William K. Hayes

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-26-2022

Before you bring home your new pet iguana, purchase all the necessary supplies and equipment, and make sure the enclosure is roomy enough for your iguana’s size. Daily baths are part of iguana care, so be sure you know how to bathe your iguana correctly, and be on the lookout for certain conditions that require a trip to the veterinarian.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Iguana communication is physical. Their words are formed by the arrangement of their body and body parts (posture), movements (stylized walking, strutting, bobbing), and use of three-dimensional space (where they're in vertical space, seeking height or flattening out). Iguanas, then, have developed a limited (in human terms) vocabulary, one that — like some spoken languages — has some very subtle nuances in pronunciation. They're easily able to communicate with other iguanas in this language of the body. Although iguanas are able to learn some spoken words or sounds that we make (such as their names or the sound of the refrigerator door opening), they can effectively communicate to us only in the language they know best. It's up to us to learn to read their language — interpret their postures and movements — to understand what they're saying. Once you learn their language, you can also use some of their "words" to talk to them. Posture The usual iguana-at-rest-but-alert posture is rather like a dog. The body is flat on a surface with knees bent, feet back, and forearms flat, but the head and neck are raised. From this position, it's easy for them to go to sleep. Sometimes they doze with their head up but eyes closed, but usually the head goes down onto the surface they're lying on — or on their arms or resting on some object. When they're in deep-sleep mode, their fore- and hindlegs may be extended back along their sides ("the swimmer" position); some may even throw one of their legs up over their tail. From the sphinxlike starting position, it's also easy for them to raise up into an alert crouch or into a full standing position. The crouch may be in response to something that mildly startles the iguana or to some serious petting by you, as the iguana arches its back to meet your hand. When two iguanas, generally two males, are battling one another for dominance, the one giving up adopts the "surrender" posture. It almost looks like a dog soliciting play: The forelegs and hands are on the ground, elbows slightly flexed for rapid movement if necessary, the body is low to the ground, and the hindquarters are slightly raised. The head and neck are plastered to the ground. This is the subordinate iguana's way of signaling that he is lower than a worm and of no threat or competition to the dominant iguana. For now. The dewlap The dewlap is more than just a solar heater; it's part of the iguana's communication system. When it's tucked up tight or flared stiffly out, you can read the iguana like a book. When the dewlap is tucked up under the chin, an adult or juvenile iguana is signaling submission or a state of nonaggression. A baby iguana who's trying to present as nonthreatening a profile as possible keeps his dewlap tucked up tight, too. When dewlaps are relaxed, they flop down and sway when the iguana moves. In large iguanas, especially males, the dewlap is long, wide, and luxuriously silky, hanging in folds like a curtain. When the dewlap is rigidly extended, its leading edge actually slants forward a bit. This flaring out is used both offensively and defensively. Offensively, it may be part of a threatening gesture, a warning that here is a big iguana not to be messed with. It typically occurs when something or someone new enters the iguana's environment. Being unsure what it is or what type of threat it may present, the iguana issues a preemptive warning first. When the flared dewlap is combined with the tall stance, laterally compressed body, and erect nuchal and dorsal crest, the iguana is seriously working at intimidating someone or something. If the iguana is at a level higher up than the object of its intentions, it may also lean over to make sure that the object gets the full effect of the posture. Funnily enough, iguanas on the floor lean over, too, trying to intimidate the person or animal standing over them. If they're presenting this posture to you, and you lean over them, some keep leaning until they flop right over. The swagger The swagger is a male thing, carried out by an iguana threatening, or trying to court, a human or another iguana (or dog, cat, stuffed toy animal, and so on). In this stylized walk, the body is compressed laterally to make it look taller, and the lizard stands on straightened legs. As the lizard walks, the tail is slightly arched up behind the hind legs and may be swished from side to side. The dewlap is fully extended downward. When approached, such iguanas lean over