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Post by lucara on Apr 1, 2008 23:29:36 GMT -5
I purchased Abby almost a year ago as a graduation gift to myself. When I purchased her, she was with an agressive male that wouldn't allow her to eat and they we're on straight juvinile pellets. I have since sold the male because I couldnt afford the time or the money to put into two seperate iggys. Anyway, Abby seems to sleep almost all day. She started digging aroung the corner of her cage the first month she was in it so I put a massive pile of shredded newspaper in the corner (someone said she may be broody). She hid under the newspaper ALL day except to eat and every once in a while she would go up to her basking ledge. I started getting worried because she felt overly cold when I held her. I took the newspaper out but then she started her digging again. I have since put a shoe box in with a towel and she spends the same amount of time in there. She eats healthy enough and when shes out, shes very alert but why is she spending so much time in there? Is that normal?
Information about Abby:
an estimate..shes close to 3 1/2' nose to tail, and I would have to say around 1 1/2' nose to vent? Shes all tail.
Her cage is a bird flight cage with plexi glass covering all of the side its 21 1/2" deep, 32" wide, 3' tall.
She has, if I remember correctly, 110watt heat lamp? and basking area up top, and a small heat rock on the bottom (it came with her and it barely gives off any heat. She seems to like it though). She also has a 100watt UVB bulb.
Shes fed collard, mustard, turnip, dandelion green mix with snow peas, green beans, zuccinni, and random fruit mixed in with it. Usually its a mixture of 2 or 4 of those listed although she doesnt seem to really like fruit.
She gets a calcium powder added to her food that I was told to give (do she actually need it?).
If you need any other information on her let me know. I've only recently started handling her as she seemed to get too stressed out in the beginning. After almost a year of my rarely touching her (except to put her in the bath) she actually isnt that bad.
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Post by prismwolf on Apr 2, 2008 12:05:06 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum!! Let's clear up a couple of things first. If your girl was 1 1/2' svl she would be a total of 18" from her nose to her poop chute which is what the vent is. That would average to over a 6' ig! My 10 yr. old boy only has a 15" svl... 100W UVB...is this a merc vapor bulb? There are 100W merc vapors, but there are also 100W basking bulbs which produce light and heat only. Please make sure which one it is. The brand would be helpful... ;D. Ditch the heat rock! These are known to malfunction and cause horrendous burns and sometimes even killing the animal. Other reptiles have also fallen victim to these. Keep handling her. This should have been going on from day one. No less than 20 mins a day will get her more open to the idea of being handled. Have you taken her to a vet lately? She could be gravid which is one of the signs of digging. She's looking for a place to lay her eggs. An x-ray will tell you if this is what your girl is going through. Calcium is good to give her...as long as it's a light sprinkling every few days unless she's gravid. then she needs it everyday.
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Post by lucara on Apr 3, 2008 1:06:04 GMT -5
Yeah apparently I suck at estimating sizes. I measured her today and shes 8" nose to vent and 2 1/2' nose to tail.
Honestly I dont remember what brand or what type her UVB bulb is but its getting replaced in about a month since I've it for a year now.
She hasn't been to vet yet. I've tracked one down not too far from us so I will schedual a visit with them.
As for holding her, I'm honestly not that worried about it which is why I didn't rush to hold her when I first had her. Shes gotten comfortable with my being around her and she allows me to hand feed her so I'm happy with that. I've started holding her because of wanting to take her to different places but I dont see the harm in Not handling her. As long as she says healthy there is really no need.
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Post by prismwolf on Apr 3, 2008 8:37:27 GMT -5
But yes...there is a need to handle her. When you realize the damage they can do when they're only semi-social and end up being forced to being held for say...a vet visit...then already having her in a position that she's comfortable with is important. This makes it easier and less stressful on everybody...especially her.
The brand is stamped right on the bulb as is the type. Is it a tube or merc vapor? If it's a tube your UVB should have been changed out 6 months ago. The UVB can be virtually nothing depending on the bulb by a year...so she has basically had the potential of being without effective UVB for as long as 6 months. If she is gravid...the lack of UVB AND her egg production doubles the chances of her developing MBD. It doesn't matter whether she has calcium in her diet, or not. It can't be utilized without UVB.
It's good you found a get. Have him get an xray for both eggs and bone density. You should not have to worry about eggs quite yet with her svl. The magic number is usually about 10"...but there is the rare occasion that it's happened in smaller females.
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Post by Zorak on Apr 7, 2008 11:16:42 GMT -5
but I dont see the harm in Not handling her. As long as she says healthy there is really no need. Trust me you want to handle your iggy as much as you can. A full grown iguana that is not tamed can be quite formidable. Especially when you have to move them to clean the enclosure or go to the vet. They can hurt you and themselves more than you realize.
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Post by lucara on Apr 7, 2008 15:44:49 GMT -5
I've been handling her as much as possible. Unfortunately these last few days I've been working doubles so I haven't had time. I have a large list of things that I am going to get her and should be able to afford the whole lot of them on this paycheck. Here is what I am getting her to replace the junk that she currently has now. Tell me what you think?
Heat: 2x- ZooMed brooder black 10" ceramic lamps 2x- ZooMed 250watt ceramic heaters
Light: ZooMed combination reptile hood ZooMed 24" Repti Sun 10.0 UVB bulb 2x- ZooMed 60watt day bulbs (theres 2 extra bulb spots on the combo reptile hood)
Humidity: ZooMed ultrasonic humidifying fogger (I'm not good at creating my own things so I figured I would give this a shot and see how well it works.)
She also has another bottle of Rep-Cal Calcium powder coming.
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Post by prismwolf on Apr 7, 2008 22:29:34 GMT -5
You can only do what you can for handling. There are stints where I work 50-60 hours a week and all I have time for is feeding...no handling...for the animals I have in the rescue. Just do what you can.
