Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Iguanas: Their Biology and Captive Care
    Iguanas: Their Biology and Captive Care
    Iguanas: Their Biology and Captive Care
    Ebook169 pages2 hours

    Iguanas: Their Biology and Captive Care

    By Lenny Flank

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A complete guide to iguanas. Everything you need to know about housing, feeding and taming your iguana. Also covers anatomy, biology, an iguana's life in the wild, and how iguanas make the trip from jungle to pet shop.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLenny Flank
    Release dateSep 8, 2009
    ISBN9781452321219
    Iguanas: Their Biology and Captive Care
    Author

    Lenny Flank

    Longtime social activist, labor organizer, environmental organizer, antiwar.

    Read more from Lenny Flank

    Related to Iguanas

    Related ebooks

    Pets For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Walk With The wild Side

      Dec 31, 2021

      Walk With The wild Side
      6 min read

    • Article

      NATURE’S Incredible CROWN

      Jul 16, 2021

      NATURE’S Incredible CROWN
      8 min read

    • Article

      Deer Vs Moa

      Feb 6, 2022

      Deer Vs Moa
      9 min read

    • Article

      How Beagles and Goldens Could Help Researchers Find the Next Cancer Therapy for Humans

      Oct 4, 2017

      Veterinarians are conducting rigorous clinical trials of new treatments with the hope they might eventually benefit humans as well as the family pet.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Snake Files

      Oct 2, 2020

      Snake Files
      1 min read

    • Article

      Teddy Bears OF THE CLOUD FOREST

      Feb 1, 2022

      Teddy Bears OF THE CLOUD FOREST
      2 min read

    • Article

      Fight Club

      Mar 7, 2022

      Fight Club
      2 min read

    • Article

      Field Guide To Insects Of South Africa (2019 Edition)

      Aug 14, 2019

      Author: Mike Picker, Charles Griffiths and Alan Weaving Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa Language: English Pages: 300 Format: Paperback Retail price: R300 Even if you have the previous field guide published by these authors, you wil

      1 min read

    • Article

      New Status For The Platypus

      Feb 24, 2021

      New Status For The Platypus
      1 min read

    • Article

      A Touch Of Scarlet Fever

      Feb 5, 2020

      A Touch Of Scarlet Fever
      3 min read

    • Article

      A New Origin Story for Dogs

      Jun 2, 2016

      A New Origin Story for Dogs
      10 min read

    • Article

      Animal Central

      Jan 1, 2021

      Animal Central
      2 min read

    • Article

      Era Of The SOUTHERN HOG

      Aug 27, 2021

      Era Of The SOUTHERN HOG
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Cat Whisperer

      Dec 19, 2022

      The Cat Whisperer
      3 min read

    • Article

      Winter Woodland

      Dec 16, 2021

      Winter Woodland
      5 min read

    • Article

      Finding Fish

      Aug 10, 2022

      Finding Fish
      8 min read

    • Article

      Soft On The Inside

      Nov 18, 2021

      Soft On The Inside
      1 min read

    • Article

      Keywords

      Nov 5, 2021

      choke---in horses, obstruction of the esophagus; in people, obstruction of the windpipe (trachea). corpora nigra---irregular, awning-like projection of the eye’s iris, suspended over the upper edge of the pupil to shield the retina from excessive lig

      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Iguanas

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Iguanas - Lenny Flank

      Iguanas

      Their Biology and

      Captive Care

      by Lenny Flank, Jr

      © Copyright 2008 by Lenny Flank Jr

      All rights reserved

      Smashwords ebook edition. A print edition of this book is available from Red and Black Publishers, ISBN 978-0-9791813-2-0.

      Red and Black Publishers, PO Box 7542, St Petersburg, Florida, 33734

      http://www.RedandBlackPublishers.com

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Contents

      Introduction

      Is An Iguana the Right Pet for You?

      Iguanas In Their World

      What is an Iguana?

      Evolutionary History

      Iguana Species

      Anatomy

      Ecology

      From Jungle to Pet Shop

      Iguanas in Our World

      Choosing a Pet Iguana

      Housing

      Feeding

      Handling

      Breeding

      Health Care

      Iguana Rescue

      Introduction

      In the past few years, the hobby of keeping reptiles and amphibians in captivity, known as herpetoculture, has exploded. It is estimated that some eight percent of all families in the US now keep at least one reptile as a pet.

      Much of this growth was fueled by just one species of animal—the common green iguana. Hatchling green iguanas, barely seven or eight inches long, can be found in nearly every pet shop in the country.

