GREEN IGUANA

( IGUANA IGUANA )

Description
Iguana iguana (green iguana or common iguana) is a large lizard native to an
extensive area of tropical America. The green iguana is a reptile and is cold blooded.
This means that the animals do not create or maintain their own body heat. To warm up
they must find an area that is warm or to bask in the sun to warm up their body.
Iguanas are lizards in which the eyes are the predominant sense organs. Their
eyes have well developed eyelids and round pupils. Their tongues are short and thick
with a slight fork at the tip. They have spines running from the back of their head to the
tail tip.
Reptiles have one advantage over birds and mammals, at least in the Caribbean.
They do not need to maintain a constant body temperature and therefore need less
food. As a result they can survive in habitats such as the dry east end of St. Thomas
and St. Croix, where food is limited. The most obvious feature of iguanas is their dry
scale covered skin. This covering of scales reduces water loss and may facilitate the
uptake of solar energy. Certain scales have been modified into spines along the head
and backbone, which can dissuade attackers. They also have dewlaps (throat fans) as
well as fringes on the toes that are used for display. Their limbs are well developed and
they are five toed.
Juveniles are born with brightly colored green skin, which helps them to hide
amongst the leaves of tropical trees. As the iguana ages, the color fades to an aged
brown, grey and black color.

Distribution and habitat
The native range of the Green iguana extends from southern Mexico to central
Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia and the Caribbean; specifically Grenada, Curaao,
Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and tila. They have been introduced to
Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, Texas, Florida, Hawaii, and the United States Virgin
Islands. Green iguanas are diurnal, arboreal, and are often found near water. Agile
climbers, Iguana iguana can fall up to 50 feet (15 m) and land unhurt (iguanas use their
hind leg claws to clasp leaves and branches to break a fall). During cold, wet weather,
green iguanas prefer to stay on the ground for greater warmth. When swimming, an
iguana remains submerged, letting its four legs hang limply against its side. They propel
through the water with powerful tail strokes.
Because of the Green iguana's popularity in the pet trade and as a food source in
Latin America, they are listed on the CITES Appendix II, which means that while they
are not an endangered species, "their trade must be controlled so as to not harm the
species in the future.

Anatomy and morphology
Despite their name, Green iguanas can come in different colors. In southern
countries of their range, such as Peru, green iguanas appear bluish in color with bold
black markings. On islands such as Bonaire, Curaao, Aruba, and Grenada, a Green
iguana's color may range from green to lavender, black, and even pink. Green iguanas
from the western region of Costa Rica are red and animals of the northern ranges, such
as Mexico, appear orange. Juvenile Green iguanas from El Salvador are often bright
blue as babies, however they lose this color as they get older.
Iguana iguana possess a row of spines along their backs and along their tails
which helps to protect them from predators. Their whip-like tails can be used to deliver
painful strikes and like many other lizards, when grabbed by the tail, the iguana can
allow it to break, so it can escape and eventually regenerate a new one.In addition,
iguanas have well developed dewlaps which helps regulate their body temperature.It is
also used in courtships and displays.
Green iguanas have excellent vision, enabling them to detect shapes and
motions at long distances. As Green iguanas have only a few Rod cells, they have poor
vision in lowlight conditions. At the same time, they have cells called double Cone
cells that give them sharp color vision and enable them to see ultraviolet
wavelengths.[18] This ability is highly useful when basking so the animal can ensure
that it absorbs enough sunlight in the forms of UVA and UVB to produce Vitamin D.
Green iguanas have a white photosensory organ on the top of their heads called
the parietal eye (also called third eye, pineal eye or pineal gland), in contrast to most
other lizards, which have lost it. This "eye" does not function the same way as a normal
eye does, as it has only a rudimentary retina and lens and cannot form images. It is,
however, sensitive to changes in light and dark and can detect movement.This helps
the iguana when being stalked by predators from above.
I. iguana have very sharp teeth that are capable of shredding leaves and even
humanskin These teeth are shaped like a leaf, broad and flat, with serrations on the
edge. The similarity of these teeth to those of one of the first dinosaurs discovered led
to the dinosaur being named Iguanodon, meaning "iguana-tooth", and the incorrect
assumption that it had resembled a gigantic iguana. The teeth are situated on the inner
sides of the jawbones which is why they are hard to see in smaller specimens.
Primarily herbivorous, Green iguanas are presented with a special problem for
osmoregulation; plant matter contains more potassium and as it has less nutritional
content per gram, more must be eaten to meet metabolic needs. As Green iguanas are
not capable of creating liquid urine more concentrated than their bodily fluids, like birds
they excrete nitrogenous wastes as urate salts through a salt gland. As a result, Green
iguanas have developed a lateral nasal gland to supplement renal salt secretion by
expelling excess potassium and sodium chloride.
Green iguanas from Guatemala and southern Mexico predominantly have small
horns on their snouts between their eyes and their nostrils, whereas others do not.
Naturalists once classified these iguanas as a separate subspecies (Iguana iguana
rhinolopha); however, this classification has been found to be invalid based on
mitochondrial DNA and iguanas with similar nose projections appear randomly in other
populations and interbreed freely with those that do not share this trait. The Green
iguana is a large lizard, typically growing to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in length from head to tail.
Some specimens have been measured upwards of 2 metres (6.6 ft) with bodyweights
greater than 20 pounds (9.1 kg).



Taxonomy
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Subphylum - Vertebrata
Class - Reptilia
Order - Squamata
Suborder - Sauria
Family - Iguanidae
Genus - Iguana
species - iguana
Subspecies : Iguana iguana rhinolopha
Other Common Names : Common Green iguana or the Giant iguana

Iguana Skin Color
The green iguanas (Iguana iguana) are so named because, with few
exceptions (abnormally colored or patterned individuals found in normal
populations), they are green. The green may be deep and dark, pale and multi-
hued, have greater or lesser amounts of blue, may have bold or subtle striping,
or subtle or bold blotches...but they are predominantly green in color.
A. Iguana Colour variants
The following colour variants (except the brown) are not generally seen until
the iguana is heading into sexual maturity. The hatchlings' deep greens, useful
in camouflaging them, begins to lighten, striping or patching diffuse or develop,
as they reach one year of age.
1. Brown Iguana
The exceptions that I have seen are individuals who are predominately brown,
tan and cream colored. Their markings and shadings are just like other
iguanas, just the colors are different. When happy/healthy, they may get some
green in their stripes or markings. They essentially look like a photograph
negative of a green iguana. This color variation should not be confused with
iguanas who have turned brown due to stress.
2. Blue Iguana
There is one (or maybe more) area within the iguana range that produce
predominantly blue iguanas. These iguanas, when happy, exhibit a beautiful
turquoise blue color. When they are cold or stressed, they are green. The irises
of their eyes tend to be a deep reddish-brown, and they generally have black
skin surrounding the scales on their bodies, heads, tails and dewlaps. Some
may have lots of black in their eyelids.
These iguanas, which may come from Peru, should not be confused with the
many baby iguanas from all over the range who show lots of blue when they
are hatchlings. For a year so so, there was a flood of "blue iguanas" in the pet
trade, with dealers snapping them and selling them for 3-4 x the price of the
"regular" green iguanas. The people who paid more for these "special" iguanas
found to their dismay that by the time their "blue" iguana reached a year of
age, they were just as green as any other iguana. The true "blue" iguanas look
exactly like the green iguanas when the are babies, so picking a blue hatchling
is no guarantee that it will retain any blue as it matures.
Keep in mind that it takes blue and yellow to make the color green. In many
reptile species, the yellow pigment is slow to develop, making the young of the
species look blue. If you have ever seen photos of the green tree boas, the
new borns are bright, vivid blue...while the adults are green. This same delay in
yellow pigment development is what is happening to the "blue" hatchlings that
turn green.
3. Grey Head
Some iguanas, mainly those from some areas in Central America, have very
gray, scaly looking heads and necks when they are mature. Their rostrums
may be equipped with tiny horns or very pronounced knobs, and their bodies
tend to be quite dark green. Many have stripes that are more blurred, or
reticulated skin patterns. During breeding season, the heads and bodies of
males can become covered with a rusty-colored wash, turning to deep, bright
orange when they are excited (during courting and territorial displays).
4. White Head
Iguanas from Columbia tend to have very, very, pale green heads. People who
see them from a distance or don't look very carefully often think that their
heads are white. When aroused sexually or territorially, the head color will
change within seconds to a pale baby blue.
5. Red Head
The iguanas from one area in South America whose heads are normally
colored red.
B. Normal Colour Change
When you get a baby iguana, it is usually a deep, bright vivid green with some
body stripes, and bands around the tail that may or may not meet evenly. The
stripes on the body and tail are deep, chocolatey brown. Some iguanas, have
less body striping, instead having faint bronze patches that get more visible
and deeper in color when they have been basking for a while. Others have a
more reticulated patterning, almost like you are seeing them through military
camouflage netting, with this reticulation becoming stronger as they reach
maturity..
The dewlap will be somewhat mottled green and white, with a little black or
brown. There are usually small white "epaulettes" on the shoulders, which may
or may not be rimmed with blue. Some of the small raised and flat scales on
the neck may be blue or white.
As the iguana heads into the start of its second year, the baby colors will have
started to mutate into their adult colors. Depending on where they are from,
they may lose their bright deep green, fading to a lighter green. Belly bands, in
males especially, become more vivid as sexual maturity is reached at about
eighteen months of age.
1. Pre-Shed
In the weeks prior to the actual shed (which, in a healthy iguana, will occur
every 4-6 weeks, except during the slower winter growth period), you will start
to see some skin color changes. The normal color will start to dim or get dull,
even yellowy (note: this is not the bright squash yellow associated with long-
term stress color changes). Peruvian blue iguanas will turn green, then
yellowy.
While a snake, who sheds its skin in one piece, will turn milky a few days
before the actual shed, iguanas will develop milky white patches. The snout,
one hand, a stripe along both sides of the dorsal crest, the ribs...almost as if
someone has painted them with a transparent white paint. These are the areas
that are getting ready to shed. Once the old (top layer) of skin is ready to come
off, the layer will start to separate over these patches. As some of these older
patches of skin is in the process of shedding, other patches will appear as
other areas get ready to shed. For further information on shedding, please read
the article on Skin Shedding.
2. Thermal Changes
The iguana's normal coloring is affected by heat and cold. If too cool, it will be
come very dark: dark colors absorb heat and so this change will help the
iguana absorb more environmental heat. If too hot, it will become very light in
color (within its individualized color range).
Some iguanas who have been at suboptimum temperatures for a while will
develop lines and squiggles on their face, head and/or body that look like
someone has been doodling on them with a blue ball-point pen. This is a good
indication that you need to get your iguana warmed up. It may take an hour or
two at proper basking temperatures for the doodle marks to fade away.
3. Breeding Season
Most males, and the females of some populations, change color during
breeding season. The skin may develop a wash of rusty orange across the
entire body, or a paling of the green with bold, deep, bright orange appearing
on the dewlap, spikes, body and legs. The color change occurs several months
before actually breeding occurs, and may last for several months after the
male's usual breeding season ends if there are females around who are still in
season. Some males and females will retain some breeding color all year,
especially if they are dominant to other iguanas - or humans - in their
environment.
Females who change colors may develop a gentle wash of rust, including
around the eyes. I have found that the females who are the most intensely
orange and remain orange for long periods of time are generally those who
dominate their households, similar to the way a dominant male will retain some
orange or rust throughout the year.. Once they move to a household where
they are no longer alpha (to humans), they lose much or all of the orange.
C. Signs of Stress
Overall dark gray, dark brown, black, and yellow are not normal iguana colors.
While there are exceptions to this rule (see Brown and Gray Headed above),
the exceptions are rare. Generally speaking, when an iguana is stressed, the
color change begins on the head, upper body, tail, legs, spreading around the
torso to the belly. The belly may remain green or yellow for some time after the
rest of the body has grayed or browned out.
The stress may be due to several factors - environmental, psychosocial, and
physiological. Stress in one area, such as an improper photoperiod, an
aggressive cagemate, a hovering cat, or poor diet, will lead in time to
physiological problems as the immune system becomes compromised and
system infection sets in. Other articles, such as Signs of Illness and Stress in
Reptiles,Housing Multiple Iguanas: Issues and Concerns, Iguanas and Other
Family Pets, and Iguanas and Change-Related Stress all discuss other signs
of stress and some causes of environmental and psychosocial stress in
iguanas. Other articles which touch upon environmental stress include Reptile
Housing: Size, Dimension, and Lifestyle, Basic Cage Design Problems,
and Lighting and Heating.
Any of the health problems discussed in the health section on the Iguana
Care page and on the Herp Health page may cause color changes.
Graying/Browning is a sure sign that the iguana is not happy or healthy and
that something needs to be done to rectify the situation. In some cases, it may
mean placing the iguana in a new room (or home) where it will not be
subjected to other animal, iguana, or human stressors. In other cases, the
iguana will improve once the environmental conditions improve.
All such iguanas should be checked by a reptile vet. Prolonged stress hampers
immune functioning, and these iguanas easily get sick; mouth rot (stomatitis)
and abscesses are common in highly or chronically stressed iguanas. Natural
internal parasite and bacterial populations that otherwise do not cause any
problems may explode, causing illness and increasing stress levels. These
animal may require antibiotics and may require rehydration through injections
of fluids.
Monitoring your iguana's skin coloring, as well as appetite, feces, and
behavior, are all ways to assess its health and well-being. Use it to your
advantage!

Choosing an Iguana
Before you get an iguana (or any other pet!) the first thing you should do is
research! Read as much as you can about the care requirements and behavior
before you bring your new ig home. Sites like this one, Melissa Kaplan's site ,
and the Basking Spot are all great sources of information online.Melissa
Kaplan also wrote the great resource book, Iguanas For Dummies. James
Hatfield's Green Iguana, the Ultimate Owners Manual is another 'must have'
book.
Make sure you have your enclosure set up and running beforehand. Having it
running for a few days gives you time to adjust temperatures and humidity so it
is perfect for your new friend.
When you are ready to bring home your new iguana, the first thing you need to
decide is where it will come from. While we all know how adorable the baby igs
in the pet stores are, we urge all prospective owners to consider adoption as
an alternative. Pet store babies come from huge iguana farms in South
America. The babies are packed into boxes and shipped to pet stores in the
US. The babies that arrive are stressed, often parasite ridden, and have
probable never seen a human before being captured and packed up for
shipping! It is also impossible to tell the gender of a baby ig, no matter what the
pet store may tell you. Igs cannot be reliably sexed until they are at least a year
old, and often not until much later. With adoption, you have the benefit of
(usually) knowing the gender of the iguana you are getting. You also get an
idea of the iguana's personality and behavior. The rescue will often work with
you to help match you to the iguana that is best for you.Many people worry
about rescue iguanas being unhealthy - the rescuers put in many long hours
rehabbing and caring for their charges. Iguanas are not adopted out unless
they have a clean bill of health, or in the case of some special needs iguanas
any health issues would be described up front before the adopter makes their
decision. Best of all, by adopting you will be saving the life of one of the
hundreds of iguanas in need of a new home.
Whether you decide to adopt or purchase from a pet store, there are some
things to look for when you consider an iguana. The ig should be alert and, in
the case of babies, active. A baby ig that sits calmly in your hand is a SICK
baby. Healthy young iguanas are bundles of energy and do not like to sit still
for anyone.
Look around the vent area at the base of the tail. It should be clean and have
no crusty deposits or protrusions.
Check the scales closely for little moving dots. You do not want to have to deal
with mites!
The mouth should be clean and clear of any mucousy substances. Igs remove
salt from their system by sneezing it out, so you may see some white crusty
substance around their nostrils. This is normal. If they have mucous coming
from their nose or if you can hear them wheezing as they breathe, they
probably have a respiratory infection.
Look for any blackened toes or tail tips. This may be a sign of dry
gangrene. (We're not talking about the black scales and patterns that some igs
show naturally).
Watch the iguana move about. They should be confident on their feet, not
wobbling or off balance.
Once you select your new iguana, give him or her a few days to settle into their
new home. Iguanas do not like change, and you may find that your ig may not
eat or poop for the first few days. After they have had a few days to settle in, it
is time to schedule your baby's first vet visit. Be sure to take a fecal sample
with you to have the vet test for parasites. It is also a good idea to have
bloodwork done on your new ig.

Sexing Your Iguana
It can be very difficult to determine the sex of an iguana until it is at least one
year old, and even then, some igs are still hard to sex accurately.
Once your ig is about a year old, male sexual characteristics begin to become
more prominent. The jowls begin to develop and the femoral pores will begin to
enlarge and may develop a waxy substance. Males may also begin to develop
fat pads on the back of the head, and you may notice the hemipenal bulges
becoming more obvious on the sides of the tail near the vent. As mentioned
before, even at a year old it can be hard to determine sex, as some females
may show some male-like characteristics and some males may be slow to
develop and look more female-like. The photos below show what the femoral
pores of a male and female generally look like, and should give you a rough
idea of how to tell the two genders apart.

Male iguana - note the enlarged femoral pores on the inside of the thighs.

