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Hi
Jan 21, 2008 17:02:42 GMT -5
Post by greenjello369 on Jan 21, 2008 17:02:42 GMT -5
Hey everyone my name is Tye and i just recently got an iguana a month ago.His name is Spike.Heres a picture of him This forum looks pretty active so I figured i would join so i could learn more about iguana's and ask any questions if i have any.
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Hi
Jan 21, 2008 18:39:33 GMT -5
Post by prismwolf on Jan 21, 2008 18:39:33 GMT -5
Welcome Tye and Congrats on your new baby!! I'll have to wait until I get on my home pc to see the picture. The filters here shut them out. In the meantime - why don't you tell us a little about your baby! What kind of set up do you have? Often pet stores give out bad information and bad supplies - so we like to see if there is anything that we can help with right off the bat.
What kind of UVB source do you have? (it will be stamped on the bulb) Is it spiral, compact, tube or spot light? What is your heat source? What are your temps in the 3 different areas (basking, ambient, cool end)? How to you check the temps? What size cage do you have? What kind of substrate do you use? What are you feeding Spike? Do you use diet supplements?
It looks intimidating...but don't worry. It's just to find out if there are any areas that may need a fix or two...:-D
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Hi
Jan 21, 2008 21:23:00 GMT -5
Post by greenjello369 on Jan 21, 2008 21:23:00 GMT -5
yea i know the pet stores are kinda bad so i did alot of research online before i bought the iguana. but the UVB bulb is a repti glow 5.0 uvb. it is a spiral. i have a 100w basking bulb i believe, i dont remember the wattage. temperature wise its between 90 to about 96 or so in basking and about 80 everywhere else i have two thermometers and a hygrometer for humidity. its a 55 gallon tank i have zoomed cage carpet im feeding him, mustard greens turnip greens, and to switch it up i throw in some chop up broccoli and carrots. and i have some of the 2:1 powder that i sprinkle on the food every morning
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Hi
Jan 21, 2008 22:45:45 GMT -5
Post by prismwolf on Jan 21, 2008 22:45:45 GMT -5
That's great you've done some homework! Lot's don't. He looks really good. There are a couple of things that need a bit of attention though before his health is compromised. Not huge things - but enough that it can effect him over time. First off - the spirals lights are actually quite dangerous to the eyes and until the manufacturers of the 3 bulbs in question - yours being one of them - there are some thing to look for. Read the "Special Report" on this website: www.uvguide.co.uk . No need to throw it out for this - but there are other factors you may want to switch to something else for. These bulbs do not cover nearly the surface of the iguana do do any real good either. There is a very fine spot that emits from what's called the "sweet spot". Because it's so localized it does very little good for large lizards. The distance needed for the UVB to reach the ig is somewhere in the 4" - 6" range for the spiral for UVB - the problem though is the very low level of UVB nearly in the UVC range. This is a sterilization range and actually causes cell damage is used improperly. This is in the report too if I remember the last time I read through it. The greens are excellent! The broccoli and carrots are very not, though. If you had a much larger selection of foods being fed at one time - those two additions in very small amounts would be o.k. Feeding with just these two greens can lead to nutrients being robbed. These are both high in goitrogens which bind iodine needed for healthy thyroid function. A compromised thyroid can lead to hyperthyroidism. www.anapsid.org/iguana/hypothyroidism.htmlHere's a very basic diet: collard green mustard greens turnip greens green beans (chopped well) parsnips (look like white carrots - grate them like cheese) cilantro red bell pepper (chopped - seeds removed) summer squash (such as acorn, butternut, spaghetti - grate the flesh and skin together - remove seeds and strings) Is this calcium powder you're talking about? If it is - using the calcium with no additives is your best option. Your diet already needs a bit of revamping, but once it's on track then the added phosphorous can do more harm than good. Hmmm...there was something else I was wanting to add - like I didn't already have enough! I guess this will just have to do won't it...:-D
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Hi
Jan 21, 2008 22:57:13 GMT -5
Post by greenjello369 on Jan 21, 2008 22:57:13 GMT -5
Ill write down all those greens and go shopping tommorow and see what all i can find. And about the uvb light, ill have to head up to pet smart or petco sometime soon and see what other light i can find. Thanks for telling me all this.
