell you that they are feeling sick or in pain. A vet visit may set you back a few bucks but if you are a serious pet owner you won't even think twice about it.

If your iguana appears to have a 'rubber jaw' i.e. weakened and shortened jaw and/or a curvy spine and/or tail, these are signs of Metabolic Bone Disease. A very serious condition which requires a vet visit and tedious and attentive care, often with high costs (emotionally and financially.) To avoid this, please feed your iguana the highest quality greens (remember, no lettuce!), good veggies like bell peppers, snap peas, squash and fruits with high water content. Provide your iguana with natural sunlight and a UVB source (not UVA, not a regular bulb, not a heat lamp- a UVB source), proper temperatures and humidity.

The next pictures show a (rescued) iguana with metabolic bone disease:

Please don't let this happen to your iguana!

Iggy Grew! Now She's 38 Inches!

2009-09-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I measured Iggy yesterday and it's official- the girl is now over three feet long!! She grew about ten inches in three months. Amazing! She's a beautiful sweet girl and everyday she puts a smile on my face! Here are a few pictures from her bath time yesterday. She's finally about to shed her belly area and was thoroughly enjoying the warm water.

Here she is, in a trance-like state tipping over and falling asleep ha

Chilling in the tub- don't let the calm demeanor fool you though, she fights bath time like a 3 year old.

Swimming a bit!

I received Iggy's new UVB light today along with a few night time and day time heat lamps, just in case we have a burn out in the near future.

So Sad, Iguana Adoption Boards

2009-09-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

I try my best to stay away from places like craigslist where underfed, sick and sad looking Iguanas wait for rescue. I know I live in a very tiny apartment but wish so much to rescue at least one. I just came across this adoption ad for Izzy the Iguana. The part that is most unfortunate is that Izzy lives in a school, the agricultural department. One would think that the people who picked her as the school's pet would have known, would have educated themselves, about iguana husbandry...

Iguana age: 5 years old got him 4 years ago

STL: about 4 feet

Vet care and health history: Izzy has no known health problems (really?)

Diet: It has been fed a variety of fruits and vegetables that our cafateria won't use in food like good scraps of lettuce or pre=packaged mixed salad along with garden grown kale, chopped carrots, strawberries (loves those), grapes, blueberries, etc.

Habitat and living conditions: The iguana is living in a very large enclosure at the moment. It is 6 ft. tall and 4 feet wide PVC frame with rubber coated wire fencing to enclose it. The iguana also has a heat lamp that it lays on and a few other things to climb around on.

Temperament: Izzy has become somewhat tempermental this year either from the kids pestering him or from not being handled much.

Handling: not very much. I work with him when I can myself as I am in our agricultural department a lot and am the only one who is not scared of Izzy. Even then he is not handled very much.

There are just so many things wrong with this. I am glad they have decided to look for a new home for Izzy. I really hope he gets one because it seems like this poor guy is being annoyed daily, along with no handling, a poor diet and possible dangerous conditions (laying on a heat lamp, HELLO- NO!) Also, the fact that he is only 4 feet and 5 years old is a little frightening. I am just so surprised, well more like disappointed, that a school wouldn't research an animal before getting it. Poor guy!

How Reliable Are Iguana Books?

2009-09-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

I finally got my Chicago library card last week and was pretty excited to check out books. I love reading and went straight for the non-fiction (hey! I like learning, leave me alone!) I checked out two Iguana guides, one general reptile book and a cockatiel guide (new pet? maybe.) The iguana books were published fairly recently. The Simple Guide to: Iguana by Tom Mazorlig was published in 2004 while The Essential: Iguana by (consulting editor?) Lenny Flank, Jr was published in 1999. Overall, both books are easy to understand, offer nice pictures and pretty good advice. I'd suggest going with Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan, too.

There were a few bits of information that I had problems with. I also found the pictures to be somewhat useless; attractive but rarely illustrating any specific points (why not show an iguana claw under the topic of 'Clipping Your Iguana's Claws'?) I took a few pictures of excerpts from the books that showcase some debatable information or advice.

Although this isn't exactly "wrong," I felt that it gives the impression that you must wait until your iguana stops running away to really bond and that isn't true. As tame, sweet and docile Iggy is, some days she will still sort of scamper away from me or put up a small fight- this doesn't mean she isn't comfortable this just means she's annoyed and doesn't want me to grab her. I know some new igg owners may became disheartened thinking that their iguana will never feel comfortable, but just give them time!

This next bit of information is talking about lettuce. It says that 'ice berg' lettuce is a poor choice, which is true. But then suggests using romaine or red leaf. However, neither of these lettuce choices offer much more than ice berg. I would definitely stay away from any 'lettuce' and stick with true leafy greens that are jam packed with vitamins and minerals.

The first paragraph here is talking about how big food portions should be. It suggests cutting back on food if your iguana is looking chubby. I know iguanas can become over weight but it is often due to an underlying problem. Iguanas will stop eating when they are hungry and as long as you are feeding them fresh greens and veggies I don't suggest cutting back.

The second paragraph, while not exactly 'wrong', sort of implies that if you don't see your iguana drinking there may be something wrong. The author explains that he has found that iguanas do 'drink on a fairly regular basis.' In my research and experience, they actually don't drink on a fairly regular basis. I agree that we should always provide drinking/bathing water in their enclosure and to change it daily, but I would not be alarmed if you don't see your iguana actually drinking. Just provide tub soaks in warm water, give foods like grapes for water content and mist their enclosure or provide a humidifier.

This is pretty disturbing. Not just because crickets and other animal matter are not vital to an Iguana's diet but because the book then contradicts itself entirely.

On the next page, the book clearly says that iguana's need some protein, but "this does not mean that baby iguanas should be fed crickets or dog food, but it does mean that you need to include some vegetable sources of protein..." When I first saw the picture I kept re-reading the caption thinking that they forgot a word or made a typo- it just doesn't make any sense!

It happened again in the second book, too! There is a picture of a young Iguana eating a cricket (yes, they will eat anything, it doesn't mean they should!) and then the book goes on to say "Based on the natural habits of iguanas, it is best to feed your iguana only plant materials." Really? So, why confuse readers with a picture showing the opposite?

This last picture is really odd and upsetting. The caption says, "The subtympanic plate is the large scale located just below the tympanic scale." The tympanic scale is the iguana's ear and in the picture you can see with my arrow where the actual subtympanic plate is. However, the picture shows an iguana with an obvious abscess, a pocket with hardened pus from a bacterial infection. This makes readers believe this is the subtympanic plate.

Like I said, overall the books were pretty informative, especially Mazorlig's. Just remember when reading anything, even my blog, be aware, be informed and think critically.

Iguana Nostril Shed

2009-09-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

I never knew it but the inside of an Iguana's nostrils shed, too. I usually see Iggy rubbing her snout against blankets trying to get the shed off and this time I saw both pieces come out whole. So, what did I do? Saved them and took pictures!