      And yet, despite these enormous numbers, the green iguana is in serious trouble, both in the wild and in captivity. Captive breeding cannot keep up with the demand for these lizards, and huge numbers continue to be taken from the wild—even as the unspoiled rainforest habitat required by the iguana disappears under the plow and the bulldozer. Sadly, of the hundreds of thousands of young iguanas that are purchased as pets in the US every year, over 99.9 percent do not survive to maturity, the victims of improper care, inadequate conditions, and inaccurate information.

      This book is an attempt to change all this. As a nonprofit reptile rescuer, I devoted much time and energy towards rehabilitating unwanted or abandoned iguanas, as well as performing educational talks and shows to inform potential pet owners about the proper equipment and care needed for these lizards. This book is a continuation of that effort. Day after day, rehabbers and rescue societies continue to receive iguanas that are suffering from problems caused by inappropriate caging, or have skeletal disorders from unsuitable lighting, or irreparable kidney damage from an improper diet. If the information provided here can save just one iguana from such a premature and preventable death, then it will have been well worth the effort.

      Is an Iguana the Right Pet for You?

      This would seem to be an easy question, yet the number of unwanted iguanas that continue to flood rescue centers and animal shelters indicates that too many people are still neglecting to answer this basic question before they obtain their lizard. Iguanas are emphatically not for everybody.

      There are a number of factors that you must consider before you adopt an iguana as a pet:

      Iguanas get very large. That cute little hatchling you see peering out at you from his cage in the pet store may look tiny and cuddly now, but he will grow quickly. A healthy young iguana can easily grow at a rate of over one inch per month. Within a few years, your iguana will be a six foot long bruiser, weighing in at 15 pounds or so. That’s a lot of lizard. Some unscrupulous or uninformed pet stores have now taken to claiming that they are selling a special dwarf iguana that doesn’t get as big. Don’t believe them. There is no such thing.

      Iguanas take up a lot of space. Because they are so large and active, and because they need lots of room for climbing and exercise, iguanas must have huge enclosures. As a rough rule of thumb, a single iguana requires a cage that the lizard can comfortably stretch out full-length in—at least one and a quarter times the length of the lizard, at least as high as the lizard is long, and at least half as wide. That is the bare minimum. This means that, for a six-month old iguana measuring about eighteen inches from nose to tail, you will need a cage at least 2 feet long, 1 foot wide, and 1.5 feet tall. As a comparison, a 29-gallon high fishtank measures 2.5 feet long, 1 foot wide and a little over 1.5 feet high—barely big enough to begin with, and your iguana will outgrow it within five or six months. A fullgrown six-foot adult iguana will need an enclosure at least 8 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 6 feet tall. Larger is better. No scrimping here. If you don’t have the room for an enclosure of this size, then you should consider a different reptile as a pet.

      Iguanas require specific environmental conditions. They are native to tropical rainforests and must have warm, humid surroundings at all times. Iguanas do not hibernate, and temperatures that are too low will kill them. They need a basking spot of at least 95 degrees at all times, and the temperature in the coolest part of their cage cannot be allowed to drop below 70 degrees. Not even at night, or during the winter, or when you are gone on vacation. This means you will need a whole network of heaters, basking lamps and timers, and you will quickly become a valued customer to your local electric company. If you live in a dry or arid part of the country, you may also need to run a humidifier in the iguana’s room to maintain suitable conditions.

      Iguanas must be handled often to keep them tame. Baby iguanas are targets for numerous predators, and because of this they are defensive and nervous about everything. When you first bring your cute little iggie home, he will not view you as a friend or benefactor. Instead, he will regard you as a big looming potential predator, and he will act accordingly—dashing away madly when you approach, and biting or tail-lashing savagely when you try to pick him up. Only a long period of gentle handling will allow the young iguana to lose his fear of humans and begin to trust you. Unfortunately, many owners, after having initially been bitten or tail-lashed a few times, give up on attempting to interact with their pet. If not properly handled and tamed when young, iguanas grow up to be hostile, defensive, hissing and biting demons. Trust me, being near a six-foot long lizard that doesn’t like people (and has over 100 razor-sharp teeth in his mouth as well as a tail whip that can break skin) is no fun.

      Iguanas require specialized diets. Perhaps the most common cause of premature death among captive iguanas is improper diet. Many owners who do not know any better try to feed their iguanas such things as dog food, cat food, laboratory monkey biscuits or iceberg head lettuce. Although iguanas can and do willingly eat such a diet (they don’t know any better, either), it is a death sentence. Iguanas are strict vegetarians. They cannot have any animal foods of any kind, and there are also limits and precautions that must be taken with their vegetable diet.

      Iguanas need specialized equipment. At bare minimum, your iguana will need a fluorescent ultraviolet lamp that has been made specifically for reptiles, and a basking lamp (the electric hot rocks sold in pet stores are unsuitable for iguanas and cannot be used). These are not options or luxuries. Your iguana must have them. He will die without them.

