Iguana-habitats
Iguana Facts
Facts about Iguanas
Most iguanas can be seen in the tropical and subtropical forests, in the deserts and along seashores. Places like Canada, Galapagos Island, South and Central America, Caribbean Islands, Madagascar, Fiji in the South Pacific and off the east coast of Africa you will find the different kinds of Iguanas.
Iguanas are the most popular and the largest of the lizard family. Like the other common reptiles, they are also egg-laying and cold-blooded animal that has an ability to adapt to their environment.
Different species of Iguanas greatly differs on its behavior, color, size and their status as endangered in the wild. Common species like the red iguana and green iguana are still in great numbers but species like Fiji Island iguana and Brachylophus vitiensis are becoming endangered.
Different kinds of Iguanas are difficult to recognize as members of the same family. They act and look differently. Some iguanas have colors that are bright and vivid and others are dull. Each species of Iguanas has its own adaptation because it can be found in a variety of habitats.
Iguana as pets
In America, iguanas are kept as pets. Americans believe that by taking care of the iguana, they can save these iguanas from being extinct. Moreover, they are aware of the proper handling of iguanas, like the habitat, feeding habits and other things relevant to their existence.
Iguanas are typically herbivores, eating flower buds, young leaves and fruits. Some also eat the rare juicy mealworm, wax worm and cricket. In some places in America, iguanas are fed by different kinds or dark leafy greens and different fruits.
Species of iguanas grows quickly. They can be five times longer and a hundred times heavier as an adult than its size from hatchling, in just for twenty-four months.
That is why it is vital for your iguana to be given proper food and diet, living area and a proper range of temperature. Iguanas that are kept in a small place without any proper food and diet and no sun exposure would probably grow at a slower rate. The bones would also become weak and easily expose to metabolic bone disease and serious fracture.
How will you know if the Iguana is a male or a female?
Male Iguanas usually have large fat pockets on the back of head. They tend to have large or heavy jowls and have lager femoral pores or plugs on the underside of their thigh. Also males usually have larger blockier heads than females. On the other hand, female iguanas dont have large fat pockets on their head. The latter also do not tend to have large or heavy jowls. They have very small femoral pores and plugs and usually have smaller heads.
Male iguanas are also involved in courtship behaviors of erecting it spines at the back and head bobbing. During courtship male iguanas are quite aggressive but usually they are quite timid and will flee if approached.
In addition, most female iguanas dig a burrow in a sunny area, lay eggs and cover them and it leave the eggs alone. The warm temperature makes the eggs incubate. Usually all eggs in the nest hatch at the same time. On the other side, iguanas face many dangers from loss of habitat to the prey on iguanas and humans eat them. Several measures can help iguana survive such as education programs for people living in iguana habitats, captive propagation in zoos and restriction on hunting.
Iguana Foods
Some Issues about Iguana Food
People who think that iguanas only need to be given lettuce as food would be very wrong in their assumptions. Feeding an iguana has a lot of issues involved and a good iguana owner should learn as much as possible about these issues. Here is a guide to help you with some of the issues surrounding iguana food:
1) Vegetables ther5e are guides which still say that iguanas should be fed insects and they may eat cat and dog food. The fact remains, however, that iguanas have bodies that are designed for effective consumption of plant protein. That means that your iguana is better off as a vegetarian. Iguana food should consist of vegetables that have high nutritional value such as collards or mustard greens. Occasionally feeding it lettuce is okay but you should not regularly do this since most types of salad lettuce contain very little nutritional value.
Why is an iguana better off eating vegetables? Well, an iguana will have a hard time processing animal proteins. This task requires a lot of work from the kidneys. This means that an iguana which is fed animal protein has a high chance of developing kidney problems. Animal proteins are also hard to absorb. Often, unabsorbed animal proteins are stored in the iguana’s body as uric acid this may lead to gout.
So, now you know why iguana food should consist of as much veggies as possible.