away from you or circle around you, attempting at all times to present the biggest possible broadside profile to you to maintain their threatening or "come hither" look. Tail twitching The tail twitch may be part of the swagger, or it may be done when the iguana is at a standstill. The last half of the tail twitches, much like the tail of a cat that's stalking a bird or ball of yarn. This movement seems to signify a condition of mixed motivations — like when a male iguana wants to attack its female human keeper to mate with her but knows that such an action won't be received with the same spirit in which it was intended. In such a mixed-emotions state, the iguana may be hunched up, the body in compressed and broadside presentation, but with the head down, dewlap semirelaxed, similar to the submission/subordinate position, with the tail twitching slowly back and forth. The eyes Eyes wide open or eyes wide shut, iguanas are quite expressive with their deep brown to light hazel eyes. The one look that every iguana keeper becomes familiar with is the infamous "iguana glare" or "stink eye." Whether delivered straight on or thrown back over the shoulder, the glare is the primary way disgruntled iguanas put their annoying keepers in their proper place. Iguanas also communicate with their eyes closed. When the eye closest to you is closed but the other eye is open, it's actually a sort of compliment. It means that the iguana is comfortable with you but is keeping an eye out on what's going on around him. When you first get your iguana, chances are he'll spend a great deal of time in your presence with both eyes closed. This is his way of escaping from the overall stress of the situation, with the new home, people, noises, smells, routines, and strange new foods leading to sensory overload. He closes both eyes as a way to reduce the stimuli and shut everything out. As time goes on, and your iguana becomes acclimated to you and his new home and family, you'll find that the closing of both eyes happens rarely. Eventually, you'll see that it most often happens when you're engaged in a petting session — and the closed eyes and relaxed posture reflect iggy nirvana. You'll also find that it happens when they've insinuated themselves among your fragile bric-a-brac, and you have the nerve to start yelling at them as you move everything away to extricate them.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

An iguana can be injured several ways. Sometimes the injury is obvious; sometimes it's not. When the injuries are minor, you can often treat the injury yourself, but knowing whether an injury is minor — or knowing when it goes from being a minor problem to a major one — is the tricky part. If you're new to iguanas, or you've never encountered and dealt properly with the condition before, don't fiddle around with it. Take your iguana to a vet immediately. The longer you wait before taking your iguana to the vet, the bigger the risk to his health. Abscesses Abscesses are pockets of infection containing solid pus. They commonly occur as a result of injury to tails, toes, necks, and legs, especially when two iguanas are kept together and one gets bitten. Rostral abscesses occur when an iguana repeatedly injures its nose or snout by banging it into hard surfaces. However, abscesses don't necessarily occur at the site of an injury or immediately after an injury. In fact, they may occur months after an injury or when there has been no injury. Abscesses need to be treated by a veterinarian who may recommend administering a course of antibiotics first and then surgically removing the abscess. Despite being removed and being treated with antibiotics, abscesses can form again in the same place within a very short time during the recovery period. As a result, two or more treatments may be necessary. Burns Burns are most frequently caused by heat sources: hot rocks, under-the-tank heating pads when used without a substrate layer, human heating pads when they're the only source of heat, and overhead heat lights and ceramic heating elements. The burns may be mild, with just a small blister, or they may be severe enough to cause death by the time the keeper notices them. Although you can treat minor blistering and burns at home by soaking them daily in povidone-iodine and applying a burn ointment, it's best not to guess at the severity. Even with moderate burns, the iguana must be seen by a vet. Serious burns destroy skin, result in heavy fluid loss, and leave the iguana highly susceptible to invading bacteria. This, in turn, can lead to a raging, possibly lethal, systemic infection. You know the saying "Once burned, twice shy"? In the case of burn victims, it's "Once burned, forever susceptible to burns." If the burn is on the iguana's belly or pelvis, do away with all bottom heat sources for the duration of the recovery period. Once the burn is healed, you can use a human heating pad in conjunction