      Iguanas are not inexpensive. Although a young iguana can sell in a pet store for less than ten dollars, your checkbook will still take quite a pounding if you decide to bring one home. Plan on spending something between $250 and $350 for a proper cage and equipment for your new lizard. In addition to a suitably large cage, you will need a UV light, a separate basking lamp, food dish, water pan, suitable substrate, some climbing shelves or branches, and an electrical strip outlet with a timer. You will also be spending money every day for the fresh greens and vegetables that your iguana will need.

      Iguanas are not a low-maintenance pet. Your iggie will need at least some level of care and handling every day, for water-changing, feeding, cage-cleaning, taming, etc. If you have a busy schedule and cannot devote time every day to caring for your iguana, then perhaps you should consider adopting a different pet that doesn’t require as much constant attention. This is particularly a problem if your child will be the primary caretaker. Even if your child is very responsible and conscientious about daily iguana chores, there will be times when these tasks will be neglected. It will then fall upon you as a parent to make sure they are carried out.

      Iguanas are not suitable for small children. Many iggies find young children—with their quick darting movements, loud boisterous noise, and frantic energetic pace—extremely frightening, and are easily provoked into defensive reactions around them. Even small iguanas have needle-sharp claws and razor-sharp teeth, and can inflict painful scratches, bites and tail lashes. Larger lizards can do some serious damage if they want to. The combination of a large potentially harmful lizard with a small overenthusiastic child can be explosive.

      If you don’t keep your green friend’s claws properly trimmed, he can slash you pretty badly even if he doesn’t intend to, just by climbing around while you are holding him. (You can always recognize experienced iguana keepers by all the scars and scratches on their forearms.)

      Iguanas are not cuddly animals. Although iguanas are not aggressive if they are properly tamed, they don’t interact as much with humans as would a dog, or even a cat. Tame and socialized iguanas do often enjoy some cuddle time with their keeper, and may sit contentedly on your shoulder or in your lap for a while, but there are strict limits to the amount of contact that your iggie will tolerate. If you are looking for a pet that you can take for long walks or rough-house with in the living room, then an iguana is probably not for you.

      Iguanas do not play well with other pets. To an iguana, most other household pets are potential threats or predators, a constant source of stress and fear. Iguanas do not mix well with dogs, cats, ferrets, or other household pets.

      Iguanas are potential health risks for some people. Like many reptiles, iguanas can carry the Salmonella bacteria on their skin or in their feces. If transmitted to humans, salmonella can produce flu-like symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, cramps and bloating. In people who have underdeveloped or suppressed immune systems, such as infants, toddlers, pregnant women, elderly people, or people with immuno-deficient medical conditions, salmonella infection can be very serious and even potentially fatal. Although the risk of salmonella transmission can be greatly reduced with some simple precautions, the risk can never be completely eliminated. People who are particularly vulnerable to such infection should avoid contact with iguanas and other reptiles.

      All of these cautionary concerns, of course, must be balanced with the positive aspects of iguana keeping. There are a number of reasons why green iguanas have become so popular as pets:

      Iguanas are fascinating animals. Being reptiles, iguanas are completely different from the more common household pets, like dogs or cats or ferrets. They have different ways of life, different manners of eating and digesting, and different methods of maintaining their body. Many people find this alien-ness very interesting.

      Iguanas are attractive and impressive-looking. A fullgrown adult male iguana, with dewlap extended, nuchal and dorsal crests bristling, and head bobbing, is an incredibly handsome animal. Like miniature dinosaurs, iguanas command respect and admiration. They are also found in a variety of attractive colors, from apple green to pale turquoise blue to carrot orange, with a series of vivid stripes and body patches.

      Iguanas are more social than most reptiles. Unlike the solitary snakes or sedentary turtles, iguanas are accustomed to living in small groups, and are more apt to interact with their keeper than other reptiles would be.

      Iguanas can be very educational. Keeping and raising an iguana is a great way to learn about reptiles, rainforests, and basic biology.

      Most experienced reptile keepers, though, have an entirely different answer when asked why they keep iguanas: Because I love them. And that may be the best reason of all.

      Iguanas in Their World

      What is an Iguana?

      Generally speaking, the iguanas are a group of lizards that belong to the biological family known as Iguanidae. This is one of the largest and most diverse lizard families in the world, with over 700 different species. The ubiquitous green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis) of the southern United States (often sold in pet shops under the name American chameleon) is a member of the iguanid family, as are the large number of swifts or spiny lizards (Sceleporus species) found in the American West. These lizards can be thought of as cousins to the pet store iguanas.

      Iguanids are almost exclusively a New World family, found largely in North and South America (some scattered iguanids are found in Madagascar and on some Pacific islands). In the Old World, the iguanids are replaced by another family of lizards called Agamidae. Some

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1