Female iguana - note the much smaller pores


Bathing & Potty Training
Regular baths can be very beneficial to your iguana. Bathing is a great way to both
hydrate and potty train your iguana.
Depending on the size of your iguana, you can use either the tub or the sink for
bathing. The sink is best for young igs because it is smaller and more shallow than the
tub. To bathe your ig, begin by filling the tub or sink with some warm water. Do not use
soap or other cleansers. The water level should be no higher than your ig's
shoulder. Once you have the water ready, place the iguana carefully into the water to
soak. A good soak should last about 20-30 minutes. Monitor the water temps to make
sure they do not drop too low. If the water starts to cool, let some drain and add some
more warm water.
The tub can be a scary thing for many igs at first. The shape and color of many tubs
seem to throw off their depth perception. After several baths, most igs become used to it
and don't panic as much.Some igs love baths, some learn to tolerate them, and still
others are stubborn about hating them.As with many facets of ig care, a lot depends on
the individual ig.
For baby igs, you may want to float a washcloth in the tub for them to hang onto, or put
a large rock in for them to climb out on. Sometimes with larger igs, starting them in a
plastic rubbermaid box in tub with a few inches of water in the box is easier. Some igs
even prefer the shower over the tub!
Because water stimulates many reptiles to defecate, tub time is a good way to 'potty
train' your iguana. Potty training, like taming and socialization, requires patience and
consistency. To potty train your ig, begin by placing them in the tub first thing in the
morning, just after their lights go on. Put a few inches of warm water in the tub and
place the iguana in it. They then need to stay in the tub until they defecate. Remember
to keep an eye on the water temps!
Once they defecate, remove the ig, clean out the tub, and refill with a few inches of
clean warm water. Let your ig back in the tub for a good soaking. Most igs catch on to
the idea fairly quickly.Once they start using the tub as a potty, you can place a cat
litterbox or rubbermaid tub with a few inches of water in it inside the tub and place the
iguana in the box in the morning. (Never use kitty litter in an ig box, just water!) Once
they get used to this next step, you can move the box into their cage with them. Once
they are used to the idea, most igs will use their box consistently, making cage cleaning
much less of a chore. Of course, the minute you do something to annoy them, they will
break potty training to let you know how mad they are. ;)
Tub training is also a great way to make sure your ig doesn't cause major messes while
having free roam time. Tub them before they come out for playtime. If they do not use
the tub, they cannot come out to play. Again, most igs catch on pretty quickly! Tubbing
is also great for getting fecal samples prior to vet visits!

Taming and Socializing
Taming and socializing an iguana is a large undertaking. There are several important
points to keep in mind when you begin to tame and socialize your ig.
Iguanas are wild animals. They are not domesticated and most come from
iguana farms down in South America and have never seen a human until they
were packed up and shipped to pet stores.
Iguanas are NOT like mammalian pets like cats and dogs. They have a whole
different set of instincts and do not react the same way.
Taming iguanas can take a LONG time - 6 months to a year or more! Be
prepared for the long haul.
Patience, patience, patience is the key.
A healthy young iguana is a wild young iguana. Iguanas are wild animals and their first
instincts are to escape from predators. For all their large size, to them, we are huge
scary monsters that might want to eat them! *WE* know the opposite is true, but they
don't. As a result, iguanas will posture, gape, tail whip, bite, struggle, and flee when a
big scary human tries to handle them. A young iguana that does NOT is probably a sick
iguana.
Taming and socializing your iguana is a long term project. It requires a lot of time, effort,
and often blood! ;) Iguana owners almost always bear 'battle scars' from the claws of
igs. Taming is a long, difficult process most of the time (we all envy those lucky few
whose igs tame down seemingly overnight!) but can be very rewarding in the end.
The first thing you have to do is prepare yourself mentally for the time it will take, both in
the day to day taming work, and as part of the entire process. Taming will not happen
overnight, or in a day, or in a week. With most iguanas, taming can take 6 months to a
year or more.
Patience and consistency are the two most important things to remember. Negative
reinforcement (hitting, squirting with water, etc) usually does not work well with
igs. They can *really* hold a grudge! Positive reinforcement (rewarding for desirable
behavior with treats and praise) works a lot better in the long run. You want your ig to
realize that being out and about with you is a GOOD thing.
Frequent handling is a must in the taming process. Start with short sessions - holding
and talking to your ig for 20-30 minutes every few hours. As your ig becomes more used
to you, increase the amount of time you spend interacting with him. Try offering him his
favorite foods while he is out with you. Instead of adding his fruit treat to his salad in the
mornings, save it for when you handle him. He will probably not want to take it from you
by hand at first, but many igs will gradually learn that coming out means treats!
Be gentle but firm with your ig. If they start struggling and thrashing, restrain them. Do
NOT put them down or back in their cage if they start fussing. That is a win for
them! Instead, hold them firmly (not squeezing) until they stop struggling. Once they
stop and spend a few moments without fussing, THEN they can be let down.
One of the safest ways to restrain an iguana, especially a large one, is to get them
turned so their back is against your chest. Use one hand around their hind legs and
base of the tail, and one hand around their chest just below the dewlap. In this position,
it is very difficult for them to be able to bite or severely tail whip you. Most igs will settle
down quickly in this grip. Please, keep their head away from your face when using this
grip!
It is a good idea to wear long sleeves when you first start taming your ig. Those claws
can do a lot of damage without the iguana meaning to. Sturdy gloves with the fingers
cut off so you can feel how much pressure you are using can be useful, or a pair of
custom made IgGrips !
In time, your iguana will come to realize that you are not going to harm him, and will
begin to settle down. How quickly this happens truly depends on the individual
iguana. Remember that this is a LONG process. Don't get discouraged if you work with
your iguana for a month or two and they are still wild and flighty. Hang in there, be
patient, and keep working with him.
Socializing is a little different than taming. Tame igs tolerate human
interaction. Socialized igs enjoy human interaction and adjust well to new
situations. Socializing comes along with taming.Once your iguana is tolerant of
handling, start expanding their experience. Get them used to new places and
situations. Get them used to other people handling them. Again, it takes time, but the
results are worth it.

Iguana Age and Expected Size
There is no way for someone who has not had a great deal of experience with
iguanas to tell how old they are (and, even then, experienced folks can only
make an approximate guess). Iguana growth is determined by diet, heat and
activity, as well as by the population characteristics in the population from
which the iguana was taken or bred. That being said.
Age/Size Norms
The following table represents the sizes and weights typical of properly fed and
housed iguanas. Most people are amazed at how big iguanas get, and how big
their less-than-adequately cared for iguanas should be. This is because the
captive care information that has been available through pet stores and pet
trade books has served to retard their growth and development, through poor
diet, inadequate temperatures, and lack of sufficient space to exercise.


