I guana ask some questions

[captbob]

Hello all, I have a new (to me) iguana and have tried to do the best for him that I can. I've read anything I could find on the internet about green iguanas, which is actually quite a bit of indepth information, as well as reading forums such as this one, that offer valuable hands-on knowledge from other owners.

I have had Mr. Ted for about 3 months now and he seems to be doing quite well. He is settling in nicely and has gotten fairly used to us. He does seem to prefer being with my wife somewhat more than with me, but... I get that a lot!

Some of you may have already been introduced to Mr. Ted in my first thread in the lighting section of this forum:
patricksiguana.proboards23.com/index.cgi?board=lights&action=display&thread=2400

Anyway, I have a couple questions that I just can't find answers for regardless of now much I search and read, and would appreciate any help with these issues.

The first question seems easy enough and I'm sure the answer is "yes" but, I can't find an exact reliable answer. Maybe that is because there isn't one...

1. Is it possible to provide TOO much UVB? If anyone could cite specific scientific references or studies I sure would appreciate it. How much is actually too much?

My second question is something else that I've not found any information available on, but sure could use some ideas.
I live in Florida, home of the thingyroach (which is probably our official State Bug or something!) Now, I don't have any of these critters inside my home and would like to keep it that way.
Before I rescued Mr. Ted, I would regularly spray my house, screened porch (where said lizard spends a LOT of time) and the outside perimeter to keep the roaches out. This works just fine for roach defense.
Well, now that we have this new green God running our lives, I have to come up with a different solution to keep the bugs out. If he didn't lick EVERYTHING he comes across this wouldn't be a problem, but... he does! So,

2. What pest control options do I have that won't harm an iguana?

Lastly, (for this post) I have Mr. Ted at roughly 32 inches from snout to tail tip. On a chart in some of Melissa Kaplan's 100s of pages of information, this puts him at around 1½ years of age.
Is this correct?? He's almost 3 feet long and not even 2 years old?

Thanks for reading this far and I certainly appreciate any information or opinions on my questions.

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For anyone that hasn't been to MK's site, there is a link to what may be some of the best information I've come across.

www.anapsid.org/iguana/

and this 80 page PDF file of her information is (should be) a must read for new owners

www.anapsid.org/pdf/icfs.pdf

Just trying to pass on some of the best stuff that I've come across to any other iguana newbies out there!
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Last but NOT least, another picture of the King

[sean46877]

Hi,
Yes too much UVB is bad. At solar noon on a clear day you get up to 400 uW/cm2 with a solar meter. But iguanas will bask in the earlier day and afternoon and seek shade when it is very hot around noon. I had asked on the UVB_meter_owners group a similar question. You will need a solar meter to know how much and what distance your getting. Plus we leave our UVB lights on for about 12 hours a day, so you don't want too much.
The roaches- I posted a site about natural pest control
www.eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm
There are more if you google search natural pest control.
P.S. MK has some info about pest control also

[ChamZilla]

he is quite a good looking iggy you have there.

As for your questions. Can you provide too much UV, yes you can. It can be very damaging to your iggy's eyes if too much UV light is provided. I couldn't find too many exact links online to provide scientific data about lizards, but here is what I found regarding humans. Iguana's can get cancer as well.

www.who.int/uv/resources/fact/en/fs227toomuchsun.pdf

For the roach thing, I have no idea. I live in Canada and we don't have roach's around here. Well out where I live anyway. I'm in the southern part of Ontario and I'm sure they could probably survive here somehow. They are weird like that. I can remember the first time I did see one though. It was in California. I thought they were very interesting, little carriers of disease and filth.
I'm sure there has to be some "safe" way of getting rid of them. Or maybe they could spray outside and wait till it tries completly for 24 hours. And not do the inside of the front porch. Then put the iggy back in 24 hours later after its been aried out as well. Just a thought.

Yes most of us have been to Mk's website. I have talked to her on a few occasions online. She is a very smart individual and knows her stuff.

Thanks for the post and keep us up to date

[prismwolf]

Links to excellent lighting and UV info:
www.reptileuvinfo.com/
www.uvguide.co.uk
www.reptilesdownunder.com/reptile/enclosure/lighting.php

[Dawn]

Welcome to the boards (o: So glad you're here asking questions and I hope we can help.
If you're going to continue spraying, make sure you take Mr. Ted out of the home for the duration on the label of the pesticide you use. Before introducing him back into his enclosure, clean it thoroughly with a reptile safe detergent to ensure no poison can harm him. Treat it the same way you would do with your other animals if you have any (o: