Pet lovers are now refusing to keep their usual cats or dogs, preferring more exotic options, especially since it’s quite simple to get a guest from the tropics in pet stores. That is why snakes, raccoons, bats, fenech foxes and even miniature donkeys and kangaroos become residents of ordinary city apartments. Fans of exotic and all kinds of reptiles fell in love, so we offer to get acquainted with the features of the content of the iguana at home.
Brief introduction to the animal
Green lizards were first used as pets in the United States, but gradually the fashion for cold-blooded exotics spread throughout the world. The features of these creatures of nature are as follows:
- Mostly herbivores.
- With proper care, they can grow to an impressive size (about 2 meters), therefore, before acquiring such an animal, you should understand - will there be a place in the house for its terrarium?
- Life expectancy is 15-20 years. Before buying, you need to answer the question - is there a desire to take care of an ever-growing lizard for such a long time, because if the reptile gets tired, it will be very difficult to attach it to “good hands”, and driving it out into the street is unacceptable - the animal will be doomed to death.
The iguana is not a cat, an affectionate pet, rushing with all her legs to meet the owner who has returned from work, she will not. Therefore, one must understand that it is useless to expect vivid manifestations of love and devotion from her.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before deciding to buy a beautiful lizard, you should familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of keeping an iguana at home. Information is presented in the table.
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Advantages |
Difficulties |
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The pet is very unusual, exotic |
It takes a lot of space for the terrarium |
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It is interesting to observe the peculiarities of life of an unusual creature. |
Maintenance will require significant financial costs |
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The calm nature of the pet will not interfere with rest after a hard working day. Iguana will not by all means seek attention to his person |
Some individuals can be carriers of salmonellosis, which is also dangerous for humans. |
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Doesn't need a lot of food |
An animal accidentally escaping from a terrarium can be a real catastrophe for an apartment: spoil the wiring and furniture, climb into an inaccessible place and hide there, forcing the owner to look for himself for many hours |
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Long lifespan. If the animal is loved, the owner will not soon have to say goodbye to him forever, the pet will delight his company for at least 15 years |
Some species are poisonous, although the poison is harmless to humans, but can cause allergies. |
These pros and cons should be remembered by those who decide to purchase a guest from the tropics as a pet. Below we will consider how to contain an iguana at home, what it prefers to eat is the creation of nature, what conditions will have to be created for it. If there are children in the family, you should discuss with the baby in advance that the iguana is a living creature, and not a toy, careless handling can cause harm to the lizard or cause its aggression.
Rules for choosing a pet
To successfully contain an iguana at home, you should correctly approach the purchase of an animal. The birth of these animals falls on the period from May to June. It is preferable to purchase a lizard at the age of 2 months, which is why the purchase in July-August will be optimal. In order not to become a victim of fraud by an unscrupulous seller, it is important to remember that the length of the body at this age (excluding the tail) is 15-17 cm.
Note that even professionals can not always correctly determine the sex of a young reptile, this will become completely clear after its puberty, not earlier than 8-9 months.
What should I look for before buying an exotic creature? There are several signs of a healthy lizard:
- Reddish tongue and pale pink color of the oral cavity. Any other color is a sign of a lack of calcium or other serious deviation.
- Neat fingers and limbs without signs of swelling. At the same time, the absence of claws is not an alarm signal, because they grow quite quickly.
- The tip of the tail and the comb are colored evenly, the presence of dark areas on them is undesirable.
- There are no spots or dots on the skin.
Knowing these subtleties will help prevent mistakes and get a healthy pet that will become a true friend for many years to come.
Terrarium Requirements
To make the animal feel comfortable, to keep the iguana at home, you need to choose a suitable terrarium or aviary. Its features are as follows:
- Length - at least two body lengths of the animal. For example, if an adult male can grow up to two meters, then a dwelling for him will require at least 4 meters. Width and height - 2 meters. Lizard in nature used to climb trees. Therefore, at a low altitude the terrarium will feel uncomfortable.
- Lighting. An animal needs a daylight duration of 12 hours, which a UV lamp can provide. Experts advise to abandon the tempting idea to save money by placing a terrarium in direct sunlight - this can lead to overheating of the animal.
- Organization of heating. A guest from the tropics will feel comfortable only at high temperatures, so it is necessary to equip the lizard's dwelling with heating lamps, which will need 5-6 pieces. The temperature in the daytime should not be lower than 35 ° C, one of the corners of the terrarium should be cooler (about 28 ° C). At night, the thermometer column drops, the permissible temperature regime is 23–25 ° С. A conventional thermometer will help to monitor compliance with the temperature regime.
- Humidity. In order for the tropical lizard to feel comfortable, it is necessary to provide its home with a pool and spray the animal daily.
These are the basic requirements for organizing a home for an iguana at home.
Substrate selection
What to lay on the bottom of the terrarium for an exotic lizard? Several options are possible:
- Bark of trees.
- Lawn grass.
- Newspapers.
You can lay a rubber mat at the bottom, this will facilitate the cleaning of the terrarium. But a small substrate (sand, sawdust) will not work, because the animal can accidentally swallow particles.
Diet
Consider how to feed the iguana at home, so that the lizard gets everything necessary for full development. It is quite unpretentious in food, but should regularly receive the most important components - phosphorus and calcium. Most of the green iguana diets at home should be:
- Dark leafy greens (chicory, cabbage, dandelion leaves and flowers, watercress, hibiscus). It will help to get the necessary amount of calcium.
- Puree vegetables (carrots, zucchini, pumpkin).
- Ground fruits and berries (apples, pears, strawberries, melon, raspberries).
Regular inclusion of special calcium-enriched complexes in the diet will also help improve the well-being of the pet.
Nutrition rules
We considered eating an iguana at home. And in what mode should it be fed? It depends on the age of the reptile:
- Young animals need food twice a day, adults only need once.
- Before feeding the “dish” should be warmed up under the sun or a lamp.
- Food should be balanced and varied, but do not overload the lizard with a lot of unfamiliar food. She is distrustful of a stranger and may experience stress.
Having considered what the iguana eats at home, we note that this lizard can not be fed with products from the human table. This can adversely affect the digestive tract and cause animal diseases.
Bathing
How long an iguana lives at home depends on the proper care of a tropical lizard, one of the most important elements of which is the organization of swimming. Its benefits are very high:
- Improves metabolic processes in the body of the animal.
- Helps pet shed.
Most often, a regular bath is used for bathing, which is filled with water (temperature not lower than +35 ° C). A snag is placed in an improvised pond, which will give the animal the opportunity to get out to land and take a break from swimming. You can build a pet and a small raft for the same purpose. The duration of the bath should be half an hour twice a week, then the animal is carefully wiped with paper towels and transferred to the terrarium. During molting, the number of baths is recommended to be increased, this will help reptiles to evenly be covered with new skin.
