CaresheetsGreen Iguana Caresheet

CAPTIVE CARE SHEET SPECIES: Green Iguana
Iguana iguana iguana

THINK!

Do you really want a lizard that may grow more than 2 m (6 feet) long eat a mountain of fresh vegetables daily, and shred your curtains. Adult iguanas have been reported to be aggressive toward dominant females in the household.

DESCRIPTION: The majority of animals in pet shops are captive farmed in Central America, originally for the food and now for the pet trade. Hatchlings are about 25cm when born. Adults can achieve 2m. Nose to tail though 1.5m is average. Colour varies from vivid lime green to brown, occasionally with cross barring.

DISTRIBUTION: Found naturally in Central and South America, they come from a variety of habitats from semi desert to tropical rain forest.

HOUSING: Iguanas grow rapidly. A Vivarium 1m x 0.5m x0.5m is adequate for a hatchling, it will be necessary to provide a large tall vivarium at least half a normal bedroom size to allow adults adequate room for manoeuvres. A background temperature of 25 C is necessary and can be achieved by using a heatmat controlled by a thermostat. A spotlight should be at one end of the cage above a basking site to raise the animals body temperature to 35C to allow digestion of food. The thermostat should be at the cool end of the vivarium and be set to turn of at 30 C this also an adequate thermal gradient to become established. Also at the basking site there should be a Ultraviolet light source, which will allow the lizard to utilise the Calcium from its diet.

Iguanas are fond of water, so a large bowl to drink and splash in is appreciated. They will also use this as a litter tray so daily cleaning is a must. Or you may wish to be more and install a pond or waterfall to increase humidity.

To establish adequate ventilation vents should be placed one at the top and the other at the bottom diagonally opposite to create airflow.

Any branches and other decoration must be securely attached to walls and floors to prevent accidents occurring to animals or cage.

DIET: Young iguanas do eat a small amount of insects as well as vegetables, these may include small crickets, mealworms and waxworms. Iguanas like people may be fussy eaters, not all will like the same things, but you must aim to give a broad spectrum of food items to give a balanced diet. You may find that animals will only eat one food type at one sitting or may be a week. This is a mimic of wild conditions as fruits etc. are seasonal.

Avoid a lettuce-based diet as this is little more than water. Try kale, cabbage, greens, spinach, parsley, banana, sweetcorn frozen mixed veg(defrosted), cress, kiwi fruit, strawberries, apple, and baked beans, dandelion leaves and flowers, Nastursciums flowers and leaves to name a few. Always make sure that chunks are small enough for your animal. Sprinkle the food at least once a week with a mineral/calcium/D3 supplement such as Nutrobal to aid good bone structure.

There are commercially available packet diet available, which look like fish food, some iguanas will eat it, though mine won't, it can also prove expensive. Ensure water is always available. You may also wish to spray your animal with a vitamin spray. Feeding is best done in the morning every day, then anything left can be removed in the evening to prevent rotting. If your iguana, is very fussy refrain from feeding for a couple of days to allow it to regain a positive appetite.

BREEDING: This is a rare occurrence in the UK. I am always dubious when shops sell UK bred animals, as most are farmed then imported.

Sexing of juvenile iguanas is very difficult, and even of some adults. Adult males have a more prominent dewlap, and larger femoral pore, and tend to look more male in stance. When being territorial they will head bob, however so will the dominant female of the group.

Mating takes place in the winter, with the male grasping the females neck. Copulation can take 1 - 20 minutes and may be repeated ver several days. Gestation is 50 -90 days with eggs laid in the spring. Between 20 and 40 eggs may be laid in a clutch. If you suspect your iguana to be gravid (pregnant) place a large litter tray full of sand/ peat mix in the cage, she will investigate this for days before laying. Once laid remove the eggs in to a large ice cream container with damp vermiculite replace the lid and incubate at 28-30C for 60-80 days. Once the hatchlings have absorbed their egg yolk they may be removed to a vivarium. It may take up to 10 days before the will eat their first meal.

Owning a large lizard is not cool - it is a major, long-term, often very expensive responsibility. These animals are not toys and should never be left with children or other pets unsupervised.

AUTHOR: Karen Hollingsworth

29/07/97

REFERENCES: Keeping and Breeding Lizards Chris Mattison

Breeding Terrarium animals. E Zimmermann.

PRAS care sheet number 21

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