Green Iguana

Distribution:
   The Green Iguana is found in Central America and south all the way to the bottom of South America; Mexico to Southern Brazil, Paraguay and in the Lesser Antilles. They live around rivers and ponds, often in trees that overhang the water.

Description:
   A full grown Green Iguana is probably the largest lizard in the Americas. They are generally 4 to 5 feet long(1.2m to 1.75m), though some can reach up to 7 feet (2.4m).
   The tail makes up over half of this length and is sometimes up to 3 times the length of the body. They can drop their tail if need be and it will re-grow. They have strong legs and heavy claws on long toes. With the second and third toe much longer than the others, they can grip trees branches and climb.
   They have a bright green coloration when they are hatched. This fades to a dull green with a tinge of blue on the head as they mature. Their coloration and patterning can change, similar to chameleons but slower, and this helps them hide from predators. They will shed approximately four times per year with their skin flaking off in bits and pieces.
   They have a dewlap, a flap of skin under their chin, and a row of large flexible spines running down their back from the nape of their neck to the tip of their tail. Males have higher spines and longer dewlaps than females and develop larger jowls. Green iguanas tongues are short and thick, their eyes have round pupils, and they have eyelids.
   Total size, length, color, patterning, and even head configuration will vary from one green iguana to another, this is dependent upon the geographical region from which the iguana came. Green iguanas will live about 10 years in the wild, and between 10 to 15 years in captivity.

Handling:
   Always support your iguanas legs and abdomen when you pick it up. First hold it's head with the forefinger and index finger of one hand. Then hold its body underneath with your other hand palm up. Move the fingers of your second hand up, under and around the iguana's head. This will then free up your first hand to start gently rubbing the top of its head. The rubbing motion will cause your iguana to close its eyes.
   Working with your pet in this manner for about an hour a day for a week or so will help make a pet you can handle. You can consider it a tame iguana when it ceases trying to bite and whip with its tail. It's a good idea to wear heavy clothing when you first start handling it.

Feeding:
    A temperature of 88° F is necessary for these lizards for them to effectively digest their food. Each Green Iguana will need about three good meals per week. They are primarily herbivores when they reach adulthood and they have a microbial fermentation in their hind gut which allows them to digest and extract essential nutrients from their foods.
   Being a creature of habit, they will eat in the same place every time and will eat out of a bowl. They need fresh water daily and their water dish needs to be about 1" deep (deeper as the iguana grows) and be large enough for the iguana to also bathe in.
   A young iguana will eat fruits and vegetables as well as proteins: crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, earthworms, pinkies, birds, reptiles, and snails. As they grow older, their diet will shift to an almost completely vegetarian diet.
   Many bright green and yellow vegetables are very good. Offer lettuces sparingly as they don't have much nutritional value. and preferably offer Romaine. Spinach too should be used sparingly as it is known to bind up calcium. Other types of vegetables should make up the bulk of your offering. Monkey chow is a good supplement for young Iguanas, but must be limited to once a week for an adult as too much of it can cause other health problems.
   Vitamin and mineral supplements are important in moderation. A two to one Calcium/Phosphorus supplement is a must for all Iguanas, though a fully developed adult will need less than a growing iguana. These supplements are readily available at your pet store.

Environment:
   An Iguana is preferably housed alone accept to breed, but they can be housed with another Iguana if there is a plenty of room and they are of similar size. Sometimes larger Iguanas will dominate the food supply and you should always watch for overly aggressive behavior.
   Get as large a home to start with as you can. Though a young Iguana can be started in a 10 gallon glass terrarium they will grow and soon need a much larger home. A 20 to 30 gallon glass terrarium works up through the 2nd year and a 40 to 100 gallon glass terrarium up to adulthood.
   A full grown Green Iguana would need a minimum size home that is 5' x 5' x 3'. They must not feel cramped or closed in or they may stop eating. They are arboreal ( tree climbing), so a heavy limb is good for climbing on. They need a hiding place to feel secure. Use only artificial plants as they will eat real ones.
   Iguanas should be fed from a bowl so they don't ingest any ground material, and a good size water dish will provide a place for soaking and drinking. See the terrarium set-ups described under Basic Reptile and Amphibian Care for more information on housing.

Temperature and Lighting requirements:
   They do well at 85°- 90°F (29.4°- 32.2°C) in the daytime and 70°-75°F (21.1°-26.7°C) at night. Fluorescent full spectrum reptile lighting or direct unfiltered sunlight is absolutely necessary for your iguanas well being and its long-term maintenance (glass windows filter out necessary rays so putting your iguana in the window does not work to get the required full spectrum lighting).
   For basic heating you can use a hot-rock or an under-tank heater. For additional heat, you can add a full spectrum incandescent daytime bulb and a black light bulb or red incandescent bulb for nighttime heating. Be sure you use a thermometer so you don't let the terrarium become overheated or under heated!

Social Behavior/Activities:
   One wonderful benefit of a Green Iguana as a pet is that it can be house trained to a newspaper!
   Iguanas do have a natural fear of dogs and other "dog" type animals. Their main defense when they are feeling threatened is to whip with their tail, and they can drop there tail (autotomy) if they need to.
   Other natural defenses are to remain completely motionless or they can extend their dewlap to increase there apparent size to ward off enemies. Males and females have similar temperaments in terms of being pets, though a male will extend its dewlap when establishing its territory or to show off to a female. Generally Iguanas become more docile the longer they are in captivity.
   A healthy Iguana needs about a half an hour of supervised activity each day. They are tree climbers as well as excellent runners, swimmers, and divers.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Green Iguanas become sexually mature between the ages of 2 and 3. In February, a pregnant female will lay up to 30 eggs in a nest of wet sand, burying the eggs 2 to 6 feet deep.
   Each egg is about 1 1/2 inches long and 3/4 of an inch in diameter. The eggs hatch in April or May, about 16 1/2 weeks later, and the baby Iguanas dig their way up to the surface. The hatchlings are only about 8"(20.3 cm) in length.

Ailments:
   The most common problems encountered with Green Iguanas are: parasites such as ticks and mites, mouth rot, respiratory disease, injuries, vitamin deficiencies, cool temperatures and drafts. All of these can be avoided with proper care and a good, clean environment.

Availability:
   Green Iguanas are readily available. At one point, they were becoming scarce in the wild due to over harvesting, so most iguanas in the pet industry today are imported from farms and Iguana ranches in their native countries.