Crazy!

Always be careful when helping your Iguana shed, you don't want to rip their skin.

Pictures From a Lazy Weekend

2009-09-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is what you get to look forward to once you have an older tame Iguana- a lounging lizard on any given window sill or pillow :)

Newspapers in case she gets the urge to 'go'

Nice legs!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays my boyfriend is home with her and he decided to take a few pictures of her exploring our basil plants:

Hi!

What's that?

Climbing up

Humidity and your Iguana

2009-09-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have touched upon this before but feel that I must share a recent incident regarding humidity/moisture/water content in and around your Iguana.

For three months, I was unemployed. After moving from the East coast to the Midwest, it was pretty tough to find a job. I spent all three of those months mostly at home, with Iggy. I would say I misted her enclosure and her anywhere from 6-10 times a day and gave her at least one long bath a day. I was also there to spray her food dish with water whenever she sauntered over to take a few bites. Her urates, the liquidy part of Iguana poo, were always mostly clear and there was often a good amount. This shows that she was staying hydrated.

Last week I started my new job and was away between 9am to about 4:30p. Before I left for work, I would spray her enclosure, give her a quick bath, and spray her food. It wasn't until about 4:30-5p that I would be able to spray her down and give her another bath. By the third day, I put her in the tub to do her business, and her urates came in in lumps- sort of like, (gross) cottage cheese. They were also pretty yellow. This is NOT good. It's nothing to go crazy over, no vet visits, just up the humidity and water intake. I have been giving her a double shot of grapes and fruit high in water content. And have been basically soaking all of her food in water before feeding her. Over the weekend, I was home and she received lots of spray downs. Her urates have come back to being normal.

Because I won't be home as much anymore, I thought now was a perfect time to purchase a humidifier. I did a lot of research and asked other Iguana owners what they use. Because I have a lot of money saved, I decided to try a cheaper model first (one with excellent reviews) and then if need be, I'll purchase a better one later. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me- whatever keeps Iggy healthy!

So, I took some pliers and made a small hole in the top of the enclosure to run the humidifier's chord through. And now she has a green froggy humidifier. So far, it works really nicely. I am still working on figuring out exactly where it should go but depending on where the hygrometer goes, the humidity ranges from 60-100%. The humidifier was only $35. There is a video of it in action, too.

How Much Does an Iguana Cost?

2009-08-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

The real question is how much does an Iguana really cost to stay healthy and happy? A lot. It may seem tempting when you see that little green cutie in the pet shop and most likely it's around $15.00-$25.00, not too bad! Unfortunately, it doesn't just stop there.

Most small animals- reptiles, amphibians, and rodents- require one cage. This cage is often small enough to fit on top of a counter, computer desk, or coffee table. Will an Iguana's home be able to fit comfortably into a space like this? No!! Iguanas are different from little frogs, newts, and hamsters because they grow at an insane rate during the first few years (in one year, we have seen Iggy grow about 25 inches!) and eventually reach up to 6 feet! If you are thinking of purchasing an Iguana, expect to devote either an entire room or area of a room to an enclosure that is 6 ft high, 6 ft wide and 3 ft deep.

Even with Iggy's enclosure now, she will outgrow it. It cost me about $250 to make. My long term goal is to have her free roaming, which will save me money and most likely keep her happier.

If you're lucky you have someone you know, or yourself, who can build the perfect set up. This should cost under $500.00 and if you know what you're doing maybe less than $300.00. These numbers may seem high but if you've ever researched the ready made fancy enclosures those babies run into the $1000s. You will also need to buy water based sealant if you are using wood, as well as paint and decorations. Iguanas can see all sorts of colors and enjoy being in a homey-green-leafy environment. I spent around $50.00 in terrarium background, hide box, tub, plates, and silk leaves.

What else do you have to consider when buying an Iguana? Vet costs. If you purchase a hatchling, it's a good idea to bring them to the vet for a check-up. Any parasites, like worms or mites, can be taken care of quite easily. Any possible signs of Metabolic Bone Disease will be checked out. You must make sure your vet sees Iguanas and if they don't, you should be prepared to drive 1-3 hours to find one who does! A vet visit without medicine or anything involved will run you about $80.00-$100.00. If you have a more serious problem, which can and does happen with Iguanas (example: burn, broken toe, fungal infection), you will be looking at the cost of the visit plus any medicine, length of stay or in extreme cases, operations. Anything that's involved in long term problems, can easily run you $500 into the thousands. If you have a female Iguana who becomes gravid, with developing eggs, many problems can arise and you should be prepared financially (and emotionally) to deal with it.

What about lighting and electricity costs? You will need a UVB light, not just UVA and not just a heat lamp. These can cost anywhere from $25.00-$75.00 depending on what type and brand you purchase. But these should be replaced every 6-10 months depending again, on the brand and type you have. Aside from that you may need night time heat lamps which can be black lights that emit heat or ceramic heat emitters. And the same goes for day time heat lamps. Throw in a surge protector, perhaps a timer so you don't have to wake up at 6am everyday and rush home at 6pm every night to turn off the lights, and a thermometer to check on temps...You're looking at about $250.00 a year, not to mention the electricity costs.

One of my many bulbs- this one is the Mega Ray. Not only will you need UVB and heat lamps but you will have to buy the domes. For bulbs that reach very high temps, 100F or more, you should purchase a dome with a ceramic socket to avoid fires.

What else, what else, what else....ahh, yes, humidity. How will you keep the humidity up to about 60-80% every day, even in the winter months? In my opinion, a humidifier is necessary. If you purchase a hygrometer ($15.00-$30.00) you can check to see what the humidity is like in your neck of the woods. You may not need one but chances are, you do. I recently purchased one for about $40.00, based on all types of reviews for different models, I am expecting to have to replace this in a years time.

This was a relatively cheap dual hygrometer (measures humidity) and thermometer. It seems to be accurate, too. I will be purchasing a more reliable, better rated hygro/thermometer soon. It's always important to have a few in your Iguana's enclosure so you can keep track of temps on the different levels.

Finally, (I think), how much does it cost to feed your Igg!? This can really vary depending on where you live. Back home in my small New Jersey town, I would spend about $10.00 a week on veggies and fruits. The quality and price was poor, selection was terrible and the collards often rotted after a few days. I spent at least $40.00 a month on Iggy food. Living in Chicago, I have an excellent little market nearby. I can buy collards, mustard greens, squash, green beans, figs and a mango for about $6.00-$7.00. That really makes a difference. But just remember, it is not as easy as picking up a tub of bird seed or 50 crickets for a few bucks. You also have to invest a lot of time into cleaning the veggies, cutting up into smaller pieces and storing them so they don't go bad or lose their nutritional value.

So, you need to ask yourself, are you ready to spend hundreds per year in order to take care of your Iguana? Do you have the time to shop weekly for food, to purchase new light bulbs, schedule vet visits that may be 60 miles away? I love having Iggy here with me. And in reality, yes it is an extra financial burden on my income but I make peanuts at my job and I am still able to give her a really great life. Another thing to consider when purchasing an Iguana is that they can live 15-25 years, if you do it right. So if you are buying the little guy for your son or daughter, are you ready to take over care when they enter their teenage years? If you plan on moving, will you be bringing the Iguana with you? Think looooooooong term when buying an Iguana.

There are many other pets out there, lots of herps (frogs, bearded dragons, geckos) that require financial input and knowledge, but aren't as intensive as Iguanas. I think just the fact that the three I listed don't grow to be more than two feet is already a huge plus.

Decrease in Appetite- Follow Up

2009-08-27T12:45:00.001-07:00

So, it seems that Iggy is about to shed- again. Decrease in appetite is a common characteristic of the beginning stages of shedding. It takes a lot out of them, especially the bigger they get! Iggy showcased a new behavior and perhaps habit, that I was initially worried about. The last three nights, after her bath, I would return her to her enclosure. In the past she'd climb up the two floors and get settled in up top. However, the last few days, she's climbed to the second floor and sort of hid behind a plant fixture.

This was taken with the flash on, it was quite dark in the area where she was. The next picture shows it a lot better.

When I saw her like this at first, my immediate feeling was, "Oh my gosh, she's sick and is going to die!" It just reminded me of the stories people said when their Iguana was laying on the bottom of the cage lifeless. But now I am confident that she just enjoys that spot for bed time. It's dark and secure feeling. This morning, I turned on her lights at 7:30a and within ten minutes she climbed up to her basking area. Her legs and arms were stretched out catching all the heat.

So, what does this tell us? If an Iguana's behavior and habits change or are replaced, keep an eye on exactly what they are doing and don't jump to conclusions. If you feed your Iguana the proper diet, provide the right temps, humidity and UVB, chances are they are healthy. As Iguanas grow they develop new sets of behaviors, some can be very odd (hanging upside down eating, being one! ha ha)

If your Iguana seems 'sad' or sort of dejected when they never used to be like that, make sure you are providing their basic needs and then some. Do you take them out to climb, to sun and get fresh air, to explore? If everything is being provided, there may be a more serious problem at hand. Only a vet visit can determine the problem.

Sometimes Iguanas really want a place to retreat to. Who wouldn't, especially if they live in an enclosure where we see them all day. Being the indepedent creatures they are it makes sense. It's always a good idea to buy or make a 'hide box.' I made one out of an old shoe box and it was as simple as can be.

I have since moved it to the third floor because it was getting in the way but she has used it once. It doesn't cover the entire length of her, but mostly her body. All you do is cut off the ends of a shoe box, while keeping the sides in tact. You can still lift the cover and close as you would if all the pieces were still there. I covered it in left over aquarium wallpaper. It looks pretty neat!

Female Iguana's Mate is Found!

2009-08-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Good news! Emerald the missing Iguana has been found.

After 13 days, he returned home and was found at the gate of Dr. Bodishtianu's home. I love happy (Iguana) endings :)

Decrease in Appetite

2009-08-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, for the past three days I have noticed a definite decrease in Iggy's appetite. She was eating three pretty big servings of food a day. I would feed her at 7am and once she warmed up she ate everything at 8am, nearly licking the plate dry. However, now, she doesn't finish the first plate in the morning but picks through it for the rest of the day. The weather has gotten significantly cooler, so I am thinking perhaps it has something to do with the end of summer. It's also possible that she dislikes her food. We went to our normal market but the collards were coated in this strange waxy substance. I took home a bunch and scrubbed them, but they are still sort of weird.

Other than that, I am hoping this isn't the beginning of her developing eggs.

I'll keep an eye on her and update as soon as I figure it out.

This was taken yesterday, she thinks I'm a tree sometimes :)

Do Iguanas Have Teeth?

2009-08-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

Absolutely! They have dozens of razor sharp teeth that can do serious damage. The older they get, the more harm they can inflict as their teeth get bigger and sharper. Being the semi-crazy pet owner I am, when Iggy was a baby, I wanted to see just how sharp her teeth were (I wanted to know what I was dealing with, ya know?) I was feeding her a piece of a collard and allowed her to lightly nip at my finger. I did not feel a thing. However, within the next 10 months, she had acquired a set of extremely sharp teeth.

I was feeding her a blueberry and her teeth ever so lightly grazed my skin. I was bleeding in seconds. I could see 4 little tiny dots on the top and 4 tiny dots under it, which formed the outline of her teeth. She has never tried to bite purposely but even just by accident, those suckers hurt.

I wanted to take a picture to post but decided I didn't want to risk a serious injury ha ha. So, I got her to chomp on a collard and quickly pulled it away.

Definitely click on this picture and enlarge. You can see the small dots that are her teeth marks. Iggy is only about two and I have seen some serious chompers on Iggs that are five years old and up. So, always be careful when hand feeding and of course, try your best to read their body language to avoid being bitten.

Here is a picture taken from www.anapsid.org, showing the exact form of adult Iguana teeth. Notice the perforated edges and the triangle shape:

The teeth remind me of Early Paleoindian spear points that were used to hunt animals. Very sharp and very efficient.

I've also heard that Iguanas actually lose their teeth, or shed them, and then grow new ones. I've been told this by a few people and read it on some not so trustworthy sites but it's a definite possibility. If you notice a tooth in your Igg's enclosure or basking area, check to make sure they aren't bleeding or in pain. One of the best ways to prevent an infection is, well, prevention.

Valuable Information about UVB Sources

2009-08-21T17:34:00.001-07:00

I was under the impression that putting Iggy on the windowsill in the sun was filtering out 80-90% of UVB rays. Thus, thinking the windowsill wasn't really a great source of natural sunlight. I was planning on buying a used dog crate, something with wide (but not wide enough for her to get out) holes, so we could venture out to the park so she can hang out and get some natural sunlight. But I learned something new that makes me pretty happy!

Yay, happy!

Recently, on the Green Iguana Society message board, Henry LizardLover paid us a visit. (Definitely check out his website, with over 20 years in raising Iguanas, to me he is one of the most knowledgeable people out there.) A newer member found an abandoned Iguana in the woods and didn't yet have a UVB source. She was wondering how long she should allow her new pet to bask in the sun for.

Members all agreed that the sun is the ideal source for UVB rays and vitamin D production, however there were differences in opinion about the length of time. Some members held to the opinion that Iguanas need at least 3-5 hours of natural sunlight a day; with the option to thermoregulate and move about. This advice, from my research, is what is generally accepted as the rule. But there is no real proof that anymore than an hour a day is even necessary, and in fact many Igg owners, while meaning well, could potentially be doing damage.