with overhead or other radiant heat sources, but the pad will have to be covered with a thick terry cloth towel. Iguanas require a warm environment, not just a hot surface, to successfully and safely thermoregulate their core body temperatures. If your iguana is found hugging a light or light fixture, or if it never leaves its pad or rock, that's a sure sign that the enclosure is too cold and that you're watching a burn about to happen. Fix the situation before it becomes a problem. Claws — broken or torn off Iguanas climb by using their claws as well as their toes. When walking, climbing, or jumping, they may jerk their toes instead of disengaging them, resulting in a broken toe, a ripped-out claw, or both. The same may happen if the claw is trapped in a tiny hole or fissure in a piece of wood. Sometimes the claw may still be attached to the fingertip by the underlying fleshy structure or a tiny shred of skin. Removing the claw at this point is best. If just a tiny shred of tissue is holding the claw on, you can quickly pull it off; otherwise, you should take your iguana to the reptile vet to have the claw cut off. If the claw is gone, dip the toe tip in warm diluted povidone-iodine and let it soak for several minutes. Top the tip with antibiotic ointment. For the next couple of days, repeat the medicated soaks and apply the antibiotic ointment to the tip at night. Depending on how much of the nail matrix is left, the claw may or may not grow back. If it does grow back, the initial regrowth will be slow. Keeping the iguana's claws neatly trimmed and reducing or eliminating the fissures and small holes in climbing and basking branches that can trap claws will help prevent future occurrences. Trimming off the ultra-sharp tip projecting off the main claw won't hinder his ability to climb. Crusty mouth Sometimes, usually in the morning, you may find a mixture of serous fluid and saliva encrusted around the edges of your iguana's mouth. It may be thick and hard enough to have glued your iguana's mouth shut. The cause is usually a minor injury to the gums, as from the stem of a leafy green or a small chunk of squash. Biting cage wire, thin branches, your favorite ballpoint pen, another iguana's tail, and other hard objects can also cause minor mouth tissue injuries. Remove these deposits by wetting a cotton-tipped swab in warm water and then twirling it against the deposit to gently loosen and move it away from the mouth. Then check inside the mouth, looking for signs of petechia (tiny red lines indicating bleeding in the tissue) or plaques (patches of tissue that may be yellowish, whitish, or greenish in color). If you see no signs of the plaques or petechial hemorrhaging, then there's nothing to worry about. You may have to remove the crusts a couple of times a day for a few days, but the injured tissue heals quickly in a healthy iguana, and you don't need to treat the area with any topical antiseptic. Stubborn, recurring crusty sores on the rim of the mouth may mean an infection. If so, your iguana needs to visit a vet for evaluation. Petechia, plaques, and regularly occurring crustiness may indicate a more serious underlying injury or infection, so you should see your reptile vet before the infection gets worse or spreads. Dried food deposits look like crusty mouth deposits and are just as easily taken care of with a wet cotton-tipped swab. Iguanas generally grab and gulp their food, smearing food and juices on their face and dewlap. The result can, at first glance, look like your iguana's been bleeding or has other injuries. You can relax once you realize that your iguana is wearing the day's strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. Because iguanas also walk in their food, check their toes daily and remove any bits of food found stuck on them.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The first thing to know when considering an iguana for a pet is that several different types of related lizards have the word iguana in their name, including the helmeted and casque-headed iguanas (Corytophanes and Laemanctus), the desert iguana (Dipsosaurus), the Madagascar iguanas (Chalarodon and Oplurus), the spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura), the rock and rhinoceros iguanas (Cyclura), and the green iguana (Iguana). Because green iguanas are the most widely sold of all the iguanas and the ones most likely to be in animal shelters and rescues, this article focuses on them. Some of the information about iguanas is just plain fun, but most of it is critical to you as you make your decision to get — or not get — a green iguana as a pet. Before you decide to get an iguana, you need to know as much as you can about them: how to care for one, what to expect in terms of temperament, and other stuff, and so on, so that you don't join the ranks of those who discover too late that a green iguana isn't the pet for them. They are herbivores