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Hi
Jan 22, 2008 0:04:48 GMT -5
Post by prismwolf on Jan 22, 2008 0:04:48 GMT -5
That's what the forum is for...:-D ZooMed is accepting returns of the product if you feel you don't want to chance injury to your ig's eyes. Call the store though to find out how to go about doing this. I don't know if you go through the store you bought it from - or straight to ZooMed for reimbursement. Here are some lights to look into: ZooMeds TUBE lights - Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 ESU Desert 7% TRex T Rex Active Uv Flood & Spot Lamps: 100W Flood (You often don't need additional heat in a tank like yours with one of these. It's the UVB and heat in one. Many of these lights can be found a lot cheaper online. The store advertised on this site is also owned by the Patrick - the guy who started this forum. You won't find better prices if he can at all help it. The customer service is great. store.everythingreptileinc.com/index.html
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Hi
Jan 22, 2008 8:47:20 GMT -5
Post by greenjello369 on Jan 22, 2008 8:47:20 GMT -5
i had a ceramic light for the night time for him, and one night last week the bulb came undone from the place where you screw it in at and fell into the tank and burned a hole in the carpet i have in there. my dad was pretty mad cause he cause it couldv done some serious damage if Spike wouldv been under it, but he wasnt. so he wants to go back to pet smart and see if i can get a new night time light, so ill be looking at all the other uvb bulbs.
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Hi
Jan 22, 2008 8:58:11 GMT -5
Post by prismwolf on Jan 22, 2008 8:58:11 GMT -5
Instead of using ceramic - which can cause - and often does - serious burns - use one that it not ceramic, but still produces no light. I hate to keep plugging Patrick's store - but - he does have great products. Look in the heat sources section of the store and look for the Mega Ray HE. This is a fantastic heat source and much, much safer. Where the ceramic will actually fuse your skin to the surface - I have laid my hand on the Mega Ray HE - and yes...it was hot...but not dangerously...;-)
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Hi
Jan 22, 2008 18:28:55 GMT -5
Post by greenjello369 on Jan 22, 2008 18:28:55 GMT -5
so i should definetly get the trex bulb then since its heat AND uvb? and the mega ray HE for night time?
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Hi
Jan 23, 2008 0:16:16 GMT -5
Post by ChamZilla on Jan 23, 2008 0:16:16 GMT -5
HI and welcome GreenJello Glad you and Spike decided to join our small community of informative people That is great things you are doing for him and great things that Prism suggested. I think Prism was hinting more for a megaray, they produce the most safe UV for iguana's. They need BOTH UVA and UVB rays to be healthy. The megaray HE's are great for night time or even day time if its winter or if they are in big enclosures when they are larger. Just stay away from heating pads. If you keep the night time temperature in the room above 74 then you won't need a night time heat source. I'm pretty sure its around 74 I'm sure prism will correct me if I'm wrong Welcome again and were here to help
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Hi
Jan 23, 2008 0:24:43 GMT -5
Post by greenjello369 on Jan 23, 2008 0:24:43 GMT -5
iv done some research and i know heat pads are bad so i dont have any, and right now i can keep the temperature at about 80 or so for night time, which is where it should be right? And can i go to like petsmart or petco and find the megaray lights or can i only get them online?
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Hi
Jan 23, 2008 13:01:20 GMT -5
Post by prismwolf on Jan 23, 2008 13:01:20 GMT -5
You can only get them online. If your temps don't go below 70 though you don't need any night heat. The T-Rex is a good bulb, too. It's the exact same thing as the Mega Ray SB. The only difference is the packaging. Kind of a long story...but it's a great brand. They Check the prices first. I think the T-Rex is priced higher - but I'm not sure about that. In-store it's much more expensive...online you have online stores with no overheard so get better deals.
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Hi
Jan 24, 2008 8:39:29 GMT -5
Post by greenjello369 on Jan 24, 2008 8:39:29 GMT -5
well i went and got the turnip,mustard,and collard greens and some snap peas, so will this be ok to feed him until i can go to a bigger store that has more of a vegetable selection?
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Hi
Jan 24, 2008 9:10:07 GMT -5
Post by prismwolf on Jan 24, 2008 9:10:07 GMT -5
This is much better than what it was...:-D This will do until you can get at least a squash and bell pepper. Snap peas are a good addition...:-)
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Hi
Jan 24, 2008 16:12:42 GMT -5
Post by greenjello369 on Jan 24, 2008 16:12:42 GMT -5
alright thats good, and the bell peppers wont be too spicey or anything?
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