I e-mailed Henry and we had a discussion about why it may actually be dangerous to submit your Iguana to the high heat of the sun for long hours daily. With his permission, here is what he said regarding exposure to direct sun:

"I'll emphasize again. Exposure to direct sun light is of such huge benefit to iguanas, especially young growing ones or ones in trouble from lack of UVB exposure. Safe proper sunning (or providing genuine working artificial UVB lighting) is so important, I will say, it's easily one third of the whole of iguana care but it's also so effective, I'm sorry to see some good iguana loving owners go to unnecessary trouble and provide an overkill amount of sunning.

The typical window screen could never block out all of the potent effect of UVB coming from direct sunlight or even UVB bouncing off the sky. Even if it were only 50% or 25% of UVB left over from direct sunshine as reduced by a typical window screen, there should be no doubt about the effectiveness. One single hour of summer time midday sun light coming through a typical window screen is a true UVB vitamin D producing charge into an iguana. No iguana getting that amount 2 to 4 times a week will suffer from a lack of vital UVB exposure. I have seen the effect of UVB on enough iguanas with soft bending bones that recover so quickly (provided they are also getting calcium rich food) by just a few hours of direct sunning over several days to know that just one single hour in that midday direct sun light of Los Angeles provide a solid effective dose of benefit.

Anyone bothering to provide any more than 2 hours per day of sunning in direct sunlight is very generous and nice but doing something quite unnecessary. Once iguanas have developed strong bones through a fairly regular sunning, they can so easily go for several months without any sunning, this is especially true for iguanas over the age of three. "

This does not mean that you don't have to buy UVB lights. Every situation is different and some locations are just better areas for owning an Iguana. Living in Chicago, I have about 4 months time for Iggy to bask on the windowsill with the screen. Once the cold weather comes, the window will have to be closed and no UVB will end up getting through the glass. Also, as Henry states, if you have a young Igg or one with Metabolic Bone Disease or other problems, you will want to provide more UVB and from different sources. And finally, even if you provide proper UVB, diet, temps and environment an Iguana may end up dying young, it's just a part of life.

Acquiring ideas, facts and opinions from a variety of sources- veterinarians, experienced pet owners, books, and teachers- is the best bet for the best animal husbandry you can give.

Look at that face! Sunlight does her good : )

Body Language: Dewlaps

2009-08-21T15:32:00.001-07:00

Dewlaps (the flap under an Iguana's neck) have always reminded me of the movie Jurassic Park, particularly the frilled-neck dino (yikes!)

Luckily, your Iguana doesn't look anything like that (if it does, either get to the vet or a paleontologist!) Dewlaps are used in the same sort of way, as they are used to send a message. Most male Iguanas have extremely large and impressive dewlaps. When relaxed or not threatened, the skin lays limp. But when angry, threatened or preparing to fight another Igg (human or dog for that matter) they will extend their dewlap. Usually with this comes standing tall, a sucking in of the stomach, and the beginnings of a tail movement. I have seen a few male Iguanas do the breeding season swagger, it's pretty interesting. I'll have to find a video to post!

I can see Iggy, being a female, uses her petite dewlap in a similar way. The message is less fierce, but it is surely received. For example, sometimes when she is relaxing If I come into her enclosure too quickly and startle her, I get the 'Iguana stink eye' and a slowly extended dewlap. I think it's an excellent way to tell me, "Hey, come on, get out of here." I admit, sometimes I don't listen and just wait until the dewlap is retracted (which happens quick most of the time).

I've always noticed while basking in natural sunlight, occasionally under her Mega Ray and never under her tube UVB, she will extend her dewlap. Honestly, I am not sure why. I imagine it to just be her soaking up the UVB rays. Or maybe she's telling the world, "Look at me! I'm beautiful!" Maybe not- ha ha, I will have to do more research and figure it out.

I have heard that some Iguanas also enjoy getting their dewlap scratched or rubbed. Maybe similar to scratching a dog under it's face or near it's ears. I think this depends on your Iguana though, Iggy doesn't exactly love it.

Lounging Lizard

2009-08-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Two of my most favorite pictures:

Bearded Dragon Rides Green Iguana!!

2009-08-16T16:46:00.001-07:00

Found this and thought it was just too cute; fast forward about two minutes in. I was laughing pretty hard towards the end. (I do have to say, perhaps I'd give a little area where the tiny Igg and Beardie can climb up, so they don't get stressed out by the height of the water.)

Setting Up a Basking Area

2009-08-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Iguanas are usually pretty lazy animals, especially when they are older. They enjoy looking out the window most of the time, eating a bright green dish of greens, and being in a warm and humid environment. The cool thing about a tame and older Iguana is their ability to free roam (if you do it right, they can roam just as a dog does- of course, with some necessary precautions.) I think it's important for all animals, if they are able, to spend as much time as possible out of their cages or enclosures. I know that I start to feel a little crazy if I spend too much time in my 750 square foot apartment!! Now just imagine how an Iguana would feel being three feet long living 100% of their time in a 5 foot wide enclosure....not too happy, right?

If you are able to set up a basking area outside of your Igg's enclosure you will be doing them a great favor. Try to pick an area near a window if you can, if not, an area where you or your family spends a lot of time is a good idea. Also, some Iggs are known for enjoying the TV. If you have any other pets, please take that into consideration (hopefully, you have either socialized them or have decided to separate them, whatever you need to do just keep it in mind.)

You can use a large piece of driftwood or a branch from outside (being that these are from outside a lot of people like to disinfect them by soaking in a bleach solution, I have never had to do this so I will have to research the possibilities beside bleach.) If you can't find a large enough piece of natural wood, that's okay! Many Igg owners have used pieces of wood from home depot, PVC pipe, or netting. You can also use old book shelves, TV stands, or really anything that is easy for your Iguana to climb and is sturdy enough to support them.

I have seen Iggy climb up some really crazy things, so you can get creative just make sure they don't get their toes stuck as this is a common occurrence and can lead to an injury.

Iguanas, as we know, are arboreal so they enjoy climbing trees and being up as high as they can get! So, if you can, make the basking area(s) higher up. As you may have seen in prior posts, Iggy has a 7 foot silk ficus tree that she climbs and even sleeps in. Her current basking spot is at the window sill but I plan on making at least two more that are higher up for her. I can tell when she roams around she is looking to climb but our apartment is so bare right now the highest she can go is three measly feet!

Here are some pictures of basking areas I had set up over the last year:

This was her first basking area outside of her enclosure. In March 2009, I temporarily moved back with my parents before moving out to Chicago and this was when Iggy and I really bonded. I was home most days and really wanted to spend time with her but wasn't sure how, as she didn't exactly love being in my hands. So, I emptied everything off of my dresser and constructed this makeshift hang out area. I always kept close watch as I was scared she'd burn herself on that light.She actually really loved it. She spent hours on the spot and rarely ever moved. I started feeding her in the afternoons at the spot and eventually brought down her UVB light, too. Once or twice during the day she'd climb down the blanket I had secured and explore my room for a few minutes, quickly climbing back up to her favorite new spot.