Iguanas are herbivores, animals that eat only plant matter — the vegans of the animal world. There aren't many herbivorous lizards in the world, but they all share a couple of traits: They all need lots of heat, and they all get big. Herbivorous reptiles also require good, nutritious plant matter, not just a head of lettuce now and then. In fact, most conscientious iguana owners come to realize that their iguanas eat better than their human family members. Putting together a nutritious plant-based diet can be quite complicated, especially if you can't find a steady, year-round source of all the leafy greens and vegetables that your iguana needs. They get big Iguanas reach a total length of 5 to 6 feet within three to four years (often making them longer than their owners). The body itself only reaches 22 to 24 inches long. The rest of the length is in the tail. That tail is a vital part of the iguana — used in thermoregulation (how they regulate their body temperature), balance, and defense. Want to know one of the biggest mistakes iguana owners make? They think that because the iguana's body is only 2 feet long, they only need to provide an enclosure that's 2 to 3 feet long. Wrong. An iguana needs an enclosure 1.5 to 2 times its total length, so an iguana that's 6 feet long needs an enclosure that's at least 9 feet long. Many people realize too late just why so many experienced iguana keepers call these lizards giant green iguanas. Granted, at 15 to 20 pounds, iguanas may not weigh as much as 6-foot-tall humans, but they can be just as cumbersome to hold. And consider this: They have sandpapery rough, scaly skin, a knife-like ridge on their tail, and 20 claws. They eat like a herd of horses and poop like medium-sized dogs, too. Oh, and they have 116 to120 razor-sharp teeth attached to strong, tenacious jaws. Ouch! They need tropical temps Green iguanas are tropical lizards. They need the same tropical temperatures all year long, even when temperatures outside your house drop below freezing during the winter. Iguana owners from cold winter climates need to have lots of spare heating equipment for their iguanas in order to provide the necessary 88- to 95-degree Fahrenheit basking temperatures every day of the year. Many iguana owners find that their electric, gas, or propane bills more than double once they have a green iguana in residence. If you live off the grid or where frequent power failures occur during cold winters, a tropical or desert pet is not a good choice. They require taming and socialization Iguanas rarely become tame and socialized on their own. You need to work with iguanas daily for a year or so to get them to trust you and to get them to appreciate the pleasures that tameness and socialization bring. A well-adjusted iguana can enjoy head, neck, and body rubs; yummy treats; free rein around a room (or, more often, the entire house); interesting excursions; and a human to cater to their every whim. Yes, it takes a year or so — and that's if you do it right. Do it wrong, or don't do it at all, and chances are high that you'll end up with a fiercely (literally and figuratively) independent iguana who barely allows you to provide fresh food, a bath, a clean environment, and the occasional yummy treat. If you're lucky, your reward will be a tail thwack rather than a lunge, nip, or crocodile roll. To remain tame and socialized, iguanas need regular reinforcement. Some iguanas may need less frequent reinforcement as time goes on, but others may never become completely comfortable with human interaction. And, unfortunately, there's no way to predict which hatchlings will tame easily, become affectionate, become merely tolerant, or always be aggressive to some degree toward humans. They pose certain health risks All reptiles present potential health risks to humans. One of the most highly publicized zoonoses (diseases that can be passed, directly or indirectly, from animals to humans) in recent years has been salmonella. The reason salmonella is a problem with reptiles is that the strains or types of salmonella that typically infect them are different from those that we humans normally encounter in our food. These strains can cause symptoms ranging from very mild to potentially lethal. Even mild strains can be deadly to humans who have compromised or immature immune systems: infants, toddlers, the elderly, anyone with a suppressed immune system due to illness, organ-transplant recipients receiving anti-rejection drugs, or cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Most instances of salmonella transmission from pets to humans take place because humans don't know that a risk exists. Knowing about it and taking proper precautions can greatly reduce, but not completely eliminate, the risk. Fortunately, you can take precautions such as washing your hands before and after handling an iguana. All kinds of animals carry diseases that can be passed to humans. Reptiles are no exception. Most, if not all, reptiles carry salmonella, which can cause serious illness, hospitalization, even death, in humans, despite the reptile appearing to be perfectly healthy. If you have or are planning to have babies or have or work with young children or other at-risk humans, you may want to rethink getting an iguana.