2) Water iguanas tend to drink water only sparingly. If you do not have enough humidity in the enclosure, this would mean that your iguana will spend most of its days at least partially dehydrated. This can be bad for your iguana.
An owner should try to get an iguana to drink as much water as possible. Since iguanas are not naturally inclined to do this, you should take some steps to accomplish it. One way is to spray your iguana food with water. This way, the iguana will get the moisture it needs when it is feeding.
Another good idea is to try and train your iguana to drink as much water as possible. You can do this by placing a treat inside the iguana’s water dish. Do this regularly and soon, you will be able to train your iguana to drink from the bowl on its own.
3) Temperature iguanas are cold blooded. This means that they depend on the heat of the environment for their bodily functions. No matter how good the iguana food you provide, the iguana will not be able to properly digest it without the proper temperature. After feeding, the temperature in the enclosure should be kept at least 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This will aid in the proper digestion of iguana food.
4) Calcium and phosphorus When choosing iguana food, an owner should always keep in mind that iguanas need calcium and phosphorus in a 2:1 ratio. This means that you should try to choose foods that contain these nutrients.
5) Light another issue about iguana food is the need for proper lighting. Iguanas need UVA and UVB rays to produce vitamin D3. This nutrient facilitates the proper absorption of calcium in the body. There are actually many types of artificial lighting that provide these rays, but the best source is still the sun. So if you want your pet to absorb the nutrients in the iguana food properly, make sure that you let it bask in direct sunlight as much as possible.Iguana Habitats
Some Accessories You should Include in Iguana Habitats
If you have met the basic light, heating, space and humidity requirements of an iguana habitat, you might think that your work is all done. However, it should be stated that those are just the basic parts of an iguana habitat. This means that although these factors alone will let your iguana survive, these may not necessarily allow your iguana to thrive.
In order to assure the best of health for your iguana, the iguana habitat should have these accessories:
1) Substrates substrates compose the surface of the iguana habitat. In choosing a substrate for your iguana habitat, you should remember the fact that iguanas constantly flick their tongues. This habit allows your iguana to process different types of information about their environment. You should not use anything small like wood chips, sand, or gravel as a substrate because of this reason. Anything that sticks to the tongue of the iguana is likely to be eaten. San and gravel would be very dangerous to the iguana if they are ingested. This goes for any particulate materials.
In choosing a substrate, you might want to try newspapers with non-toxic ink. You could also try to use other types of paper, as long as they are not toxic to animals when ingested. Some people prefer to use pieces of indoor and outdoor carpeting as substrates for their iguana habitat.
2) Basking and climbing accessories Iguanas are arboreal. In the wild, iguanas spend most of their time up on trees. This means that you need to provide some sort of climbing material in your iguana habitat. Try including some shelves in an iguana habitat to simulate branches of trees.
If you include branches in your iguana habitat, you should provide some that are big enough for your iguana to lie on comfortably. You should also cover them with some sort of material that will help them in climbing. One option is to cover the branches with carpeting. The branches will also serve as basking places for your iguana. These spots are where your iguana will go to in order to relax.
3) Food and water dishes you should provide your iguana with dishes for food and water. Although iguanas are not really inclined to drink often, it is still important that you provide them with a source of fresh water daily.
Iguanas love to soak in a water dish, so you should provide one that’s just the right size for your pet. It should be big enough so that the iguana won’t tip it over when getting in and it should be shallow enough so that the iguana won’t drown. You should also realize that after soaking, an iguana usually likes to poop in the water. This means that you will have the responsibility to change the water in the dish and sanitize it regularly.
4) Hiding places there are times when an iguana likes to be alone and unobserved. This means that you have to provide a suitable hiding place in your iguana habitat. You could place a log, a rock, or anything which your iguana could hide behind. Just like people, iguanas need privacy too.
When you add these accessories to your iguana habitat, you can be sure that your iguana will be living in a very ideal enclosure. This means that your iguana’s health and well-being will be secured.