From just 6 months ago to now, I have learned so much about caring for Iguanas. It's really an endless quest for knowledge.

The second basking area I set up for her was across my room at the window. I had just read about how much they really love looking outside and decided I'd give it a try. I couldn't believe how long she would just sit there staring out, looking at the trees blowing the wind, catching a car zooming past, or eyeing a squirrel on the ground. (Side note, if you set up your basking area near a window be careful when it starts to get dark out because some Iguanas think their reflection is another Iguana and can become aggressive and charge their image. Iggy still could not care less about her reflection ha ha)

Here she is attempting a quick escape but I caught her! (Check out how much she grew in two months- the first three pictures are from March 8-10th while the picture above was from May 20th!! Wow!)

On cloudy days or when the window is closed, I like to put up her Mega Ray for basking. Always monitor the temperature :)

So the above three pictures show her set up now. She really likes it and spends lot of time at the windowsill. The second picture she is on the ground, sort of camouflaged in with all the green stuff ha ha. She's getting so big now, all she has to do is sort of bounce on her hind legs and she can climb up towels, clothes and books very easily.

Hopefully within the next two months, before the cold hits us, I will have constructed a couple of nice basking areas with easy up and down climbing apparatus. Can't wait to take the pictures and show you guys!

Some random cute pictures!

2009-08-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago, I gave Iggy a bath around 5:30pm. This is sort of early considering it gets dark around 7:30-8:00 here and she usually sleeps and wakes up with the sun. I guess she was a very tired girl because she climbed up her tree at 5:50pm and stayed there until 11:30pm sleeping.

Here she is waiting to go in the bath; clinging to her green towel ha ha.

After 15 minutes, she was fast asleep in the tree. The cutest part was that about every hour she would switch arms- started out with her left arm flung back and her right arm holding on and then I would get up and look and she'd have her right arm back! She's just too cute!!

Female Iguana lost her mate :(

2009-08-13T21:10:00.001-07:00

Some sad Iguana news from Malta today : Iguana broken-hearted as mate disappears

It is so sad! I hope they find Emerald...

It's also quite interesting to see how far away Iguanas are being imported. I love having an Iguana but I would say that I definitely would rather them ALL be kept in the wild. Iggy is confined to a 5'x4' enclosure and a windowsill, some days a living room. I would rather think of her in a vast rain forest doing what she was meant to do!

Shed update

2009-08-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update on her shed- it's going well. As she gets older, it seems like her shedding takes longer and longer. Here are a few pictures:

Top lip, snout, and dewlap area

Dewlap, neck and tympanum (ear)

Right side shed first, now the left is starting to (Check out that tongue flick, too)

She's pretty laid back lately. It's been raining and extremely humid so she just lays there and lets me sort of roll off a lot of the shed. This mornings bath allowed me to get most of the spike shed off, too. Her first five or six spikes, the biggest ones, are getting so big that they kind of hang over. It reminds me of a sort of Simpson's style hair-do ha ha.

And here's a picture of her spikes after the shed came off. You can see how that bunched up old area is gone and the spikes are quite smooth looking:

So, what's left? Her tail and her toes, two of the most difficult shed areas. Luckily, humidity in Chicago has been around 60% (lucky for her, not me!). I predict another two days and we can stop picking up shed all over the house :)

How to Tame Your Iguana

2009-08-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

If life were easy, taming would be a 1-2-3 step process. But it's not and taming takes time, patience, and sometimes it even takes a little blood. Iguanas are not easy pets to tame. My advice, which is influenced by various people who have owned, rescued and tamed dozens of Iguanas, is to start slow. If you purchased or adopted your iguana as a hatchling or young Iguana, they will be tiny and skiddish.

Once your iguana's habitat is set up, allow your little guy to get used to his surroundings. Some will not eat for a few days because they are adjusting and a bit scared. Just keep offering fresh food and water and move slowly. Be present in the room and talk to your Igg in a soft voice to allow them to get used to you and your scent. More often than not, you will be able to tell when your pet is getting used to you. Once you feel it's time, start by putting your hand into the enclosure. Never just swoop in and grab them. Just make yourself present and friendly, they need to learn that you are not an enemy or predator.

This process of acclimation can take anywhere from a few days, to weeks, to months. I had a lot of prior experience with herps before taming Iggy, so I just went with my gut and started pretty early. It's best to take your time so as not to stress your net pet.

Once your Iggy is used to you, eating well and starting to get curious of their surroundings you can begin to handle them. Bring your hand under her belly (or your fingers, depending on how small she is) and firmly grasp her. Iggs will sense if you are nervous or scared, so be firm but gentle and talk to her. Make sure the room is iguana proofed (small cracks are covered, the space under the door is stuffed with a towel, and the floor is vacuumed). I suggest using the bathroom, as it's usually a smaller room to work with.

Next, you can just place your Igg on the floor and allow them to explore. They will probably move slow but if you make a sudden movement they will usually dart off. Allow them to crawl on your legs and explore their surroundings. About fifteen minutes a day of interaction for the first few months will (usually) lead to a tame and friendly iguana. Most Iggs enjoy being lightly scratched on their backs, neck rubs on the dewlap and pets on the head. A lot iguana's really like being rubbed on the neck area where the little bumps are. Just be gentle and read your iguanas cues. Knowing their behavior is like speaking their language and once you learn the language, it is much easier to stay away from tail whipping and aggressive behavior.

Iggy at about six months old

Of course, this sounds pretty simple. But some iguanas will try to tail whip, gap and hiss, sometimes even bite. For iguanas who are extra scared, go slow but DO NOT GIVE UP! You can tame them with patience and perseverance. If you give up, you will have a 5 foot long nasty, hissing and unfriendly pet. Sadly, this is one of the reasons why many Iguanas are put up for adoption and in some cases, set 'free' (left to die). Another way to get your Iguana to trust you is through hand feeding. Begin by offering a piece of collard. Iggy started eating out of my hand very early on but be careful not to make it a habit.

Iggy exploring my brother's leg

If you need to, purchase some gloves and wear a long sleeved (preferably a thicker shirt, or sweatshirt) while handling your Iguana. Their nails can be very sharp and this will make it much easier to handle them. For Iguanas will thicker and bigger claws, Kevlar gloves are quite popular.

If you have an iguana who is older and untamed, it's hit or miss. You may win the trust of your new pet with patience, love and space. Give them food, a great basking area and treat them with respect. Other times, the Iguana will just have been jaded by ill treatment by humans from a prior experience. But by providing them with the best care, you are giving them a gift that is invaluable. My experience comes from a very young and 'chill' Iguana who was quite easy to tame, so I would be lying if I said it's easy to tame older iguanas. There are many resources online that can help you if this is your particular situation.