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Unlike mammals and birds, iguanas don't clean or groom themselves. Iguanas in the wild seem to rely on brushing against rough bark and plunging into bodies of water to remove the grime and parasites that they pick up over the course of living their lives. Given that a captive iguana probably doesn't have much rough bark to rub against or pools to dive into at will, the task of keeping him clean falls to you. Bathing your beauty To bathe your iguana, follow these steps (remember, though, that "bathing" an iguana doesn't mean using soap on him or in the water): 1. Run the water until it's chest deep (the iguana's, not yours!) at the deep end where the drain is. This depth makes the water about iguana-hip deep at the shallow end. If your iguana isn't used to bathing, put less water in the tub and see the following section for tips on getting him comfortable. 2. Let him soak to his heart's content. If you leave your iguana in the tub long enough for the water to start cooling off (a good bath temperature for iguanas is 85–90 degrees Fahrenheit [29–32 degrees Celsius]), run more warm water into the tub, draining off a little of the cool water. The noise of running water can be quite loud in a tub/shower enclosure. If your iguana gets stressed by this noise, fill a pitcher with warm water at the sink and pour it gently into the tub. 3. When he's done soaking, blot him off to remove the drips and send him on his way. 4. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the tub. If any individuals in your household are at high risk for contracting bacterial infections, have your iguana use a different bathroom than the at-risk family members use. Even if you take precautions to thoroughly clean and disinfect the tub, walls, and floor, accidents and distractions can and do happen. Daily baths are a good idea for several reasons. Iguanas get to soak, which is good for their skin. They get to loll about in an environment that has higher humidity, so they're inhaling air that has more moisture in it. Another benefit is that many iguanas drink deeply when their bodies are in water. But perhaps the most popular reason why iguana keepers bathe their iguanas daily is that most iguanas poop when they're in water. Keeping the enclosure clean is very easy because it's a lot easier to drain the bathtub, thoroughly rinse off the iguana, wash the bathtub out, and then disinfect it before the next use by human or iguana. Iguanas who are new to baths frequently freak out. Acting like you're trying to kill them, they thrash wildly, scrambling about trying to launch themselves out of the tub, over your head, and out of the room. This scene is enough to make many iguana keepers shrug, dry themselves off, and never try it again. Which is a shame because, if you keep it up, starting off with very shallow water and over time gradually deepening the bath water, iguanas come to tolerate a bath quite well, if not actually look forward to a luxurious soak. Making bath time more comfortable Iguanas are excellent swimmers. They're able to hold their breath for extended periods of time, easily staying fully submerged for 20–30 minutes at a time. This ability tends to freak out iguana keepers who haven't previously seen their iguana looking dead, lying on the bottom of the bath tub. This is not to say that iguanas can't drown. They can. One of the dangers of leaving them unattended in the bath for long periods of time is that the water cools and they get too cold to move. In addition, something may panic them, causing them to thrash about and inhale water into their lungs. Some iguana keepers make it easier for their iguana to climb in and out of the tub by placing a rubber bathmat or a rubber-backed bathroom rug over the rim of the tub. Terry cloth towels can be attached to the inside and outside of the tub with Velcro strips. The towels can be easily removed and tossed into the washing machine if they get soiled. If your iguana is bothered by the slick surface of the wet porcelain, put some decals on the bottom of the bathtub (those used to provide a nonslip surface for young children). Another trick is to put a terry cloth towel or rubber bathmat in the tub so the iguana has something to stand on that won't slide out from under him. If you have two or more iguanas, poop them in the tub, clean and disinfect the tub, and then put them all into the refilled bathtub for a long soak. Obviously, you can do a joint bath only if the iguanas are compatible with each other. If you have iguanas who don't get along with one