Hi Folks- Just wanted to share some recent pics of my Male GGI Rex. He's just about 5 years old now. Here's Rex with my wife, sticking his tongue out at me! [/img] Here's Rex catching a ride on my wife's back, he's such a lazy Iguana! And here he is in last years photo shoot for PlayIg Magazine. LOL He's so looking forward to the Spring weather!
Thanks Axe & CD- I love him to pieces, so do my wife and two sons. He is a 5 yo male. I've had him since he was a wee Iglet! LOL
I guess I didn't notice that you already wrote his age at the top when I asked, sorry. I had a beautiful female a few years ago. She was definately not as comfortable with us as yours, but if I gave her time to adjust, and didn't just grab her she was tolerant of being held. She was my baby though Unfortunatly I had to learn a very important lesson the hard way with her when she became egg-bound and I couldn't afford a $50,000 surgery for her. I did everything in my power to comfort her, but I will always regret how stupid it was to even have her if I couldn't afford to act in a worse case senario like that. So as much as my love and interest in reptiles makes me want to have this huge collection, I now just keep two beardies which I planned for in advance weighing out all the terrible things that could happen. It was a cynical couple of monthes, but they are wonderful, and I'm happy knowing that I actually have the means to help them if I need to. But I can't wait until the day that I have the means to properly care for another iguana. So keep the pictures coming to tide me over until that day!
Hi CD- Such a shame about your female Ig. I've heard that story more than I care to. Unfortunately, it happens to a lot of folks, that's why folks like me strive to educate the public on the proper care and husbandry of this magnificent creature. The debate rages on over whether a male or female Ig is best. In my opinion, I'd rather deal with male heat aggression than yearly egg-laying issues. But, that's just me. Rex's first heat was horrendous, lasted for almost 8 months and during that time he had to be locked in his cage. He injured himself time and time again trying to attack us through the wire cage. But, alas, the demons left him and he turned into a real gentle giant. He never experienced heat like that again. Thank God! Gravid females have to be watched closely and vet checked to insure all the eggs are either laid or absorbed. Egg binding and internally broken eggs are a serious health threat (as you well know) and can quickly escalate vet costs. You live and you learn. Iguana care is constantly evolving as we discover new things about their captive care. Even the best Igsperts are not without sad stories like yours. It's said even Melissa Kaplan fed her Ig the wrong things to start out with. The info was so inaccurate in the past. You're doing right by seriously considering the care of your BD's (they are such great lizards) and the potential illnesses that they can get. They could ask for no better keeper than you! And hopefully, someday, you'll find another Iguana who needs your care and love. If and when that time comes, please seriously consider adoption over purchase. There are so many discarded and abandoned Igs in rescue centers around the country who need good, loving homes. You're sure to find one that needs you and one you can confidently take care of. Thanks for sharing your story, though painful, it is so very important that people know the bad as well as the good in Iguana keeping.