Iggy, about eight months old. Once she became very comfortable with me, she would hang out on my shoulder. Now she's almost getting too big for this!

For some great advice on taming and training, check out Green Iguana Society's website on taming.

Just remember, taming takes patience but is well worth it in the end. A healthy and happy iguana can live up to be 20 years old, so if you start out right, you will have a friend for a very long time : )

Should You Feed Your Iguana Animal Protein?

2009-08-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

In short, no. Am I a vet or a zoologist? No, at least not yet! But I have read enough and talked to enough seasoned Iguana owners to feel that we should never give our Iggs any animal protein. No mac and cheese, bites of bologna sandwiches or dog food. Iguanas are strict herbivores and yes, there have been accounts of hungry and desperate Iguanas attacking farm animals to eat. Do we have these documented, proved and researched? No. Iguanas will enjoy eating mostly whatever you give them but their bodies are specifically set up for the maximum utilization of plant products such as fruit and vegetables.

Many people assume that in order for their baby to grow big and strong, that they must feed it some type of animal protein. However, Iguanas are not people and this is not true. Iguanas will also never become "immune" as some people have claimed, to animal products- they will often get very sick from kidney failure in the future. Also, some assume that because their Iggs don't get sick right away that it's fine- but the damage is long term.

For an easy to read and informative site check out Green Iguana Society's 'Animal Protein Issues' page. And her is an article from Melissa Kaplan 'Animal-based Protein is a Problem for Iguanas'.

The way that I think of it is similar to humans consuming unhealthy foods, such as those with partially hydrogenated oils/trans fat. Yes, a lot of them taste pretty good and you won't go into cardiac arrest on the spot if you eat a Big Mac but if you continually eat them, your body will most likely not handle it very well at all. Sure, there are exceptions, but why risk it when you have thousands of other options that will maximize your heath and make you feel great.

Your Iguana's Third Eye

2009-08-04T16:50:00.001-07:00

It's true, your Iguana has a third eye! Okay, it's not really a third working eye that can discern images but it's a very helpful and necessary organ in the Iguana survival tool box. The third eye, or parietal eye, is a little dot on the top of Iguana's heads (it's not just found on Iguana's either- other reptiles including bearded dragons, certain species of fish, frogs and more). This organ is necessary for hormone regulation, thermoregulation and can also help protect the animal from overhead prey, like birds for example.

Until a few weeks ago, I thought Iggy's parietal eye was somehow missing in action. It's plain as day, but I assumed it was a burn from a too-strong heat lamp when she was a hatchling. Depending on the species, the third eye may or may not be very visible. Either way, now you'll know why your Igg freaks out when your hand swoops in to pick him up!

If you've ever noticed your Iguana duck down while you drive under a freeway overpass, the parietal eye is responsible. When we drove from New Jersey to Illinois, we were in a pretty big moving truck and even when she wasn't 'looking' out the window the darkness that surrounded the truck in the underpass made her crouch down in an instant.

So, what can we take from this? If your Igg's habitat is shorter than you are tall, and you have to reach in to grab her out, go slowly and allow her to see your hand before waving it about- it can really scare them!

Iggy's Bath Time

2009-08-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Iggy has a love hate relationship with the tub. She squirms and scratches at the edges of the tub, attemping to get out. Luckily, it's impossible (for now) what with her being sort of 'short', but she still tries. When she isn't trying to escape, she is floating with her eyes closed; appearing to be loving every minute of it! I've read that despite their natural swimming abilities, they can still drown in water, so keep an eye out.

I give her a bath at least once a day, but often two times. I have a difficult time keeping the humidity level over 50-60% in her enclosure so, aside from misting her and her food, I find the tub to be invaluable to her health.

I decided to give her an extra long soak tonight because I noticed that she will be shedding anytime now. Her snout, spikes and tuberculate scales (those little round bumpies on either sides of their neck) are quite greyish in color. Today I just noticed 80% of her tail is dull in color, and even the texture of her scales are different, which means that it's time to up the humidity and watch out for stuck shed.

Here are some pictures from todays escapades:

Notice the duller color around her snout and the scales on her neck

You can clearly see the part of her tail that is about to shed

Something I always find interesting- right before shedding, Iggy's spikes will get this sort of bunched up looking old skin around the base of each spike. Then, when she sheds, you just lightly pull and the base with the entire spike shed comes off! The second picture details the actual shed that is encasing her spikes at the moment. You can see the transparency around the tips and sides of each spike.

And, she's falling asleep ha ha

Tongue Flicking

2009-08-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

For the second installment in Iguana Body Language and Behavior, we'll talk about tongue flicking. I thought this was most appropriate because today Iggy was going nuts tongue flicking everything! She spends most of her time either in her enclosure or under close watch by me- hanging out on a window sill or climbing up her fake ficus tree, but today I felt like being lazy and surfing the web in my bed. So I set up her Mega Ray over the window sill in my room and she had a grand old time looking out the window...She doesn't spend too much time in my room mostly because I'm never in here, so she was very curious.

(She's so green under her Mega Ray!)

After an hour, she got a little bored (who can blame her, check out that view- brick wall!) She decided to sort of fly off of the window sill onto the floor (don't worry, it's less than two feet off the ground.) When she landed she was on top of some newspaper (which was placed there by me, in case of 'accidents', ahem), once she realized she was on sturdy ground she went crazy tongue flicking the air, then the newspaper, then an unplugged USB cord that was on the ground. She must have been picking up some crazy information because she kept doing it over and over, and over again! *flick* *flick* *flick*

When Iguana's tongue flick it's similar to when a snake does it, they are picking up information around them, but an Iguana doesn't have this ability as fine tuned as snake does. They might tongue flick your hand, food, a book- whatever! While this behavior is usually harmless in almost all senses - it can pose it's problems.

For one, it may be an early indicator of a bite. If you had just finished eating a snack and went in to pet or handle your Iguana, they may tongue flick a few times then pick up a scent, "mmm, smells like fruit," and then ::chomp::- Ow!!! Blood! So, definitely wash your hands before handling or petting your Iguana. I've also read that Iggs may do this before biting due to aggression- I have never experienced this but keep an eye out on other signs (like gaping and hissing!)

The other problem with tongue flicking is very serious. Before you put your beloved pet on the ground to explore, please do whatever you need to do to clean up the area from coins (they will kill your Igg if ingested), hair (human or animal- heck, Barbie hair, too), any thread from fabric or peices of carpeting, and also any other debris that your Iguana can ingest (watch for paper towels or toilet paper, they can definitely harm your Iguana).

