need a "hot" idea

Discussion in 'Iguanas' started by nando, Oct 2, 2003.

  1. nando

    nando Embryo

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    our new iguanna enclosure, ( a 4' by 4' by 4' mesh enclosure) doesnt hold heat like the glass enclosures that we were using before. we love the mesh enclosure because its more natural and large enough for the "kids", but even with the 2 heat/basking lights and the emulsion/ceramic heater, it still doesnt get above 80 degrees. does anyone have any ideas for a safe heating system???
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. Axe

    Axe Well-Known Member

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    Well, I don't see how mesh is more "natural" than glass, but it is certainly cheaper, and allows you to give them that extra space.

    Your best bet would be to wrap a towel around a couple of sides of the enclosure to help trap the heat, or turn the AC off in the room where the iggies reside.

    Or, you could build yourself an enclosure with solid sites. If it's an indoor enclosure, you can build with wood fairly cheaply.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. nando

    nando Embryo

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    i dont mean that the mesh is more naural, im talking about all of the vines and "trees" and different climbing things that they love which make it seem more natural plus the "stretching out "space. actually the enclosure cost more than any of the glass enclosures that weve gotten as of yet (we have connections though) am i wrong to think that the mesh enclosure would be better, i figured theyd have more "open air"ventilation, than they would in a glass enclosure. anyway i put a really thick, clear shower curtain around three sides of it and turned up the heat in the whole house. its oct. and its already cold already! what do you think about making an enclosure out of plexi glass? we actually have a really big "cat cage" that we bought for the iggies, but they are still so slim that they can squeeze through the bars . i think in a few months they' ll be able to move into the big cage, eventually, once they are big enough that we wont have to worry about them shuffling away under the doors or behind the fridge, theyll have their own room and free roam of the house. everyone thinks i baby them and worry too much about them but hey, they are my responsibility and they are my babies after all, ya know? thank you for the reply.... oh, whats up with the live chat??
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. Axe

    Axe Well-Known Member

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    Mesh enclosure can be better, but sometimes they can be worse... It depends on the type of mesh, and the surrounding environment of the enclosure... Skittles, our male iguana has lived in 3 different mesh enclosures, two indoors and one outside... One was an all-mesh cage (4'x2'x2'), except for the wooden frame, and he used to tear his nose up real bad on that. This was the cage he had since he was little. Then when he got a bit bigger, he moved up to a slightly larger enclosure, (4'x3'x3'), which just had one mesh side (the door was mesh), one side was glass, and the other sides were wooden. He'd tear his nose up on that mesh too. Now he's in a large outdoor enclosure (8'x3'x8') which is made from 2x4's for the frame, covered in mesh, and he has basking shelves, logs, etc.. and he loves it, he hasn't rubbed his nose on the mesh there at all, and he gets plenty of Florida sunshine & temperatures - we use 500Watt Halogen spot lamps in our two outdoor enclosures for supplemental daytime heating if it gets cool. If it gets too cold at night, we just bring the iggies indoors and they camp out in the bathrooms.

    But, if the ambient room temperature is too cold, it can be hard (and expensive) to adequately heat the enclosure properly, and it can be hard to maintain the right humidity for them in mesh cages.

    Yeah, it can be hard to get good enough ventilation in a glass enclosure, especially if it's rather tall, but depending on how good your local glass people are, they may be able to cut holes in the glass for vents - many pre-manufactured glass reptile enclosures in pet stores have these now - or use mesh/screen sides with glass top, front & back.

    Plexiglass is good, but the only thing that would make me hesitate using it for a lizard, especially an iguana, is that they'd probably scratch the hell out of it in no time. One thing you could do, that a friend of mine has done, is build like a 4'x2'x4' frame, and have a glass back, glass bottom, with mesh sides & top, and then have two doors on the front, wooden framed with glass panels - they open like regular kitchen cabinet doors. Next time I go to over to their place, I'll get a photo so you can see how he's made it up... He's actually made this enclosure with legs so that the bottom of the actual enclosure stands about 18" off the ground, and he's also put casters on the bottom of the legs, so that he can push it outdoors on warm days (being careful to make sure that the glass isn't in direct sunlight), and he can wheel it inside at night (even if it's warm, he likes to bring it inside at night to prevent local wildlife - racoons, etc. - from getting into the enclosure).