another, you have to give them each their own soaking session. Although a long soak in a warm bubble bath may sound like a little bit of heaven on earth to you, it's not such a good idea for your iguana. In fact, because soaps and disinfectants can irritate their skin, eyes, and mouth, it's best to use just plain water when bathing and rinsing them. Getting rid of stubborn dirt Once in a while, especially when taking in an iguana who was ill-cared for, you'll see some feces or undetermined soiling stuck on and between the scales that won't come off with just a good, long soak. Here are a couple of suggestions: After you let the iguana soak for a while, use a washcloth or soft children's toothbrush to gently rub at the soiling to remove it. If it's still stuck on, you can put a drop or two of a child-safe soap or shampoo on the cloth or brush and work it in; then let the iguana soak some more in fresh, warm water. In 15 minutes or so, work on it some more. You may need to do this several times to get the soiling all off. Whatever remains ground-in will come off when the skin next sheds. When you're done, toss the washcloth in the washing machine and wash it with hot, soapy water and bleach. The toothbrush can be washed and left to soak for ten minutes in the same disinfectant you use in the iguana's enclosure. Then rinse and dry the toothbrush when it's done soaking. Be sure to store it with the iguana's cleaning supplies and not someplace where a family member may confuse it with his or her own toothbrush.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Iguana owners will need to visit a reptile veterinarian for medical diagnosis and intervention in certain situations. Take your iguana to a see a veterinarian — no matter how experienced you are with iguanas — if your pet has any of these conditions: Lethargic Hurt or bleeding Paralysis Limbs and spine are swollen Problems with the tail or toes Feces are smelly or runny Neck and/or dewlap is swollen Bloated and not pooping Rapid weight loss Seizures

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Don't make the mistake of starting with an iguana enclosure that's too small - iguanas grow quickly. The following table shows you the minimum enclosure dimensions needed based on the average size in snout-vent length (SVL) and snout-tail length (STL) for the first seven years. So, unless your iguana is full grown, when its STL is more than two-thirds the enclosure width, it's time for a new enclosure. SVL (in inches)) STL (in inches) Minimum Dimensions (in feet) 2.5–7 9–18 3 x 1 x 1.5 8–10 20–28 3.5 x 1 x 2.3 11–12 28–36 4.5 x 1.5 x 3 12–14 30–42 5.25 x 1.75 x 3.5 14–16 35–54 6.75 x 2.25 x 4.5 18–20 45–60 7.5 x 2.5 x 5 20–22 50–66 8.25 x 2.75 x 5.5 20–24 50–72 9 x 3 x 6

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Being completely ready before you bring home your iguana is essential, and a lot goes into creating the proper iguana home. To make things as stress-free as possible for you and the iguana make sure the new enclosure and furnishings are set up early. Here's a list of necessary equipment and supplies (which is the same no matter how old the iguana is): The enclosure 1 55–100-gallon enclosure 1 reptile under-tank heat pad or human heating pad 1–2 daytime overhead heat sources (white basking lights, a basking light and ceramic heating element [CHE], or an incandescent household light bulb) 1–2 nighttime overhead heat sources (nocturnal heat light and/or CHE) 1 light fixture for each overhead heat source (porcelain sockets are required for CHEs) 1 UVB-producing fluorescent tube long enough to stretch across the width of the enclosure 1 fluorescent light fixture 2–5 appliance timers to automate the heat and fluorescent lights 1–2 table lamp dimmer switches (or rheostats) or a hard-wired thermostat to regulate the heat source output 1–2 power strips (6–8 outlets each) 3 thermometers to be placed in the enclosure to monitor temperatures 2–3 units of suitable substrate, including extras to rotate in and out as they become soiled 1 hide box (a box your iguana can hide in) 1 branch or shelf for basking Food, vitamins, and supplements Fresh supply of iguana-friendly food Multivitamin Calcium supplement First-aid supplies 1 container of blood-stop powder or a box of cornstarch 1 bottle of Betadine (povidone-iodine) 1 tube of triple antibiotic ointment 1 reptile veterinarian Other stuff 1 water bowl 1 food plate 1–2 food storage containers for salads and greens 1 set of cleaning and disinfecting supplies (sponges, paper towels, gloves, cleaner, disinfectant, etc.) 1 pair of claw trimmers 1 room humidifier 1 cloth sack, cardboard box, or animal carrier to transport your iguana home and to the vet It's quite a list, huh? And this is just the minimum start-up equipment and supplies you need. Now you understand why getting all the supplies and equipment home and assembled before you bring the iguana home is so important.