Their saliva is extremely sticky and once they tongue flick, they can bring back up with them whatever their tongue has just touched. If an Iguana ingests hair, strands or clumps, it can become impacted in their gut- sort of wrapping itself around their intestines and this can lead to death. As I said before, any coins- pennies, nickles, whatever, are a serious threat and are toxic to all Iguanas.

Check out the video bar for a quick video showing tongue flicking :)

Your Iguana's Age

2009-08-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Many of us Igg owners wish we could know the exact age of our pets, unfortunately, it's pretty difficult to tell. However, there are many charts that can approximate your Iguana's age. In July 2008, my brother purchased Iggy from local pet store in New Jersey. They were going out of business so were quite eager to sell this last Iguana, even to an uninformed teenager. Anyhow, without much prior knowledge of Iguana's I assumed she was a couple months old, which would make her about 13-14 months right now. Upon further investigation; looking at old pictures and taking a new measurement she is 36 inches STL!

According to a few sites, including Melissa Kaplan's Iguana Age and Expected Size site, she is somewhere between 1.5 to 2 years old. So, aside from just knowing how old she is, I am now looking out for any signs of gravidity, as this is the age for sexual maturation.

ReptileUV's Mega Rays

2009-08-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Ask almost any Iguana owner what they use for UVB and heat and they will respond "A Mega Ray." Bob Mac, owner and CEO of Mac Industries who makes these amazing bulbs, is a knowledgeable straight talking Iguana enthusiast. I bought a Mega Ray within four months of having Iggy and while people say they are expensive, at around $46.00 a pop, I don't think it's a bad investment at all. If you have an Iguana you should just expect to pay around 50 a year for UVB and heat lights anyway! There is tons of information on the Reptile UV website and I recently stumbled upon their YouTube Channel which has lots of information.

Matter of fact, if you are looking for cage ideas YouTube is a great place to look. But I don't suggest going on there to find factual information about other things. I see videos where Igg owners recommend feeding lettuce, carrots and strawberries- yikes! no! It is pretty neat to see other Iguana's on there, though. The MrBinty1440's channel is very interesting and informative- I highly recommend it.

Iguana Love

2009-07-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

I was just looking through my extensive collection of Iggy pictures and realized how truly grateful I am to have Iggy in my life. I know I may sound, and seem, a little loony but unless you have a pet that you love you just don't understand. I remember when I was about 12, my mother was on a Maltese Dog mailing list and forum. She had many online friends who "sat around all day" (as I used to say) talking about their Maltese dogs and puppies. I thought she was a such a dork for subscribing to this list and although I loved my dogs, I couldn't understand why anyone would want to talk about, look at, think about and live Maltese dogs 24/7.

But, now I do understand. I know that Iggy can't tell me how much she appreciates me misting her, buying her 100 dollar fake silk trees, and constantly checking her temperatures. But when she closes her little eyes while I rub her neck, it's all worth it.

Also, I never thought I'd be buying :gasp: 'trinkets' but whenever I see anything Iguana related I feel that I absolutely MUST purchase it. I have stuffed animals, little statues, and soon to be the proud owner of :

Chances are if you are reading this blog, you're an Iguana lover, too. Check out the Cafe Press website for lots of cool Igg related things: http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/iguana.

Traveling with Iguanas (via car)

2009-07-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

One thing that many new Iguana owners forget to think about is what will happen if they want to go on vacation or have an emergency which would leave the Iguana alone for a 24 hour period or more. This is a very important topic to think about before even buying your new pet. I wanted to discuss this because I recently had a mini freak out session thinking- "Oh my gosh, what are we going to do with Iggy!" while planning a trip home for the holidays.

The other day I got word that my beloved Mom-mom was going to pay for my plane ticket home. I was excited about the plans and was looking up airline tickets when I heard Iggy climbing down one of her ramps, immediately a million thoughts when through my mind- can I take her? Can I board her? Should I trust someone to watch her? What about a neighbor? Then I realized, being the crazy Iggy mommy, I wouldn't want a stranger to watch her and I was picturing myself interviewing a bunch of weirdos and then having to fork out 100 bucks.

Luckily, things worked out where my boyfriend will be home (in Chicago) during the Thanksgiving season so I will fly back at that point. So, what are the options for traveling with/without an Iguana?

Traveling by car is a pretty good option. Depending on the length of the trip, you can put your Ig in a travel carrier and monitor temps by using the heat or windows. Iguanas feel safe in small dark places so a small pet carrier is an ideal way to transport. Another option, if you don't have a pet carrier, is to use a pillow case with the end tied. Surprsingly, many Igs will sleep through a trip if they are secure enough.

If you aren't going very far, some older Iguanas can even hang on the dash or back seat- but I wouldnt suggest doing this with a younger guy because curiosity or a sudden freak attack may send them bolting under your brake pedal. We also know how disastrous it would be if he started climbing on your head while driving!

You can also bring a cooler with greens if you are taking a longer journey. And it's important if you have a potty-trained Ig to "poop" them before you head off- so there isn't any messy situations. And always be careful when you open a door at a stop so she doesn't go running out!

For more traveling options I would definitely suggest checking out Green Iguana Society's informative site: http://www.greenigsociety.org/traveling.htm

Another alternative, rather than traveling with your pet, is to employ a pet sitting company. Depending on how big your wallet is, these can be reliable and very helpful. Be sure to find a company who is licensed, bonded and insured. And if applicable, use www.yelp.com to find handy reviews for the company. Althogh I am weary of anyone coming into my home, I know a few businesses around here with great reputations who truly love animals and treat them with respect.

Gaping and Hissing

2009-07-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Iguanas communicate through a serious of body posturing, head bobs, tongue flicks and eye movements (with the occasional, tail whip). It's very important for a new Iguana owner to read about these movements so they can start to understand what their Igg is trying to say. I'd like to take time to talk about each specific Iguana behavior and/or body language because each one is so important to recognize.

I am starting with gaping and hissing just because it still bothers me even though I understand why she does it. I sort of think of it as a teenager just wanting their independence- even though I know she needs it and would like to have it- well, I'm still the mom! Before hissing, usually there is gaping which involves the Iguana opening their mouth a bit, sometimes even just a crack to sort of say "Hey, I'm not into you at this moment."

The first time I ever experienced this was when we moved from New Jersey to Illinois. She was in a carrier and was obviously, extremely irritated with this. After the move, 4 weeks in she was basking and enjoying her port hole window when I put my hand in to pet and I got a gaping mouth and a slight hiss! I was highly offended by this behavior and wanted to ground her. Rather, I did some research and realized maybe she just wanted to be left alone...However, in the name of knowledge, I did take this quick video for you all to see. (There is a better quality version on the side bar from youtube.com)

Notice after the open mouth hiss, I touch her tail and she begins to stand up taller- trying to make herself look bigger and more threatening.