    It surprises me that it cost you more to build a mesh cage than to buy the equivalent glass tank, but I guess it all depends on size... Annie's outdoor enclosure is the equivalent to about 2600 gallons (10'x5'x7'), and that'd cost quite a bit more in glass than to build it myself from wood & mesh - although, even to build it myself still cost around $800... But even on a much smaller enclosure, say 4'x2'x2', it usually works out much cheaper to build your own wooden framed, mesh enclosure.

    To sum it all up though (Sorry, I've got a hangover, and I seem to be rambling, hehe), I'd look into a part-glass, part-mesh enclosure with a wooden frame. That'd probably be your best bet to give you more control over the temperatures & humidity, but still allowing plenty of ventilation.
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. nando

    nando Embryo

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    thank you for replying to our "call for help". first of all, i am a girl (34yrs old going on 21, haha) nando is my husband but we use this site together. youre talking about building?? i couldnt build a block out of legos (smile) and neither can my husband, sheesh, he cant even hang a picture, but he can cook a mean pot of sauce and anything else your taste buds crave. i am a professional dog groomer, i work at Petco (hey the benefits are good and my commision rocks) thats why we get such good deals on pet supplies, plus i meet alot of different people in the pet industry. i actually bought the mesh cage (ready to assemble) for around $400.00 and thats why i say the glass ones were cheaper, remember, i get crazy discounts sometimes up to 50% off. anyway i think the only solution to our problem is for us to move to florida (smile) hey the iggies are as good an excuse as any, right?? besides i love the hot, sunny weather and weve been thinking about going down there anyway. but, until we do, i think i will have to make the mesh work, its soft, except the hard plastic frame, i think its a sort of nylon and so far so good, we havent had any nose rubbing problems. my baby iggie (named ziggy) might have to move into his own private glass enclosure, until he grows a little bigger because Chico, the fat little piggie iggie, seems to have an eating disorder, he will eat and eat until every morsel of food is gone and has the nerve to lick the bowl, too.hes too much and i worry that he may not allow the baby to eat his fill. the baby has a huge appetite already which thrills me. Harvey, my oldest (1 1/2 ys) about 2'2" long ( is that normal for an iggie his age??) is the one i was talking about in my other "call 4 help" he totally regressed when we put him in a seperate enclosure by himself, so we put him back with his buddy Chico (el piggie) and he seems to be getting back to his old self. harvey has always been a light eater and weve dealt with quite a few health issues with him, he was my first and i only got him because he had his tail broken off in a fight (i guess i rescued him and he inroduced me to the world of reptiles) as a matter of fact when husband my husband first came to my apt. he freaked out at the sight of harvey lounging on my head and wouldnt even come in the house, who would of thought, 1 year later hed be walking around talking and stroking the iggies like my crazy ass does (hehe). harvey has created 2 monsters as we just seem to be building an animal kingdom now. aside from our crazy bichon frise'who loves all of our other "friends", we have oscars and jack dempseys, an eastern box turtle that some lady found on the street and brought into the store one day ( he needed a family) and now, 3 iguannas, 2 of which my husband begged me to bring home ( well, i let him think he begged me anyway, i was bringing them regardless (haha)well, anyway, i dont have a hangover and i am rambling (hehe) but i wanted to thank you for helping us out and answering our "call" you are a vry informative person and we enjoy talking to you. thankx oh and by the way they have a new pill that you can take to prevent hangovers, i cant think of the name of it right now but ill tell ya when i remember.
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. Axe

    Axe Well-Known Member

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    Oh yeah, definitely move to Florida, the iggies will love you for it, and if you're anywhere near Sarasota, I can build you a cage, hehe :D

    Yeah a lil over 2' is a good length for an 18 month-or-so-old iguana... Usually they grow about a foot a year for the first 3 years, then start slowing down, eventually reaching around 5-6ft.... Our older male, Skittles, he's about 6 years old now, and about 4 1/2 ft long.

    They can be great pets if you know what you're in for, and they get handled a lot... Skittles is a psycho, but he will tolerate occasional handling, but our big girl Annie, she's the biggest softy you ever did see, LOVES being petted & stroked, and literally comes charging at you when she sees the food bowl coming - and oh boy, she eats like a horse!
     