End of
Year:
SVL
(inches):
STL
(inches):
Wgt/Lbs:
Hatchling 2.5-3.5 6-9 ~90 gm
1 8-9 20-27 1-1.5
2 11-12 28-36 2-4
3 12-14 30-42 4-6
4 14-16 35-48 5-8
5 18-20 45-60 10-15
6 20-22 50-66 14-18
7 20-24 50-72 15-20
svl = snout-vent length
stl = snout-tail length
Iguana tails range from 2.5-3 x the svl.
Females are generally smaller than males. There is some regional difference in
size/mass so actual size will be dependent upon where the iguana was
originally from, but overall will be well within the above ranges.

Claw Trimming
Trimming your Iguana's toenails should be a fun project. Whether or not this is an easy
task often depends on how calm your Iguana is. If you've been treating your Iguana with
respect, a healthy diet, clean cage, and proper heating then your Iguana should be
relaxed enough with you to allow you to trim it's nails. However, more often than not our
Iguanas show more attitude toward us than we deserve. This is often evident by the
scars that are found on our arms.
If your Iguana is a flighty Ig, feel free to use a two person method for nail clipping. One
person will hold the tail and back feet while the clipper will contend with the front. Once
the front feet are finished the Iguana is then turned and one person maintains the head
and front feet while the other clips the rear nails.
A towel wrapped around the iguana to form a 'burrito' can also prove to be helpful when
nail clipping.
There are many nail clippers on the market today. Most pet shops will carry small
clippers just for iguana nails also known to be used for the nails of birds. Small scissors
or even human nail clippers can also be used.
Follow the guide below and clipping will be easy. Clip just the tip of the nail, just after it
begins to curve around. If you cut back behind this curve, you risk cutting the quick and
causing bleeding. If by chance you clip to deep and bleeding begins, dip the toe in some
cornstarch and the bleeding should stop.



Sneezing and Yawning
Sneezing
Many people are concerned when they first see or hear their reptile sneeze, especially
iguana owners, as many iguanas sneeze more often - and more productively - than any
other animal (at least it seems that way to those iguana keepers who seem to spend a
significant amount of time cleaning salty deposits off of windows, walls, furniture, etc.).
Generally speaking, reptiles sneeze for the same reasons humans and other animals.
Sneezing is a natural biological response to an irritant in the nose. Sneezing may also
be an allergic reaction, both to airborne substances and to ingested substances.
In the case of iguanas and many other lizards, sneezing is how they rid their bodies of
certain salts that are the normal by-product of their digestive processes. This does not
mean that if you do not see your iguana sneezing you should be adding salt to his diet,
nor does it mean that the foods you are feeding him are too high in salt. All foods have
salts of different kinds, and those not required for metabolic and other physiologic
processes are voided by the body; iguanas get rid of theirs by sneezing. Animals have
different ways of dealing with these by-products - in the case of green, Cyclura and
other iguanas, this is their way;
Stephen Barten DVM, in his chapter Lizards, in Mader's Reptile Medicine and Surgery
(p.53), states:
"Nasal salt glands are present in herbivorous iguanid lizards such as the green iguana.
When the plasma osmotic concentration is high, excessive sodium is excreted by these
glands. The lizard may be seen to sneeze a clear fluid that dries to a fine, white powder,
which is sodium chloride. This mechanism allows water conservation and may be
mistaken for an upper respiratory infection.
"The internal nares are anterior in [inside, in the back] of the mouth and are a common
site for discharges to accumulate, as well as a good site for bacteriologic sampling
[choanal swab] when respiratory infection is present."
That is not to suggest you feed your iguanas foods which salt has been added. If you a
feeding a particular food for a while (1+ weeks) and realize that your iguana is snalting
more than he used to before that food became a staple, then you might want to stop
feeding that food for several weeks to see if that makes a difference. If it does, go
ahead and reinstate that food item, but not as often.
Sneezing is not a result of a cold virus. Reptiles can develop lung infections, usually due
to bacteria, sometimes inadvertently caused by the owner when forcing oral fluids or
food which get into the lungs via the rather than down the esophagus, or when
regurgitated and then aspirated (inhaled) by the reptile. The common signs of
a respiratory infection in reptiles do not include sneezing.
Cleaning the Snalt
Snalt is a term some green iguana keepers use when referring to the residue that gets
deposited seemingly over everything their iguana comes into contact or proximity to.
Made up of the words snot +salt (as smog = smoke +fog), snalt is more than just grains
of salt, as one finds out when one tries to clean it off of various surfaces.
When salt deposits collect around the nostrils, they can easily be gently wiped away
with a damp cloth. You may need a razor blade to scrape the deposits off the glass of
their tank, however, as well a glass cleaner with a mild degreaser, to get the windows
completely free of the residue. Snalt on eyeglasses should be first rinsed with hot water,
then a mild soapy water applied to remove the residues. If you rub your lenses while the
salt residue is still on them, you may scratch the lenses. Snalt will corrode brass and
other such metals, so if you value your lamps, headboard, or other furnishings, clean
them quickly and often.

Yawning
Birds do it, bees do it, even reptiles in the trees do it. Yawning, that is. Researchers
don't understand completely why we yawn, or why yawns are "contagious". They do
know that normal occasional yawns can be due to drowsiness that may be related to a
reduction in oxygen in the brain or lungs. Excessive yawning is related to health
problems that are affect the body's ability to take in or circulate oxygen (heart disease,
respiratory disease, etc.). Some medications can interfere with oxygen uptake, while
yawning can exacerbate some joint and pain conditions, including temporomandibular
joint and neuralgias.
Besides the "low on oxygen" theory is another one, one that came out of a post- WWII
hospital experiencing a high rate of patient mortality except for the patients of one
particular surgeon. The only thing this surgeon did differently from the other surgeons
was to squeeze the respirator bag - that was full of air - which forced the air into the
lungs. The theory is that the forceful inflow of air from the bag - and from our yawns -
causes a redistribution of the alveolar secretions in our lungs, secretions that help
protect our lungs by improving surface tension and help prevent the buildup and
retention of fluids in the lungs - the cause of death in the patients by all the surgeons in
that hospital who weren't "bagging" their patients.
With reptiles, there are some other things that may elicit a yawn or yawn-like action.
One that snakes keepers are familiar with is the yawn-like movement snakes make as
they readjust their jaw joints and adjacent bones after the "dislocation" involved in
getting large prey through their mouth. Reptiles that eat slime-coated prey, such as that
coating fish, many amphibians, and the amazing slime produce by snails and slugs,
may engage in yawn-like movements to help clear the slime coating the inside of their
mouth. If you think about it, and aren't allergic to peanuts, this must be somewhat like
our trying to clear old-fashioned peanut butter (especially pb&j sandwiches made on
squishy white bread) stuck to the roof of our mouths.
Yawning is apparently "contagious" across species. I've been triggered to yawn after
watching my iguanas yawn, and I've caught some of them yawning after I yawned in
front of them.
When you are observing your reptiles, be prepared to make use of their yawns: yawns
provide a great opportunity to closely observe the inside of their mouths, both just to
check out the architecture in there, as well as to make sure everything looks healthy in
there.

