Iguana owners

[Philly Mike]

Just curious if there are any other iguana owners out there. I have had mine for a few months now and was just wondering about how others treat and care for their iguanas.

[-Jiggy-]

Hmmm is a bearded dragon close enough for you.

[Philly Mike]

they are in the same family but very different in a lot of things, i think the dragons need less heat, and they definitely don't get as long. That is the biggest thing with iguanas, they can grow up to and maybe over 6 feet long. They need a good tall enclosure. things like that.
But hey I am not closing the door to a complete reptile chat here. they are interesting creatures all of them.

[alex]

You can't really pet iguanas can you?

[Philly Mike]

why not? they are very handleable once you tame them. great pets if you have the time, and patience, and means to keep them in a good enclosure.

[-Jiggy-]

Our dragon Trevor doesn't really mind if we pick her up to move her around. We've never really pet her though. We def. weren't in the market for a dragon when we got her. My wife agreed to watch her for an acquaintance 2 years ago just until the lady moved her family to our area. Yeah, that was the last time we saw or heard from her. Honestly, I'm not really into reptiles but I do like watching some of the crazy things she does.

[Philly Mike]

dragons are pretty cool, they get pretty big and are good because they are very tame around people. Petting is not really a problem with reptiles as long as you go with the scales.

[sunshyne]

I used to have two iguanas, Bonnie and Clyde. Clyde died (we rescued them from a crappy pet shop) Bonnie we were able to save, found out it was a boy and renamed him spike. I built my own enclosure for him. When they are small & young they eat bugs (meal worms& crickets)and stuff like that, when they get older they are only vegetarian, though wouldn't say no to a meal worm every once in awhile. They turn color to what ever you feed them (lots of carrots=orangey color. Don't bother with Iceberg lettuce, its mostly water and doesn't have good nutrients (go with romaine, or mixed greens)

I unfortunately don't have Spike anymore, when my BF and I split up he took him. He was pretty cool though. Definately handle him a lot, otherwise they get mean, and the tail can be as bad as the bite.

[Philly Mike]

well so far mine is pretty healthy, i have been giving him (he is showing the signs of a boy so i am confident in that )either collard greens or mustard greens, with carrots or some yellow squash. I have read that they naturally are herbivores but hey if yours is healthy i guess its all good I just bought a 55 gallon tank for mine, for now he has plenty of room to move.

The enclosure is the biggest thing I am looking for help with though. I would like to hear what others have done in this matter. That plus do you litter train them, and if so how?

I have had mine for about 6 months now and he is getting big, his name is link. I am still working on taming him, he still gets scared and whips, but not as much as he used to.

[Torque]

A friend of mine acquired a 4+ foot iguana about 3 years ago. Although I'm no reptile genius I have a lot of experience with other animals and animal husbandry in general so he asked for my help in setting up an entire room for it. We sealed the floor, put down rubber horse stall mats and used a cement tub for a pond, surrounding everything with mini-golf turf and put in some iguana-safe plants. We also put a 2.5 foot high semi-circle of plexiglass around the door because it swung inward and we wanted to keep the iguana from a)getting wacked by the door and b)from escaping. He also bought a special fan that didn't block a lot of the window that kept the air circulating very nice-ventilation is very important for all animals and of course helps with the smell.

[Philly Mike]

A friend of mine acquired a 4+ foot iguana about 3 years ago. Although I'm no reptile genius I have a lot of experience with other animals and animal husbandry in general so he asked for my help in setting up an entire room for it. We sealed the floor, put down rubber horse stall mats and used a cement tub for a pond, surrounding everything with mini-golf turf and put in some iguana-safe plants. We also put a 2.5 foot high semi-circle of plexiglass around the door because it swung inward and we wanted to keep the iguana from a)getting wacked by the door and b)from escaping. He also bought a special fan that didn't block a lot of the window that kept the air circulating very nice-ventilation is very important for all animals and of course helps with the smell.

I wish i had the room and money for that.

hey torque, do you have any tips for ferrits? I have been considering getting one of those too.

[Torque]

Ferrets are awesome, very entertaining, but they aren't something to obtain on a whim (I'm not saying you are). They are crazily active for part of the day, and then sleep for up to 12-14 hours. Always buy a neutered/spayed and de-scented ferret. This reduces behavioral problems with males and prevents deadly conditions from occurring in females.

If you get a single ferret you need to make sure you have enough time to spend with it and make sure it has lots of toys, even a pair of ferrets need toys to keep them from getting bored. Always keep ferrets in a cage, aquariums don't allow enough air.

You can use a water bottle for ferrets but if you get a baby you'll need to acclimate it to the bottle if it hasn't already been to avoid dehydration. There are many types of ferret foods available, try to find a dry food that is high in animal product protein (not soy/vegetable protein). It may be more expensive but they won't have to eat as much to obtain the high amount of this type of protein that they require.

Make sure your ferret is vaccinated for canine distemper and rabies. You shouldn't need a rabies shot every year, you can have it checked yearly instead by getting a titer done.

The only other major thing I can think of is that they need a litter tray (preferably with 3 higher walls), in which you can use cat litter as long as it is dust free. They also need a box or something with bedding (old t-shirt, wood shavings, etc) that provides them with a dark private area.

Ferrets will 9x out of 10 be fine and hold their own with cats and dogs.

My cousin has a 2 ferrets with his girlfriend. They bought this rediculous looking santa costume for them. The one ferret absolutely hates the santa hat so now they use it as a punishment if he misbehaves. They'll put it on him and he'll curl up in a corner sulking and pissed off.

Lastly, always have a video camera ready.

[Philly Mike]

Well as far as the whim part goes, I have been doing a lot of reading before getting. The same goes for getting iguanas, you need to know about them and understand they take work if you get one.

I have actually been looking at rescue shelters for a ferret, I know that they are very particular about who they adopt out to and i also know they are taken care of and up to date with everything. As far as a 1 or 2 thing it all depends on which ones will seem most friendly when I see which one I will accept into the family. I know they all have their own personalities and I will try to find one or two that will be good with the kids.

I can't have any cats or dogs here but am allowed to have pets like the ones I have, which is so far 3 hamsters, and an iguana. The ferret is allowed too.

With the cage I have been looking around and was thinking of one of those 2 or 3 story things. as far as keeping them entertained well my wife and I tend to spoil the pets as much as the kids .

[Queenie]

I had an albino ferrret. It was crazy. I accidentally shut it in my room once and when I got home, the damn thing had torn up all the carpet in front of the door trying to get out. It was a lot of fun to play with though.

[sunshyne]

Iguanas always "go" in the same place and won't go where they get food. So I guess figure out where it "goes" and set up an area for that.

[sunshyne]

I rescued a sugar glider when I was in college. Had that thing for years until my BF's roommate left a window open next to it and we had a freeze, it got a cold and died

[Queenie]

I rescued a sugar glider when I was in college. Had that thing for years until my BF's roommate left a window open next to it and we had a freeze, it got a cold and died

Did you kick his ass?

[Philly Mike]

Iguanas always "go" in the same place and won't go where they get food. So I guess figure out where it "goes" and set up an area for that.

lol yeah i noticed that, but when he gets pissed off he goes either in his water or right next to his bowl.

Either that or he throws his food around the place. When he gets really mad he does that and then keeps pushing the bowl into the side of the terrarium.

[sunshyne]

I rescued a sugar glider when I was in college. Had that thing for years until my BF's roommate left a window open next to it and we had a freeze, it got a cold and died

Did you kick his ass?

yes