  12. nando

    nando Embryo

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    as you can see, im pretty new to this, only had iggies for 1 1'2 years, but i think ive learned alot so far?? actually i bought the book, iguannas for dummies when i first got harvey but living is learning and weve made it this far. im really glad i found this website thoughbecause until now i havent been able to talk to any experienced iggie lovers. you wouldnt believe how sad some people are when it comes to their pets, i met this one guy once who was supposed to be an "iguanna expert" and he turned out to be a total a- hole (excuse my french) but there is no other way to describe him, he only fed his 5 iguannas romaine lettuce, thats it, just lettuce and told me that mine would be fine if i did the same, well, i am not that dumb its sad that he was. anyway theres so much more that we need to learn about iggies, hey and thats why im here,right? for example, i really feel stupid about this but we dont even know what sex any of our little guys are, i was going to take them to the reptile vet to find out but that guy is unbelievably expensive. unless they become sick, i dont think i need to take them to the vet, especially now to find out that i named them wrong. i guess well find out one of these days, right? Chico is just like your Annie, thankfully though all 3 of our babes are very friendly, we do handle them alot though, Harvey was always handled the most though because he was my 1st and he was always going through some sort of medical problem, i had to hand feed him quite a few times so far. he had a horrible mouth sore, neosporin healed it but it hurt him to eat (i think) so i fed him with an eyedropper. i honestly believe that i spoiled him though because he seems to enjoy being fed that way, maybe he plays on my sympathy?? maybe im crazy but youd die laughing if you could see the way he crawls up on my lap and opens his mouth whenever he sees me with an eyedropper. its insane, nobody would believe it unless they saw it!! i actually cant wait until they grow to their full size, im in this for life, i love these iggies!!!
     
  13. Axe

    Axe Well-Known Member

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    Iguanas for Dummies is a great book, and Melissa's a really nice person to talk to, and a good source of knowledge...

    Yeah, it amazes me the advice people give.. Although, I don't really blame them most of the time, they're just repeating the same bad information that was given to them. They think that mere survival equates "happy" and "healthy", they don't understand exactly how much abuse reptiles can handle - not that they should have to, but they can survive a long longer than most mammals could under an equivalently crappy level of care.

    Don't feel stupid about anything... It's like they say, the only stupid question is one that isn't asked, and as for sexing your iggies, that can be pretty hard anyway until they're three or four years old. Sometimes they're late bloomers and the males don't really start to show off til then. Females to generally tend to be a bit more docile though.

    And there's nothing wrong with spoiling your babies, just tonight Cheri was dropper-feeding some baby food to our baby beardies, hehe. And we often dropper-feed some pedialyte or gatorade to them in the evenings. We've had babies actually come running straight to the dropper, and have them clambering all over each other to try and be the one getting access to it, lol. It's pitiful, but we usually take them out to be fed separately when they start doing that, hehe. But there are others that will just sit and patiently wait their turn.
     
  14. nando

    nando Embryo

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    we absolutely love Beardies and were actually going to get some or at least one, soon. i absolutely refuse to BUY any pet, being as there are so many up for adoption, except beardies i think , unless, like in harvey's case, he needs to be "bailed out" haha. i wont buy any animal from the store i work in, thats a whole other topic, so can you maybe recomend a good breeder ??? weve been meaning to get a beardie for the longest, have the "beardie house" practically all set up. they are the cutest little guys, too. oh, let me ask you another question, if you dont mind??? can an iggie eat too much? i mean, is it possible that he may eat himself to death?? chico has a serious beer belly, all he wants to do is eat all day long!!!! its funny, but pathetic too, and i dont think ive ever seen such a fat iguanna!!!!
     
  15. Axe

    Axe Well-Known Member

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    Cheri would probably be the best person to tell you some of the top breeders, she keeps closer tabs on that than I do.

    I'll ask her to add to this thread for you :D
     
  16. CheriS

    CheriS Is well known here

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    Depends on where you are and what you are looking for. We know several excellent breeders around the country, and there are a few I avoid taking any animals from. As with all industires you have really good caring people and you have some that think nothing of dumping off diseased animals on others, as long as they can get them out the door while they still look okay and they made money off them.

    Do you want a common beardie for a pet? A orange one? Gold (my favorite), white or red. Are you looking for a potential breeder in the future?

    Right now all we have are some we imported from Europe to bring in fresh bloodlines as so many dragons in the US are related now. We think that is whatis causing the smaller size dragons here and the poor immune systems. Spring we will hopefully have some new hatchling from or German Giant Sandy, that's her at the top of the page and she is a BIG girl!