Skin Shedding

Pre-Shed Indicators
Prior to a shed, you will notice that the iguana starts to change colors. The iguana's
overall color will get dimmer, duller. Starting around his head and hands, gray or white
patches will start to appear (they will look like they are wearing a white glove on one
hand). The patches will appear first in the head, then back, arms, then tail, as the
different areas get closer to actually shedding. Typically, iguanas start shedding at their
heads, with the progression going down the body, limbs, and finally tail. Everything
comes off, including the skin, over their ears, and the spikes along the back.
The skin on their eyelids will also shed off. At one point in the pre-shed period, you may
walk in to find your iguana has suddenly turned into some wild, bug-eyed monster.
Lying quietly, its closed eyes are puffed out 2-3 times their normal size. This is quite
natural - they are puffing them up with air as a way to loosen the old skin. In a few days
you will notice them rubbing their closed eyes against any handy surface as they begin
to loosen and rub the skin off. Gentle head rubs, with your thumb and finger sliding over
the closed lids, are particularly welcomed at this time.
If you do not regularly bathe or spray your iguana with water, you may wish to do so
during pre-shed and shed periods. In the wild, the natural humidity in the air and the
free access to rivers and streams helps the oily fluid build-up between the skin layers
keep the old skin soft and supple as it peels off. In our much drier captive environments,
the loosened pieces may dry out too quickly, resulting in a much slower shed. Spraying
with plain tap water is all you need to do; the expensive vitamin and moisturizing sprays
are of unnecessary and not any better than plain water in a $0.99 spray bottle.
Shed
Generally speaking, don't pull the skin if it isn't ready to come off. Iguanas and other
lizards will rub themselves against things to help loosen and rid themselves of skin.
Mostly, though, they just sort of look like they are wearing raggedy clothes, with strips
and patches of skin hanging loose and flapping around. If the skin is ready to come off,
you can help it do so by gently pulling at it. If the skin is not ready to come off, there will
be resistance, and the skin you remove will be damp.
Often times, spikes need help to shed completely; gently working at them over the
course of several days, loosening the skin at the base and spraying them with water will
help. If shed is left on, it may constrict the growth of the living tissue from which the
spikes are made, resulting in the tissue dying and the spikes falling or breaking off.
The same problem can happen with toes and the narrow tail ends. If old shed is not
removed, it can constrict the toes and tails, killing the tissue by strangling the nerve and
blood supply that feeds it. Many books and vets claim that carpet fibers are dangerous
for this reason yet, in all my years of free-roaming iguanas on wall-to-wall carpeting, I
have never had such a problem. I have taken in many iguanas, however, with two,
three, up to five layers of retained skin shed on toes and spikes...many of who lost toes
and spikes as a result. Part of your regular weekly, if not daily, overall examination of
the iguana should be checking toes, tails, and spikes to ensure that they are clean, free
of skin, fibers, and human or pet hair.
Sometimes the grommet-shaped pieces of skin around the nostrils may not come off
and, as your iguana nears its next shed, you begin to hear a sort of distant whistling
sound as it breathes. After the next bath, work at this area gently to remove any such
retained shed.
A healthy iguana will shed every 4-6 weeks. Iguanas aged 2-3 years may easily shed
more often. It is not uncommon to have an iguana be in the middle of one shed when
the next shed starts. During these times, they seem to be little more than skin-producing
machines, inhaling food and producing prodigious amounts of both poop and mounds of
shed. It is common for such growth to slow down during our winters, and during this
time of slowed growth and reduced food intake, iguanas will often not shed. Where I live
in Northern California, the last shed usually occurs in November, with the fist shed of
the new year occurring in January or February, depending upon our weather patterns.
If your iguana is not shedding, and it is not the winter slow-growth period, then there is a
problem. It may be that the environment is wrong, the diet is not nutritious enough to
promote growth or normal skin renewal processes, or your iguana is sick. The iguana
may also be psychologically stressed. A review of the environment and diet is
necessary, as is a review of any other factors that may affect how the iguana responds
psychologically/socially to his environment. Slow growers should also be seen by a
reptile veterinarian to ensure that they are not suffering from bacterial infections,
parasite infestations, or other medical problems