Another reason why your Iguana is hissing or copin' a 'tude is because her temperatures might be too high. When an Iguana is chilly, their activity level lessens and they sort of go into a semi hibernation mode- depending on how cold the temps get. On the other side of that, if the temps are too high (maybe 105 or up), they do tend to get ornery.

Also, don't be fooled into thinking your Igg will thermoregulate themselves without some help. Iggy's enclosure has a bottom floor with a tub, a second floor with some fake greenery and a third level for basking and eating. She can climb up and down but is so in love with her window, even if her temps get too high, she won't move. Iguanas are known to lay on hot bulbs or heat rocks and burn themselves : ( So, always be aware of her Iggs surroundings...

Iguana Bug Eyes

2009-07-17T19:06:00.001-07:00

If you've ever noticed your Iguana literally popping their eyes out of their sockets, calm down- it's normal. Bug eyes, are also known as frog eyes. I panicked the first time I saw Iggy doing it. I was walking past her cage and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her eye, and it was HUGE! When I did the double take- she looked completely normal. thought maybe my own eyes were playing tricks on me. About a week after it, I saw her do it again. It only lasted about 30 seconds but I was pretty worried. I was able to snap a couple of pictures- not the best but you can definitely see her eyes!

Upon further investigation, I learned that most Iguanas have the ability to bulge out their eyes. They can do this if they are experiencing itchiness, which could be related to shedding. Other Iguanas puff their eyes out when you are petting their head or eyebrow ridges.

If you do happen to notice the puffy bug eyes lasting for long amounts of time or frequently this may be a sign of gout. This, very serious, disease is the inflammation of joints and tissues due to too much protein, chronic dehydration and/or kidney damage (which incidentally often relates back to protein in their diet). Gout is a very serious disease and only a vet visit may save your beloved Iguana. Sadly, there is no cure for gout but there is prevention!

Iggy's beautiful healthy eye : )

Blueberries, grapes and bananas!

2009-07-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

Iggy's new love is fruit. For the first 10 months of her little life she wouldn't even consider any other fruit besides chopped mango, which, back in our small town in NJ, was extremely expensive. I tried to get her to snack on a few grapes or strawberries but I would always end up eating the mushed up fruit myself. Now, I almost feel like my little baby has moved on to a new stage in Gerber graduates!

After she had settled in here in Chicago, her appetite increased and her food horizons have broadened. She will literally run towards me if she sees that I am eating blueberries. Now that she is older and her teeth are razor sharp I am a little less excited about the site of her running towards me, but as soon as I drop one for her she's all over it!

Just like a human child and candy, an Iguana's love for fruit shouldn't persuade you to spoil them with it. They are great treats but some fruits, like strawberries and grapes are high in oxalates (may possibly bind to calcium, thus not allowing the Iguana's digestive system to utilize it) and/or goitrogens (substances that may bind iodine which can lead to hypothyroidism). Some fruits may even give your guy a case of the runs (noticeably looser poo). Figs, papaya and mango are some of the best choices for fruit.

An Iguana's diet should have a pretty high calcium to phosphorus ratio (Ca:P=2:1). This ensures that their bones grow strong and remain so throughout their lives. No need to go crazy over these (in my opinion, scary looking) chemistry related ratios but it's important to be aware so your Iguana can grow and be big and strong, like Iggy- rawr! Look at those guns!

Time for your bath!

2009-07-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

Despite what many new Iguana owners may think, Iguanas are graceful and natural swimmers. It may be hard to believe this fact if you've ever tried to put your little one into the tub- after the fight is over your Iguana is irritated and your arms scratched and red. In the wild they live near many different bodies of water and often enjoy floating and swimming during the day.

One reason why Iguanas in captivity should be exposed to bath time is because of then humidity levels are extremely low compared to what they would have experienced in the wild. Tubbing them gives them a chance to soak up that warm water and hang out in a humid environment. I have a Fluker's thermometer and hygrometer (some question the accuracy but I say it's handy to have in conjunction with other thermometers and it's worked well for us). Often the humidity is around 40-60% when I walk over and look, some days we're lucky and it's 65-70%, which is ideal for Iguanas. The winter time is treacherous and the humidity reading will be anywhere from 1-30%. I mist Iggy as many times a day as I can- when I am home somewhere around 10-15. I'd say this is one of the most unfortunate things about having Iguanas in captivity- you just can't replicate their natural environment unless you're rich!

Another way to keep their water/humidity levels on par is to feed them snacks like grapes, melons (inc. watermelon), apples, and more. They don't add much nutritional value but their water content is valuable.

Some Iguanas actually drink water, others don't (Iggy, of course, doesn't- she has to make it difficult for me!), so it's important to always be aware of their intake. If you notice your Iguana isn't pooping on a regular basis or their urates (the clearish/whitish) are dark or are lacking- it could be due to dehydration. Speaking of poo, tubbing is an excellent way to train your beloved herp. When an Iguana is in a warm and relaxed state, namely in the water, it's natural for them to just, well, let it all go. It's easy clean up (bye-bye right down the drain!) for you and for your Igg. Don't forget to clean your tub thoroughly even if your Iguana doesn't use it as a potty.

And as I mentioned in an earlier post, tubbing is an invaluable way to help your Igg with the shedding process. Iggy recently had a few stubborn shedding spikes, after 10 minutes in the tub the humidity did it's magic and with ease, the shed came off.

Yes, I'm a freak and saved the shed just to show you all!

Arms back!

2009-07-11T16:36:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things about Iguanas is their loung-y, lazy personalities. Sure they can be naughty like getting themselves stuck inside sofas and, yes, they do enjoy tongue flicking everything in sight. However, when not exploring, they engage in some pretty sloth-like activities.

I remember the first time I noticed the way that Iggy slept at night. My family was sort of confused with the stretched out-two arms flung completely backwards position- palms facing up and head resting on a rock or some other odd material. I thought it was funny and adorable and I decided to further research this infamous Iguana sleep pose. Sure enough, they are known to do this while either sleeping or feeling completely relaxed and at ease.

A newer pose that she's been sporting is the back leg crossed and resting on her tail. It never gets old to me, and whenever I see her doing this, I laugh and get the camera. My boyfriend and I yell out to each other across the apartment, "ARMS BACK!" whenever we see her in this position... Maybe we are a little over excited but I guess it's because we are happy that she is happy! I'm a big fan of rest and relaxation so I enjoy it a lot when I see her doing it.

Enter the third part of the pose- the head rest.

How in the world can this be comfortable? You know, I've even seen some Iguanas who sleep HANGING upside down! They sure are funny little guys. Sometimes Iggy sleeps with her head flat on a blanket but it's usually propped up on this window area. Lookit her up there, she's even got her head under the blanket! Too cute :)

And with that, I leave you with this! A very sexy leg pose...

( she's sending it into Iguana Playboy :-0 )