    We have 8 nice adult girls that are of breeding age, but will probably only breed two this coming year, we are working on a project to produce Big, hearty babies, and they take a lot of time to supervise and feed them, I would really like to see the dragons in the US get back to the size and heartiness they had in the wild.

    We don't just raise dragons, we monitor them closely and raise them to adapt with change and trust people, we put a lot of time into them and if we were to mass breed them, we would lose that advantage, so far all the babies we have sent out barely show any effect of a change in enviroment. ITs one thing we take a lot of pride in..... I remember how hard it was when we first got babies in and would almost lose them the first few weeks as the stress of the shipping and change really got to them.

    Tell me where you are located and what you are looking for, and I can let you know the name of a good breeder that might be near you
     
  17. nando

    nando Embryo

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    thank you cheri, and john,
    we are in new jersey and unfortunately we do not have the beautiful weather that you do down there, however, were making out allright. your babies sound wonderful, i really respect the love and respect you have for all of gods creatures. i know exactly what you are talking bout when you referred to people and their greed and lack of compassion. i often find myself saying and meaning it, that i hate people (those kind of people anyway)
    yes, in the near future, we do want to get a beadrie, a gold one ( our favorites too) we just want to be careful about it. i dont really want to have one shipped and put him thru all sorts of unneccessary stress, ya know? i also would want to meet the beardie first, of course. well, if you can recomend any decent "true animal loving" breeders, we would really appreciate it. thank you so much for taking the time out to talk to us. it is so nice to have good people to talk to whos experience we respect. we are grateful for all your advise and opinions. if we can help you guys out in any way, let us know.
     
  18. CheriS

    CheriS Is well known here

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    Well you make it easy, hands down on of the best private breeders in the country is in your area, he's in Woodbridge, New Jersey soon to be Toms River and his email is chrisallen.nj@verizon.net . His business name and websites is http://www.jerseydragons.com

    His babies are big healthy little ones and many large breeder have been buying them for their private breeders, not only does he have some awesome colors, his babies have a great history of being nice size adults and no health problems. If you can get one from his Zilla/goldfroggy x flame line, I doubt you would ever have any problems.

    I think the Zilla/goldfroggy pairing produced some of the best babies this decade, unfortunately they only had a few clutches. They are no longer breeding Godzilla, but he was a class male dragon, we have a granddaughter of his and she is by far one of the best dragon we have ever had. There are about 5 breeders I know with offspring of his and 2 of those have breed them to really nice non related dragon's and produced some wonderful babies, Chris is one of them. When you are ready to get one, talk to him, I know you will not be disappointed.

    Below is the famous Godzilla
    [​IMG]
     
  19. nando

    nando Embryo

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    wow, cheri, you are the best !!!! godzilla is so darn pretty i could just kiss his fat little face !!! thats wonderful, we will contact chris very soon and thank you again for all of your help !! oh and my iggies are doing just fine now, the shower curtain 3/4 the way around the enclosure plus the house heat which we only just turned on has really increased the heat and humidity within their enviornment. all 3 are getting along just fine and seem happy. i will keep in mind what john said about them not wanting to live together, but for now, they seem to be doing just fine, thank god. i worry and dote over these guys like a mother over her child. they even kicked the dogs butt this morning when they were swimming in the tub and she peeked in like she loves to do, boy chico whipped her good, hahaha. dont worry though shes a 10 lb bichon who wouldnt hurt a fly, she just loves to watch them and the fish and the turtle, too. amazingly it is one big happy family.i cant wait til nando (my husband) gets home, hes gonna flip over the picture of godzilla....well, thanks again cheri. well be talking to ya soon.
     
  20. Dominick

    Dominick Embryo

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    Hey Nando-

    Where are you in NJ. I'm in Central Jersey, Jamesburg to be exact (Exit 8A on the NJTPK). I'm trying to plan a pIGnic for the spring or summer of 2004 and I'd love to invite you, if you are close enough.

    I have a 5yo male Ig named Rex and a 1yo Female named Rescued Rambo. I also have a Creamsicle Corn, White's Tree Frog, Eastern Box Turtle and a Leopard Gecko.

    Let me know.
     
  21. cd

    cd Member

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    What a beautiful beardie! :lol:
     
  22. KLiK

    KLiK Well-Known Member

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    when i had my iguana i had him in a plexiglass tank and he never scratched up any of it. it maybe because i would always trim his nails when they became sharp ;)
     

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