Tail breaks and drops
Iguanas, like many lizards, have evolved a defense mechanism wherein they
can drop a section of their tail. The skin, muscles, blood supply, nerves and
bone separate at almost any place along the length of the tail (below the
reproductive organs). The tail lays flopping in the predator's mouth or on the
ground. While the predator (or harasser) is thereby occupied or distracted by
the flopping, wriggling tail, the lizard makes its get away.
The lost of the tail (called autotomy) may be natural, but it is stressful to the
lizard, especially if that lizard stores critical fat deposits in the tail, such as
leopard geckos. Not only do they need to spend energy healing the stump and
regrowing the tail, but the loss of fat may occur at a critical time, such as during
gestation or a period of low food availability.
There is not much to do be done if your lizard loses its tail other that to keep its
enclosure spotlessly clean, provide lots of nourishment and make sure the
thermal gradients and photoperiods are running correctly. The less additional
stress the lizard has to deal with, the faster the stump will heal and, if the tail is
going to regenerate (they do not always do so), it will do so fairly rapidly.
1. Soak the lizard in warmish chest deep water to which Betadine
(povidone-iodine) has been added to color the water to a deep medium
tea color. Leave in the tub for 15-20 minutes, refreshing the warm water
as necessary. Note that if the reptile defecates in the tub, it must be
washed out, disinfected and another Betadine soak set up.
2. Remove the reptile from the tub and flush the wound with straight
Betadine.
3. At night, put triple antibiotic ointment on the stump. Repeat for a week or
until the wound is healing over.
4. If there is any sign of swelling at the end of the stump or just above it
which does not abate after a week, the lizard should be seen by an
experienced reptile vet.
During healing, the exposed muscle bundles will fold over the exposed bone.
They will continue to dry out, forming a rigid cap protecting the stump. Skin will
then start to grow over it.
Tails will generally regenerate, especially if the lizard is still small. It rarely
grows back the same length or color. In iguanas, the regrowth is generally a
dark rubbery black to start, then, as the scales regenerate, they usually come
in a dark chocolate brown, with very small scales, sometimes sandy or gritty in
texture. Sometimes they may be green or have smears of green through the
brown. The dorsal crest does not regrow. In other lizards, the color may be
different, and the final regrowth may be smeary or the patterning run the wrong
way.
Once a reptile has been treated, care must be taken to provide a supportive
environment to promote rapid, uncomplicated recovery. Temperatures towards
the higher end of the reptile's preferred optimum temperature zone should be
provided (don't drop them as low at night, but do turn off the basking temps at
night). Good nutrition and adequate intake must be maintained; nutritional
deficiencies, such as hypoproteinemia and hypocalcemia, will delay the healing
process, with the latter affecting the healing of broken or weakened bones. The
environment must be kept as clean as possible during recovery to insure the
least amount of contamination of the wound sites. In this case, keeping the
enclosure setup simple, easy to clean and disinfect is of paramount
importance. While more natural substrates may need to give way to medical
needs, necessary furnishings such as hide boxes must still be provided to
reduce psychological stress.
Do work with the tail as part of your taming and socializing process - it will
greatly reduce the chances of him dropping it defensively: the tails can be
dropped without actually being grabbed or even touched.
If the iguana is big enough to not need the drop-defense anymore, it won't
expend the energy to regenerate the tail - instead, all that energy will go into
increasing body size.
I never realized just how much igs depend upon their tails for balance...Wally
wobbled for a couple of weeks climbing vertical surfaces up and down (down
especially) until he found his new center of balance. He did, however, develop
a major case of tail envy and went around attacking everyone else's tail.
A Note on Incomplete Tail Breaks
Some tails do not break completely off. The skin and muscle tissue on one side
may be severed through to the bone but not through the bone. These tails can
generally be saved only if you get the iguana to a veterinarian and have them
put stitches in it. Stitches must be done within 24 hours of the injury (preferably
less - this is to reduce the risk of subsequent infection). Many vets, even reptile
vets, don't think to do stitches in this instance so you may need to explain to
them that it has been done, and done successfully, before.
If the break is through the bone but not all the way through the tail, or the
stump becomes infected, it is best to remove the tail just above the break. Most
reptile vets will carve out a little bone and muscle and then pull the skin flaps
over the stump, stitching it in place. This will help reduce the risk of infection. It
will not prevent the tail from regenerating - if it is going to grow back, it will
grow through the sutured skin.

The Parietal "Eye"
The parietal eye is a photosensory organ connected to the pineal body,
activein triggering hormone production (including reproduction)
and thermoregulation. It is sensitive to changes in light and dark, it does not
form images, having only a rudimentary retina and lens. It is visible as an
opalescent gray spot on the top of some lizard's heads; also referred to as
"pineal eye" or "third eye."

The parietal eye is the white spot
on the top of the iguana's head.

The parietal eye on bearded dragons
blends in well with its coloring.

Despite its common name, the parietal 'eye' cannot see (discern actual
images) as their eyes see, but this is organ is one very good reason why you
cannot use white light for heat at night, and why untamed igs (and even some
tamer ones) flee from your hand when you swoop down from overhead to
pluck them out of their enclosure, or why, when in the car, they duck when you
drive under freeway overpasses, and why it takes off like a berserker when a
teeny tiny speck of a bird or plane almost too small to be seen with unaided
human vision goes flying by waaaaaay overhead.
Many skinks and agamids, such as blue-tongue skinks and water dragons,
have this "eye" as well.
Animal protein and green iguanas
2001 Melissa Kaplan

