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Ctenosaura... |
Lizard Care - Captive Care Our Set ups Ctenosaura as a whole are a fairly hardy undemanding species as long as basic requirements are met. Here at West Coast Iguana, we work with with 8 species of Ctenosaura and 4 species of Cyclura. West Coast Iguana is primarily in the business of conservation and education and consider ourselves an “ark” for some of the imperiled species that could possibly become extinct in the not so distant future. The one thing we have discovered about the Ctenosuara is that all the species we keep do very well with the same type of care. Our spiny-tails are kept outdoors from April/May to October/November weather permitting. The iguanas are transferred to indoor enclosures for the fall and winter. Because of the number of lizards we keep, we opted to use simple pvc coated wire cages opposed to naturalistic terrariums which are high maintenance and not practical when keeping large collections. Outdoor enclosures Outdoor enclosures are 1x1 black pvc coated wire cages either 48 x 30 x 24 for the larger species or pairs, or 36 x 30 x 24 for smaller species or single lizards. Each cage has basking shelves or logs, plus all walls of the wire cages are utilized by the lizards as climbing areas opposed to lizards only utilizing the floor and branches of a standard terrarium. Decomposed granite is used for the substrate. Thermostatically controlled heated hide boxes are used for the outdoor enclosures. The heat turns on when the temperature of the hide box drops below 77 degrees. Thermostatically controlled misting systems turn on when the ambient air temperatures outdoors in the shade gets over 100 degrees. All the outdoor enclosures are partially covered by shade cloth. Indoor enclosures The indoor enclosures are the same sizes as the outdoor enclosures and are also made of black pvc coated wire as well. Each cage is fitted with a florescent as well as an incandescent fixture. There are two wood shelves per cage, one allowing the lizard to get directly under the UV florescent, and the other shelf placed lower in the cage so the lizard can heat up and safely bask under a flood light. The floor is also wire with a removable tray underneath. All iguana waste falls through the wire and onto the paper covered tray. This prevents lizards from crawling over their own waste before you have a chance to clean. Each cage has either one or two 20”x 4” black pvc pipe hide tubes. The iguana room is heated to a constant 75 degrees. Our Lighting and Decor Although the whole metabolic bone disease issue has been debated to death, we firmly believe that for iguanas, UV is not only important for calcium absorption, but for the mental wellness of these herbivores. We make sure the lizards can get within 3” of the florescent UV bulb to get the full UV effect. Mercury vapor bulbs are also a good choice but not financially practical when keeping large numbers of lizards. An incandescent flood light is used for the basking spot. Our iguanas are provided hide tubes. It is a safe retreat for the iguana that is stressed as well as for the iguana that is calm and tame. When outdoors, there is a hide tube for each lizard inside the hide box. When indoors, hide tubes are secured to the floor of the cage. Our Diet Although we are sometimes criticized for this, our iguanas are on a total dry pellet diet. We use Zoo-Med juvenile formula for both adult and newly hatched lizards. Pellets are sprinkled with a calcium and vitamin supplements. There is nothing wrong with a leafy green diet, but lizards have to eat 20 times the amount of greens to get the same volume of pellet dry food. With the amount of lizards we have, chopping greens all day is impractical. The juvenile formula is a little higher in protein which is better for the Ctenosaura considering they do actively eat a small amount of protein matter in the wild. We crush the pellets for babies and use leafy greens as treats for both adults and babies. We have had lizards on this type of diet for over 15 years straight, and they still breed and produce healthy babies year after year. So YOU Want a Spint-Tail For your average herpticulturist, Ctenosaura iguanas can make interesting pets. If captive hatched, most of these lizards adapt well to captivity. Currently, the three species that are common in collections are C.similis, C.pectinata, and C.quinquecarinata. Caging C.similis, C.pectinata, and C.quinquecarinata are three species of Ctenosaura available as wild caught. C.similis and C.pectinata are generally from feral populations in south Florida. C.similis and C.pectinata are best acquired as babies because they have a better chance of adjusting to close human contact than adults. Adults of these species take a long time if ever to adjust to captivity and usually remain flighty or continuously hide. Babies can be started in 10 gallon aquariums, and increasing the cage size according to the lizards growth. Minimum cage size should be 48 x 30 x 24. Larger is better. We have had adult iguanas breed and lay eggs successfully in this size enclosure. C.quinquecarinata can be also started in a 10 gallon aquarium, and can be comfortably moved into a minimum 24x24x24 cage as an adult because of their smaller size. When keeping any Ctenosaura it is important to keep only one male per enclosure. Multiple males will fight and injure each other. Multiple females can usually be kept together, but this combination also should be watched for conflicts. Lighting and Temps UV fluorescents and basking lights are a must if kept indoors. Adjust branches or basking platform so the lizards can get at least 3 inches away from the florescent UV bulb. Place another branch or platform at a distance from an incandescent flood bulb so the area is heated to110 – 115 degrees at the height of the lizards back. Make sure to not accidentally use spot lights. Spot lights put out a very narrow beam, and many reptiles have been burned by these bulbs. Flood lights put out a much broader safer beam. If using a mercury vapor bulb, place it like you would an incandescent flood bulb. Keep the ambient temps away from the basking area at least 75 degrees. Night time temps should stay in the middle 70’s. Night time temps for baby spiny-tails should be in the mid 70’s. I run lights 8 hours in the winter and 10 hours in the summer when indoors. Substrates and Decorations The substrates I have successfully used indoors in the past are aspen bedding and decomposed granite, but my favorite has been a thick fluted (ridged) paper. This paper is just easier to clean. For outdoor enclosures, decomposed granite is best because it packs hard and has good draining properties. Branches or shelves can be arranged for basking and aesthetics. Give your iguana a hide box or a hide tube. With spiny-tails, their lives revolve around these retreats. This can be as simple as shoebox with a door cut out, a piece of pvc tubing, or a realistic looking log sold at pet stores. Most will retreat to it at night, and when frightened. Diet Feed your adult iguanas a combination of mixed greens (kale, chard, dandelion, collard, ect.) or a different mixed green per feeding 3 to 4 times per week. Finely chop greens for baby spiny-tails. A calcium and vitamin supplement should be used, alternating them per feedings. The alternative is to train your iguanas to eat a high quality dry food with supplements. We also sparingly feed our adult spinytails zoophobas and baby spinytails mealworms. Occasional crickets or frozen/thawed mice won't hurt if fed occasionally, but not as a main diet. Although we do not feed any of our adults or babies live food, occasional crickets or a frozen/thawed mouse won’t hurt. Finely chop greens for baby spiny-tails and be careful not to feed baby or young spiny-tails too many crickets in a single feeding, because they can get an impaction from too many cricket heads blocking the intestines (We’ve experienced this). I know of some keepers that never give their spiny-tails water claiming that they get all their needed moisture from the greens they eat. I don’t agree with this and always have clean water available for the lizards. Water is an absolute necessity especially when on a dry food diet. Some new born iguanas need to be coaxed into drinking water from a dish. This is done by using and aquarium air pump, air regulator, and aquarium hose. With the pump running, the aquarium hose is put in the shallow water dish and allowed to bubble slightly, attracting the babies to the dish to drink. This is done for a month, by which time most have learned to drink from the water dish. Cage Maintenance With any animal, cleanliness is very important. Ctenosaura
are generally not messy lizards. Regular cage cleaning will keep your
lizard healthy and the cage fresh smelling. I usually clean cages at night
when lizards are in their hide tubes. It’s easier and less stressful
to the lizard. I just take out the tube with the lizard still in it (they
will generally not leave their tube) and clean, change water, and feed.
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