Keeping Your Iguana Clean

Iguanas are extremely clean animals and the cleanliness section starts at a reasonable living space, that means large enough terrarium, in which iguana may be moved unhindered and not forced to lie down to go after their excrement. The faeces must of course be removed from the terrarium as soon as possible, also you should be regularly removing the terrarium food that is left over, pieces of dead skin … and regularly clean the surface and terrarium containers for food and water. Grime in the terrarium is not only a medium for bacteria but also creates a very unpleasant odor and iguanas can not feel good in soiled and smelly terrarium!

Iguanas “personal hygiene” means to maintain regular baths in a tub in the bathroom or in a plastic bathtub for infants. Several times a week (best it would be every day) iguana is bathed to remove the residues from the skin, dust particles and other debris, which we may find on our pet.

Swimming may be short (10 minutes) or longer (up to 45 minutes) depending on whether iguana likes bathing and how it is used to it … In swimming, however, you may not use any soap or detergent!

You must remove any objects around the bath  that may fall on iguana or hurt it.

Green Iguana Care Is Not An Easy Task

It is a shocking fact that more than 50% of iguanas do not survive beyond four years of age and that is only because majority of people do not know how to attend to these wonderful reptiles.

The implications are not difficult to understand. When you buy your pet iguana from the store, the dealer could give you advice that is misplaced and that could cause severe problems to your iguana. It could be something as inane as advising you to only feed your iguana with cricks or recommending you to keep the temperature of the enclosure at 25 degrees Celsius; both of these may not be the right advice and you may not realize it until too late.

You therefore must be well prepared with information that you can pick up from specific literature about reptile care and must ensure that you buy your iguana only from experienced breeders. The need to identify the right vet and consult him prior to making your purchase will equip you with the correct information and put you in the right frame of mind, when you approach the pet store.

You must also be aware that iguana care is much different from the care you would extend to other animals. It can be very demanding and unless you are prepared mentally to go the distance, you should not look at the iguana as your pet. Hence you need to know about all the different aspects of Iguana care ranging from its terrarium, diet, lighting and temperature before venturing out to buy your iguana.

If during this learning process, you harbor any doubts about how you are going to manage all of it, then you need to relook at your decision. You must also remember that the physical space required for a growing iguana is huge and unless you can ensure this space, you would be guilty of improper iguana care and that could prove quite costly in terms of the mortality of this reptile. Finally, even if you can manage all the other requirements to satisfaction, you need to ask yourself one more time, whether you will be able to stay with this animal for an extended period of time and give it your personal attention and love. Only if the answer is an emphatic yes, you should go ahead with your purchase.

Please Care Your Green Iguana Nicely

It is not well known that iguanas are very sensitive and appealing animals capable of exhibiting very distinct individual traits. Each of them is unique and requires handling that is specific to their own requirement and that includes feeding them, taking care of their hygiene and also maintaining their enclosure such that there is no room for any infection to set in.

Green iguanas are no different from their other friends and take to greens and protein very well. While protein is good for overall health and can be found in tuna, chicken, it has been observed that green iguanas also prefer leafy greens like carrot tops, kale over lettuce and cabbage. Berries like raspberries and broccoli along with tofu also need to be an essential part of their diet. External vitamin supplements in powdered form can also be added to their diet. The importance of clean drinking water cannot be over estimated here. In addition to drinking purposes, it is required for the maintenance of hygiene. The temperature of water has to be lukewarm so that it does not cause any skin damage.

The terrarium of the green iguanas needs to be designed with a lot of care. You must have enough tree branches and space for the iguanas to move around. Moving and climbing are extremely important activities which help in the overall growth and development of iguanas. Iguanas look to perch higher up as it provides them a feeling of comfort and security. The body temperature of these animals needs to be maintained at a specific degree so that their body metabolism is not hindered. Hence adequate lighting and some electric heat rocks need to be placed inside the terrarium.

To summarize, it has to be said that notwithstanding the infrastructure arrangements, it is the time, effort and love showered by the master that will enable an iguana to lead a healthy life.