Bearded Dragons Cage - Controlling the Temperature

Bearded Dragons Cage - Controlling the Temperature
By Florian Ross

Beardies require a temperature gradient in their enclosures because they can't regulate their body temperatures like. They have to thermo regulate, which means that they have to move between areas of differing temperatures in order to regulate their internal temperature. To produce heat and a basking spot in your enclosure, you can use either a ceramic heat emitter, a reptile basking light (red, blue or white) or just a plain old household light bulb.

The best fixture for any of these choices is a porcelain dome light fixture. This type of fixture is a must with a ceramic heat emitter due to the amount of heat they produce. The temperature for this basking spot you created should be around 110oF for juveniles and can be around 95oF for adults.

Your Beardie will also need an area to cool down if he gets too warm. At the opposite end of the tank, you should try to keep the temp around 75-85oF. A few degrees within this temperature are just fine. Night time temps shouldn't be allowed to drop below 60oF, whereas 70-75oF is more comfortable for them. Don't guess on temps - you could cook or freeze your Beardie! Use a good thermometer, one on the cool side and another near the basking site.

A thermometer on the hot part and another on the cool part of the enclosure will make sure that your temps are in the range they should be in. Do not use hot rocks as they are potentially dangerous! Dragons don’t sense heat well with their tummies, and can be lethally scorched without realizing.

A good heat source for night time is a ceramic heating element (CHE). CHE's are non-light emitting heating units. They get very hot but disperse heat over a very narrow (15" in diameter) and shallow area. The range for a 60 watt CHE is 8" down, the range for a 100 watt CHE is 10" down, the range for a 150 watt CHE is 12" down, and the range for 250 watts is 14" down.

CHE's are not effective in heating large enclosures and a rheostat or dimmer switch may be used for small enclosures so it doesn't get too hot. It is very important that CHE's only be used in porcelain/ceramic light sockets as the amount of heat that they produce is enough to melt regular plastic light sockets.

Florian Ross is a small lizard expert and a freelancer who developed comprehensive guides to help people succeed with their bearded dragon pet and have your bearded dragon lizard live two times longer. His guides on Bearded Dragons are considered the definitive guides on raising Bearded Dragons.

Find out more tips on raising Bearded Dragons Lizards and having them live 2 times longer, with his popular ebook about Bearded Dragons or get a free sample of Florian's bearded dragons caresheet

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Green Iguana Taming & Training

Green Iguana Taming & Training
By Ian Dawson

If you are considering getting an iguana for a pet there is a very large bit of literature and information that you should carefully study before deciding if an iguana is the right pet for you. Green iguana taming is but one of the relatively small issues in the way of owning and caring for iguanas, as they are a high maintenance pet to keep and can life for quite some time. There are also other considerations when deciding on an iguana and that includes green iguana taming as many iguanas display high levels of aggression in captivity. With this bit of information you will be able to form a better understanding of what the tasks are involved with having this pet and learning the fine points of green iguana taming.

Understanding Green Iguana Taming

The very first thing that is imperative for you to realize is that iguanas are a reptile and are very wild by nature. These creatures have only just begun in recent decades to be an in-home pet and often green iguana taming is very difficult for this reason. When you decide to own an iguana and bring it home it is going to show you aggression because it is scared and you may be inadvertently creating a worse situation by not understanding what the iguana perceives as a threat. These are necessary things to learn about your iguana because green iguana taming can be tricky and the iguana will never get over his aggression if you do not learn how to properly act and approach the iguana.

Green iguana taming can be a very long process because the reptile isn’t as easily warmed up to as other mammal like pets that you may have had in the past. The iguana will display high levels of aggression if you aren’t handling him properly and this seems to be the number one reason for iguana aggression is either due to the fact that the iguana is not handled properly or when green iguana taming, you don’t spend enough time with the pet on a daily basis. When you are researching how to properly perform green iguana taming be sure that you pay particular attention to how to approach your iguana also because trying to grab your iguana from the back will instinctively trigger defense mechanisms within the iguana and he will react negatively.

Another very important issue in green iguana taming is that you never grab your iguana by its tail because it will break right off in your hand. An iguana doesn’t have many defense mechanisms and the tail breaking off, is one of the defenses they have to protect themselves from predators in the wild.

If you want to learn more about Iguana diet please visit our site which is free to the public. You'll find the best tips on everything to do with Iguana

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BASIC CARE SHEET FOR THE HELMETED IGUANA

BASIC CARE SHEET FOR THE HELMETED IGUANA

Common Name: Helmeted Iguana
Scientific Name: Corythophanes cristatus
Distribution: S. Mexico to N. Columbia
Size: 10" - 14"

NATURAL HABITAT :

This arboreal lizard is found in tropical rain forests,
In Northern Columbia, Also found in South Mexico
Being arboreal they need lots of space. Adults in captivity need
at least a 4' x 2' x 18" vivarium.

BEHAVIOUR :

Will usually become tame with handling.
To much handling will stress this animal.
Males can become territorial, Keep separate from other males.
These Lizards are active during the day.
Keep the vivarium well ventilated.

CAPTIVE ENVIRONMENT :

Use UV lighting 12-14 hours per day ( Arcadia D3 ).
Provide a basking area with access to a cooler area.
These lizards like climbing, supply plenty of (imitation plants)
and lots of climbing branches, logs and cork bark.

TEMPERATURE :

Daytime temperature should be:
Basking Area 80 to 90 degrees F.
Cool Area 76 degrees F.
Night temperature should range between 70-80 degrees F.
Use a reptile heat mat for 24-hour ground heat inside the vivarium.

