How To Care For Iguana

How To Care For Iguana


A useful aid for anyone who is going to raise a new iguana, it provides useful information on food, cages, and care for these reptiles
Are you tired of cats and dogs? Maybe a more exotic pet is what you need. Although they won't cuddle or purr, an iguana will provide unlimited entertainment if raised well. It is like owning your own miniature dinosaur. Hopefully, if you decide to take the scaly road these simple steps will allow your new green friend to live a long healthy life.

First of all you need a cage for you new reptile. Naturally the store bought cages are convenient, however they can be expensive. I suggest the do it yourself method. All you will need is wood, screening, lighting, and some creativity. The greatest consideration will be the size of your cage because within three years your iguana will reach its full-grown size. This can be as long as six feet, so the cage must be roomy. You will also want to make the bottom easily accessible so food and water can be changed frequently. Most important is that you include UV lighting, which provides fake sunlight for your pet. Without this light the iguana is unable to digest food and will never become full-grown. You can buy these lights at your local pet stores, but everything else will be at a hardware store.

You will also want to buy a heating source for the cage; this can be a heat rock or a red heat lamp. If you decide to use a lamp make sure the iguana does not come within a foot of it, iguanas are very attracted to heat and if they stay to close to the lamp they will be burned. For a final touch you should fill the cage with some sticks. These you don't need to buy, your local forest has a large supply. Make sure you wash each stick before placing it in the cage though.

For a food supply you should use a variety of greens found at your grocery store. Never use iceberg lettuce, the iguanas find it very delicious but it has very little nutrients. Romaine lettuce provides a great start for an iguana diet. Other than this mix in a variety of fruits and vegetables. However, avoid acidic fruits such as oranges; these will harm your pet. Water must always be present in the cage and it must be cleaned frequently because iguanas tend to dirty their water a lot. You may even want to put some mulch or fake grass on the bottom of the cage to make it seem more like the tropics.

Congratulations you have set up an excellent iguana care facility. Remember when you get your new pet leave them alone for a week or so to adjust to the cage and feeding times. Soon after you can begin handling your pet. Don't be discouraged if they bite at first, you must remember to stay strong so the iguana can see who is in charge. On top of all of this you must not forget like any pet, your iguana may need special care and you have to locate a veterinarian that can handle reptiles. It is also a good idea to get yearly check ups. Soon, with proper care and love you will be taking your new iguana for walks outside to show off all of your hard work and dedication.

Information On Iguanas

Information On Iguanas

Need information to care for your pet Iguana? This will tell all about iguanas and their nutrition, housing, growth, maintenance, behavior,health concerns, offspring, and what to feed them.

The Iguana is a tree-living, and daylight-active lizard found in the subtropical region form Northern Mexico to Central South America. There are three common colors of Iguanas they are: brown, green, and orange. There are also three different types of Iguanas and they are: Chuckawalla, Desert, and Green.

Although Iguanas are cute when they are young they can grow to be 4-7 feet in length, 6-9 inches in height, and weigh 10-20 pounds.They may start in a 10 gallon tank or aquarium and eventually will require a much larger space. They are very high in maintenance so careful consideration should be taken before buying one. Iguanas require a lot of attention, and care. If well maintained and well taken care of the Iguana can live 11 or more years.

An Iguanas temperament will vary from one to another. Some like to be held and some just tolerate it.They will bite if provoked.

Feeding an Iguana consists of many things : plant proteins, carbohydrates, fiber and very little fat. They need moisture in their food to offset the dry environment. Healthy vegetables to feed them are; green beans, snap peas, snow peas, orange vegetables, such as squashes, and carrots, parsnips, and turnips. Healthy fruits such as, strawberries, mango, papaya, apple, and cantaloupe. Healthy greens are: collard, mustard, dandelion, escarole, kale and chard. On the average it will cost about $30.00 to feed an Iguana a month.

There are some health concerns for the Iguanas such as; metabolic bone disease, kidney failure, respiratory infections, and mouth problems. There are two very common behaviors the Iguanas have and they are head bobbing, and sneezing. Head bobbing can be a territorial display or a mating ritual. Sneezing is very common because Iguanas cannot sweat like a human so they sneeze to excrete salt.

Basilisk Lizard

Basilisk Lizard


What kind of lizard can walk on water?
How does it do that?
Why does it walk on water?


How does the basilisk run on water?
There is a reptile, named the basilisk, with four legs that is known for its ability to walk or run on water. It has the unique ability to get a running start and just keeps on running. With such a light body and such large feet, it can literally run on water as far as a quarter mile! The basilisk's hind toes have scales that help it along and act as water skis. However, if it ever slows while on the surface, it can sink. Some basilisks can even take their running on water a step further. If they want to confuse the animal that's chasing it, they can run across the water, then sink below the surface and quickly swim the opposite direction.

What is a basilisk?
They are truly not appealing to look at and that is one of the reasons the basilisk was so feared. According to ancient mythology, in fact, the basilisk was considered the most deadly of creatures. It could simply look at another animal, the legend goes, and the animal would drop dead. It was also believed that the basilisk could breathe on an animal, and its foul breath was so lethal that it can have the same effect as a poisonous gas. However, none of this has been proven true. In reality, when the basilisk doesn't like a predator, it darts off running and gets out of harm's way.

The lizard is generally green in color, but can adjust its hue to many different colors. Some grow as long as three feet. One of their several distinguishing features are their eyes. They seem to protrude from the animal's head. The basilisk also has a large crest on its forehead with a mark that look like the crest on the back of a shark protruding from the ocean surface. When the animal feels threatened, or if you make it angry, the basilisk raises its head and its bottom jaw opens up. Yes, the breath the animal lets off is foul, and the display it puts on often frightens off any creature that crosses its path. However, the fact remains that the basilisk isn't incredibly harmful to more powerful creatures.

The basilisk has long legs and huge toes and, like dinosaurs, can run on two legs. Also similar to dinosaurs, when basilisks run away, they often shoot their tails horizontally in the air.