Those are A LOT of heat sources you're working on. You shouldn't need this much. As long as your temps don't get below 70 no supplemental heat is needed. If you do need one...stick with one. You only need it somewhere in the single sleep area.
Instead of the combo hood...save yourself a ton of money and go with a regular shop hood from Lowe's for about $20. You need 2 UVB bulbs at the 4' length. The brand is excellent. The money you save not getting all the heat sources and the combo hood will easily pay for the extra length and tube. Better yet is buying the Mega Ray EB from the store linked to this site. It will cost the same in the long-run and only needs to be changed out once a year instead of every 6 months like the tubes do. It's the best UVB source on the market...period. The Reptisuns are the best you can get as far as tubes go...but they're still not as good as the Mega Ray EB.
All you should need for a bright basking bulb for day heat is a regular house bulb. Saves you money there, too. Instead of one bulb for $7...you get a pack of 4 for a buck! The reptile basking lights are nothing special. They just want you to think they are.
So - for a breakdown:
Heat: 1 - CHE (if needed for nighttime)
Light/UVB: -if using fluorescents tubes: 1 - 4' shop hood for double tubes 2x - 4' Zoomed Reptisun 10.0 -if using merc vapor: 1 - clamp lamp with ceramic socket (brooder lamp) 1 - Mega Ray EB
1 - Regular household light bulb (start with 100W)
You haven't mentioned the temps. For the size cage you have it sounds like you're offering too much heat. You should have one basking area and three different gradients. basking - 92-96 Ambient - 80-85 Cool end and nighttime - 70-75
Using a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer will help you keep track of that...also from Lowe's, or Walmart, Kmart, etc.
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Post by lucara on Apr 8, 2008 11:38:42 GMT -5
According to the digital thermometer that I have (not sure if its 100% accurate since it was given to me along with my scorpion) The basking area is 116*, and the bottom of the cage where she sleeps is 85*. I'm not really sure how accurate that reading is since hwne i pick her up shes usually semi cool to the touch which is why I was so worried about the heat. If it is currect then I wont worry about any of the heating lamp because its kinda obvious now that she doesnt need them =/. Can your iguana get too much UVB? I've been told that the 10.0 reptisun is rather powerful. SHould I get two 5.0 to equal one 10.0 bulb or would it be better for her bones and digestion if I went with the two 10.0? I've never actually used a basking light with Abby. Shes only ever had her ceramic heat bulb, uvb lamp, and the light from the window (shes sitting right against the window for natural light. I know the window wont give her any uvb rays from the sun though). Does she need a basking light or will the uvb light work well enough?
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Post by lucara on Apr 8, 2008 11:40:33 GMT -5
If the basking area and over all cage is too hot I can see about finding something to lift the heat lamp higher up so that its not right up against the cage. Right now its a bout an 2" from the cage so that she cant stick her foot on it.
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Post by prismwolf on Apr 8, 2008 18:16:25 GMT -5
116!! Iguanas obtain permanent brain damage at 105...115 is fatal. If you're not sure about the temps...then get a second thermometer to make sure you're getting a good reading. If this is accurate...you MUST get the temps down. With those high numbers she is not staying under the UVB long enough for it to do any good. You have to watch the sun coming through. It can really mess with the temps making regulation impossible (even getting dangerous with 116 degree temps) unless you have a rheostat to control the CHE. Yes...you need a bright light to accompany the UVB. This helps the iguanas eyes adjust accordingly so the pupils contract properly blocking out the UVB from entering into the eye and causing permanent damage to the cornea. There is such a thing as too much UVB...but not with the fluorescent bulbs. These are still a mere fraction...even 10.0s doubled...of what they get from the sun in the wild. Still plan on using two of those. The cool temps need to be down in the 70s. This ig NEEDS to cool down and the low to mid 80s won't do that. Having her directly in the sun going through that plexi...you're creating an oven for her. I bet if you move it away from there your temps will level out and become more stable and less dangerous...
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Post by lucara on Apr 9, 2008 12:15:41 GMT -5
I spent 20min last night trying to get the heat lamp up higher but I only ended up burning myself WAY too many times on it. I'll try and buy some sort of a stand for it. I'm also going to take the plexiglass off of the top of the cage so that the heat can escape much faster than what it is. It should help with the temps and circulation.
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Post by lucara on Apr 11, 2008 11:30:54 GMT -5
Quick question. I'm going to purchase what I need tonight but I'm kind of stuck. ZooMed has a 5.0 Repti Sun Iguana light but they also have just a regular Repti Sun 5.0 bulb. The Iguana light doesnt come in a 10.0 version but it seems to be more geared to iguanas. Which would be better for Abby? 2 5.0 bulbs geared towards iguanas or two 10.0 bulbs that seem to do just about the same? The 5.0 Iguana light. www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=782The 10.0 regular light. www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=553
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Post by prismwolf on Apr 11, 2008 13:00:00 GMT -5
I'm going to give you one of the best links of your life... ;D. UV Guide UKYou will learn what bulbs test best, how exactly it all works, danger areas...and all in easy to understand layman's terms...I like layman's terms. Believe it or not...the Iguana Light 5.0 IS the Reptisun 5.0...just different packaging. ZooMed bought out the company and chose to keep the label...but there is no difference in the bulb itself...none...nada...zilch... Two 10.0s is your best combination period since you're choosing the linear bulb method... ;D
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Post by lucara on Apr 11, 2008 23:52:25 GMT -5
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Post by prismwolf on Apr 12, 2008 11:23:47 GMT -5
It all looks great! Remember...the fixture you need will come from Lowe's in the lighting dept. This has a better ballast than ones you get from Walmart allowing for better UVB emissions and UVB longevity.
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