HUMIDITY / WATER REQUIREMENTS :

These lizards require high levels of humidity.
Supply a large, deep bowl for drinking and bathing.
Mist the vivarium every 2-3 days. Keep the vivarium well ventilated.

NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS :

These lizards are carnivores, they will eat insects.
Always offer a variety, black or brown crickets, mealworms, waxworms Locust.
Always use a good dusting supplement.

Green Iguana

Common Name: Green Iguana Latin Name: Iguana iguana

Native to: Central and South America. Imported iguanas are generally from Columbia, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, Mexico, and Surinam.

Size Range: Adult iguanas range in size from four to six feet in length.

Lifespan: If properly cared for, iguanas should live more than 20 years in captivity.

Special Note: While many people consider the green iguana a beginners pet, nothing is further from the truth. Iguanas require specialized care and management that is generally beyond the knowledge of most novices. It is because of this lack of knowledge that a majority of juvenile iguanas die prematurely. Iguana owners need to be aware of the specialized diet and housing requirements that the green iguana requires. If looking for a great beginner reptile or amphibian pet, consider a corn snake, milk snake, ball python, leopard gecko, bearded dragon, or pac man frog. All of these species are fun and a great way to begin in the hobby!

General Appearance: Iguanas are what most people think of when they think “lizard.” They have five toes on each foot. They posses a fleshy flap of skin under the chin called a dewlap. All iguanas have spines that run the length of the back. Contrary to popular belief, not all iguanas are green. Most juveniles are bright green, but as they age and grow they can range in color from a dull green to brown or even orange with striped tails.

Housing Requirements:

Enclosure: The enclosure for an adult iguana is very large. The enclosure should be at least six
feet tall, about 1½ to twice the length of the iguana, and 2/3 to one full length of the
iguana wide. For a six foot adult iguana, this is an enclosure that is 9 to 12 feet long, four
to six feet wide, and at least six feet tall. Sufficient branches and shelves for climbing and
lounging should also be provided. To give you perspective on the size of the enclosure,
most small bedrooms are only 9 feet wide. This is why many owners dedicate a separate
room as their “iguana room.” Some owners also allow their iguanas to “free range”
throughout the house. If you allow your iguana to live in its own room or free range, be
sure the keep the area the iguana will frequent free of small objects that the iguana may
accidentally ingest.

Temperature: Iguanas come from a tropical climate and need to be kept warm. Daytime
temperatures should be 80º - 85º F with a basking spot of 90º - 95º F. There should be a
range of temperatures offered to the iguana to allow it to thermoregulate itself. Nighttime
temperatures should be 75º - 80º F. All temperatures should be verified with a
thermometer regularly.

Heat/Light: Ultraviolet lighting providing UVA and UVB is required for proper calcium
metabolism and skeletal development. Without the proper lighting your will become sick
and die a very painful death. Proper lighting can be provided utilizing fluorescent tubes
specially made for use by reptiles as well as mercury vapor bulbs that also provide some
heat as well. Additional heat can be provided utilizing infrared ceramic emitters and
incandescent basking bulbs. Hot rocks should never be used under any circumstance as
they can severely burn your iguana.

Substrates: Iguanas will often tongue lick their surroundings. Because of this most particulate
substrate (wood shavings, mulch, sand, or powder types) are not appropriate for most
iguanas. Newspaper with non-toxic ink, butcher’s paper, paper towels, indoor/outdoor
carpeting, or artificial grass all make excellent choices. If using indoor/outdoor carpeting
or artificial grass please be sure that there are no dangling strings that could tangle in
your iguana’s nails. It’s also recommended that you have multiple pieces so that you may
replace the soiled pieces with the clean set and then clean and disinfect the current set to
use for the next cleaning.

Environment: Iguanas come from a tropical climate and require a humidity level of 65% to 75%.
To achieve this may require several mistings a day. Many people opt to purchase an
automatic misting system instead.

Diet: Iguanas are strict herbivores. Many older literatures will suggest feeding animal protein or even cat food. While some wild iguanas may ingest the occasional insect while eating leaves, it is not a significant portion on their diet. Iguanas that are fed too much animal protein will develop health problems and will die prematurely. A well balanced iguana diet will consist of about 40% to 45% greens (this includes, but is not limited to collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens (with flowers), escarole, and/or water cress), 40% to 45% other vegetables (this includes but is not limited to green beans, orange-fleshed squashes (butternut, Kabocha), snap or snow peas, parsnip, asparagus, okra, alfalfa (mature, not sprouts), onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, sweet potato, zucchini, yellow squash, and/or carrots), 10% or less of fruits (including, but not limited to Figs (raw or dried), blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, mango, melon (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon), papaya, banana, and/or apple), and less than 5% of other grains or commercial diets. Iguanas should never be rhubarb as it is toxic. Certain lettuces such as iceberg, romaine, and Boston butter lack sufficient nutrients and should only be fed occasionally. Acidic fruits (citrus, tomatoes, kiwi, pineapples, etc.) should also be only fed occasionally as well. Tofu can be occasionally offered as well for supplemental protein, though if too much is given it can lead to long term health issues. Wild plants and flowers are not recommended since they may be toxic to your iguana or may contain pesticides that could be toxic as well.

Maintenance: Cleanliness of the enclosure is essential. Waste products should be removed daily and the enclosure should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected regularly. A 5% bleach solution provides and excellent disinfectant. Be sure to thoroughly rinse the solution from the enclosure before placing the iguana back in. Fresh water should also be offered at all times. Always wash your hands after handling your iguana or any of your iguana’s cage accessories.

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