From my Iguana Care, Feeding and Socialization article:
For years, it was thought that iguanas were omnivores, consuming both animal
and plant matter. While there have been some observations of some
individuals eating insects and carrion, most have occurred in places where
iguanas have colonized nonnative habitats, or in highly disturbed native
habitats. Long term research into many different populations has shown that
this is not a species-wide behavior in iguanas in their native habitats.
A single misread sentence leads to decades of misinformation and
confusion...
Authors, be they biologists, veterinarians, or pet care book writers, all refer to
earlier sources for their statements regarding iguanas-as-omnivores. Trace
these sources back far enough, and you come to "Swanson, P.L., 1950. The
iguana Iguana iguana iguana (L.). Herpetologica 6(7): 187-193."
The only sentence in Swanson that refers to juveniles is: "Very young iguanas
are probably almost entirely insectivorous, but I have made no personal
observations on their feeding habits."[emphasis mine]
It took only one person to misread or misunderstand this sentence to condemn
50 years of pet iguanas to deadly diets in captivity.
See also Dr. Adam Britton's excellent article, Animal Protein Issue, for further
information and analysis.
According to Thomas Boyer (JSEAM 1(1)), Gordon Rodda (Herpetological
Review, 25(2):85), and John Iverson (Adaptations to Herbivory in Iguanine
Lizards, in Iguanas of the World: Their Behavior, Ecology and Conservation,
GW Burghardt and AS Rand, eds., 1992, Noyes Publishing, Park Ridge NJ),
iguanas are folivores (leaf eaters) in the wild. Iverson found, in his study of the
intestinal contents of iguanas of all ages that, despite previous reports of their
insectivorous and carnivorous natures as juveniles, they are in fact herbivorous
from their very first meal. Though they may occasionally ingest bits of carrion
or an insect perched on a leaf, animal protein consumption is accidental--it is
not a conscious dietary choice. The iguana digestive system, like those of the
other strictly herbivorous lizards, is structured to process a high-fiber plant diet,
and to extract much (but not all) of their water needs from the foods they eat.
During the 1980s, as research into more efficient farming of iguanas for human
food consumption progressed, it was found that feeding them animal protein
forced a more rapid growth. This practice grows the hatchlings into a size big
enough to dissuade most predators of young iguanas, and so enables farmers
to let them loose in surrounding trees where they live off of the usual
assortment of foliage. To entice the iguanas to stay in the vicinity, the farmers
provide some attractive foods in elevated feeding stations. When the iguanas
are big enough, they are harvested as needed for food. (For more information
on the use of farming to conserve both animal and plant resources, please visit
the Costa Rica: Iguana Park website and read Sorrel Downer's Survival of the
Tastiest). The fact that this animal protein-enriched diet kills iguanas by the
time they are 5-7 years of age matters little as they are slaughtered and
consumed long before then.
Iguanas have been kept as pets for decades. The recommended diets during
all that time were largely comprised of marginally nutritious greens and other
plants, and animal protein: insects, mice, cat food, dog food, chicken, beef, pet
and zoo carnivore foods, eggs, and more. In the early 1990's, iguanas
exploded in popularity in the pet trade in the United States, followed shortly
thereafter in Canada and northern Europe. The iguana pet care books written
twenty years or more before were still being sold, sometimes just republished
with newer cover photos, and new books were published that essentially
rehashed the same misinformation in the earlier books. Up to this time, the
mainstream veterinary literature for the most part picked up on whatever the
available popular pet iguana books listed for diets. Vets hadn't really seen
many iguanas up till then and so really were not able to make much of an
assessment as to what worked and what didn't.
As time went on, however, and more iguanas were being brought to
veterinarians, some of the vets began to put together cause and effect. Other
vets and herp researchers began researching the health problems and
investigating the processes leading up to them. As a result, we saw a radical
change in veterinary recommendations. Many vets who used to recommend
the feeding of animal protein stopped doing so. Some examples of former
recommendations include: Jeffrey Jenkins DVM, client information sheet, 50%
for hatchlings; Nancy Anderson DVM, The Compendium 13(8), 33%; Stephen
Barten DVM, Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice/Exotic
Pet Medicine 23(6), 15%; Fredric Frye, 1993, who recommended plant and
animal-based proteins. Others, such as Thomas Boyer DVM, recommended a
higher volume (twenty percent) of certain animal-based foods such as trout
and cichlid chows, vertebrates and bird chows, but a lower volume (five
percent) if fed monkey biscuits or dog chow (Journal of Small Exotic Animal
Medicine 1(1). By 1993-1994, these and other vets had started recommending
thatno animal protein at all be fed to green iguanas.
The reason why no animal protein came to be recommended is that even very
small amounts of animal protein seemed to cause serious problems. Another
concluding factor was that iguanas fed a properly constructed plant diet did just
fine, thank you, without any animal protein in their diet. As iguana nutritional
research continues in the pet and biological sectors (as opposed to in the food
production sector), it continues to support a diet free of animal protein. So,
while a bite of animal protein certainly won't kill your reptile, since we do not
know of any amount that is safe, it makes sense to just not feed any at all.
Why is animal-based protein such a problem?
While all foods are made up of the same 22 amino acids, how those aminos
are deconstructed and utilized by the body differs depending upon whether the
source of the aminos was a plant or an animal. Plants form pyramidines,
animal protein forms purines. The more purines in the diet, the higher the strain
on the kidneys, and the faster they will fail. So, instead of supporting the
iguana for 15-20 years or so, the kidneys fail much sooner, leading to a rapid,
distressful and distressing, death.
A couple of other factors may be at play in this problem. Research in the lab
and in the field has already documented how efficient the green iguana is in
digesting its food and extracting nutrients. Their gut evolved to break down
tough plant material. Plants have both a cell membrane and a tough cell wall;
animal cells have only cell membranes. Iguanas, under optimum conditions,
can extract 40% of the nutrients from the plant food they eat, making them one
of the most efficient herbivores, topping even rabbits in this regard. Given this
strong, specially adapted gut, they may be breaking down more animal matter
into bioavailable components than they can do with plant matter, thus making
more animal protein (and fats) available than they would eating the same
quantity of plant material, as well as netting a higher level of purines. (For
interesting discussions on colon and digestion, I refer you to the Iguanas of the
World book referenced above, both to the Iverson chapter on herbivory and to
the McBee and McBee chapter on digestion.)
Another factor of growing concern is that, in captivity, it is virtually impossible
for the person keeping iguanas at home, in their office, or at school, to provide
the high humidity in their iguanas' environments. Most green iguanas come
from areas where the air is saturated with moisture.
Despite all the research and articles written by knowledgeable vets that have
been published in the reptile periodicals and veterinary journals, there are still
books being published today which recommend foods such as monkey
biscuits, primate, trout, carnivore and omnivore chows, chicken, beef, other
animal flesh, dairy products, eggs, worms, mice, crickets, cat food, and dog
food. Some of these books also recommend feeding bird gravel ("for
digestion") which is not only completely unnecessary, but dangerous as the
gravel will cause internal injuries and serious, if not fatal, impactions. When
looking for iguana care books, you will need to not only look at the publication
dates, but also at the diet information it contains. Often times, if it is a newer
book but it recommends animal protein, it may be inaccurate in other
recommendations or facts as well.
The Bottom Line
Not only is there no amount of animal known to be safe, but the research of
wild iguanas in their native habitat - both observation of feeding as well as
laboratory analysis of gut contents - shows that they do not eat animal protein
(insects, vertebrates, live or carrion) at any stage in their development.
Will a bite kill them? Of course not. Half a bottle of baby aspirin probably won't
kill a child either. Does that mean its okay to feed it to them? Nope. Why give
an animal who is already subject to serious long term health issues just by
virtue of being kept in captivity something that is is going to ultimately cause
damage to its internal organs and so hasten its death?