Iguana

The green iguana is a large arboreal lizard that requires the following attention when keeping:

1. Rearing environment:
   • Feeding box: Green iguanas are fast-growing and large adults, and need a large enough space to keep them. It is recommended to use a high rather than a long feeding box, with a height equal to its body length (including its tail), a length 1.5 times its body length, and a width 2/3 of its body length, so as to allow it to move around freely. You can choose a well-ventilated wooden, glass or wire mesh feeding box, but avoid glass tanks with completely sealed tops.
   • Light:
     • UVB light: green iguanas need exposure to UV light to synthesise vitamin D3 in their skin and promote calcium absorption. UVB light exposure should be provided for 6-8 hours per day, choosing a 5.0 or 10.0 UVB lamp. UVB light should not be given to green iguanas through glass or Plexiglas as these substances attenuate UVB light.
     • UVA Lamps: UVA lamps primarily provide heat to help green iguanas maintain body temperature and promote digestion. UVA lamps can be set up in one corner of the enclosure to create an environment with a gradient change in temperature so that the green iguana can choose the right spot to bask in the sun.
     • Night light: When the temperature is low at night, you can use a low wattage night light to keep the temperature of the rearing box, but you should maintain a dark environment for 8-10 hours at night so that the green iguana can have enough rest time.
   • Temperature and humidity: Green iguanas are heat and cold tolerant animals, keep the temperature at 32-35°C at the basking spot during the day, around 28°C at other locations in the box, and 25-28°C at night. Keep the humidity above 60%-80%. You can place a water bowl or use a humidifier in the box to increase the humidity.
   • Padding material: Choose padding material that is easy to clean and dry, such as newspaper, floor leather + PVC tarpaulin, tile backsplash, etc. Avoid using sand, wood shavings, and other substances that can easily be swallowed by green iguanas by mistake.
2. Dietary Nutrition:
   • Food Type: Green iguanas are herbivores, feeding mainly on leaves, flowers and fruits of plants. You can feed oleander, mustard greens, dandelions, carrots, pumpkins, apples, strawberries, etc. However, you should be careful to avoid feeding vegetables that contain oxalic acid or iodine-binding substances, such as spinach, broccoli and cabbage.
   • Feeding Frequency: Hatchling green iguanas need to be fed 2-3 times a day, and adults can be fed once a day. Food should be cut into small pieces to make it easier for green iguanas to swallow.
   • Nutritional supplements: Regularly give your green iguana calcium and vitamin powder supplements. Calcium powder should be chosen to contain Vitamin D3, which helps calcium absorption. Hatchlings should be supplemented 3 times a week and adults 1-2 times a week.
3. Health Management:
   • Periodic Physical Examination: Observe the physical condition of the green iguana, including the skin, eyes, mouth, tail and other parts of the body to see if there is any abnormality. If the green iguana is found to have a loss of appetite, low spirits, diarrhoea, abnormal moulting, etc., identify the cause and take appropriate treatment measures.
   • Preventing diseases: Green iguanas may carry salmonella and botulism poisoning. Wash your hands and disinfect them before and after contacting green iguanas to prevent them from being infected.
   • Bathing: Regularly bathing green iguanas can help clean, hydrate and promote moulting. You can let your iguana take a bath once a week. The water temperature should be controlled at 30-35°C and the bath should not last more than 15 minutes.
   • Nail clipping: Regularly check the length of the green iguana’s nails. Excessively long nails can be gently polished using sandpaper or a nail file, but be careful not to cut into the blood lines within the nails.
4. Other Precautions:
   • Avoid mixing: Green iguanas have a certain sense of territoriality and mixing may lead to fighting and biting among them, so it is recommended to keep them individually.
   • Domestication and Interaction: After the green iguanas are familiar with the environment and get used to their owners, they can be appropriately domesticated and interacted with, but be careful to move gently to avoid scaring them. Do not have the smell of food on your hands to avoid accidental biting by the green iguana.

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