I really agree with you on that. I got her when I was really young and at my first job, in a pet store. She was very sick from the inadaquete space they had set up for her. They wanted to put her to sleep, but I asked if I could keep her instead, and they decided to let me have her. I know this will sound awful, as it sounds awful to me knowing what I now know about iguanas. but bere in mind I was young and didn't know what I was doing at the time. I took her to work with me everyday, and she lived inside my work smock so I could keep her warm, and I would take her to the park on my two hour lunch break to sit in the sun while I ate. I fed her green babyfood because she was too weak to chew. Then when i got her home I put her under a towel in a box next to the wood stove to sleep. And I know that this sounds like the most horrible iguana care you have ever heard of, (especially with the amount of stress the poor baby was in,) but for some amazing reason, she began to get well! Her color went from pale, egg-yolk yellow, to bright green, and her head became turqoise. Her once loose, limp skin became tight, and she got really onri, and wanted to go explore instead of being in my smock. She got so fiesty that I had to get a tank for her, (which she quickly learned to get out of,) and leave her home. When I would go home, we had this routine. She would be waiting at the top of the blinds, I would sit down on the bed, and she would jump off onto my head! She got less social as she became a juvenile, probably because I wasn't able to spend the amount of time that I once had with her. But when I finally was able to afford to take her to the vet, she was given a clean bill of health. Which is where I should have found her a proper home. I had done my part by making sure that she didn't die before, but since then I had done my homework on the amount of care they required. She had gone from being a few monthes (if that,) in age, to two years. I was now living with my boyfreind in San Francisco, (which is sooo expensive) and we barely had the money to keep us going. But I couldn't make myself get rid of her, and after another year and a half I lost her. It really makes me sad to know that she'd probably still be around and thriving if I'd made the right choice for her future. But I really didn't think that anything else could possibly go wrong with her after she'd gotten through such a hurdle so early in life. But at least I have this story now, to explain to the people I meet that the twenty four dollars for the igauna is the cheapest thing they'll ever pay. It was a painful, painful lesson, but my mistake has really helped me to get alot of people to really think hard about the commitment they are making. So by telling my story as much as I can, at least I can feel like I'm doing my part to save other iguanas, even if I couldn't save mine. Thankyou so much for writing back, and I'm so happy to know that there are iguanas out there with loving people like you to look after them! enjoy him, and don't forget those pictures! PS: I'd never heard about those adoption places before, but when the time comes I will remember that. But in the next couple of years, we're talking about trying our luck at raising a human critter, so my future iguana is going to have to wait a while.
Hi CD- Your story is absolutely wonderful! To spite the lack of Iguana knowledge, you managed to hit a few very key elements to Iguana health, and all by apparent accident! She was indeed sick as you claimed. Yellow is NOT a good Iguana color. Also, lethargy and poor eating are indicative of systemic problems. By feeding her "green baby food" you were in fact nourishing her with the only means you could to get her to ingest the food. Baby food is indeed highly nutritious and the fact that you fed her the "green" variety meant she was getting a good ration of C : Ph. Keeping her close to your body provided the life saving warmth that ectothermic creatures need to begin and maintain any sort of healing process. So, the constant warmth helped her regain the vital strength she needed in order to heal and grow. Add to all of this 2 hours of glorious, unfiltered, UVB giving natural sunshine and you have practically created an Iguana ICU! With all these wonderful things you were doing for her, she couldn't help but recover and grow. Being feisty, active, even ornery are all signs of a healthy juvenile Iguana! So, in fact you did a phenomenal job of re-habilitating her AND, more than likely, saving her life! The fact that she became gravid and egg-bound, though sad, is inconsequential to you saving her in the first place. I think your story is extremely inspiring and full of educational value. Please do continue to tell it wherever you can. The overall message is necessary to saving even more Iguanas lives. You are now doing the best you could do for her by using her story to educate others. I imagine she is somewhere in the Rainbow Tree, basking in the glorious sunlight, watching and waiting patiently for you to be united with her once again. Best of luck on the human critters, I have two of them myself, and I prefer taking care of the difficult Iguana. LOL Thanks for the wonderful dialogue. I post more pics as soon as I can.
What a beatiful iguana!! . And what beatiful people you are!, you are really inspiring! Im also thinking to get an ig in the future when i get more experienced with reptiles, now im trying to decide between a ball python and a bearded dragon, actually my first reptile companion was ogoing to be an ig, but after alot of research i understood that i needed a begginers reptile, so i got Cleo a wonderful female leo, ive had her for about 4 months, and couldnt be happier, she likes to climb up my arm so she can make a get away. She also likes to lay down on my warm arm, she is very cute . Im getting nervous because i think her breeding season is coming :shock: , i dont know how old she is, i forgot to ask the pet shop, but i think she is about 8 months. Wish me luck .... anyways.... Best wishes for both of you and your herps.. Take care!
I had my old iguana Spike when i was like 11 years old, he used to always jump out of his cage and like to go walk around, while i was at school my mom had left the front door open and I guess he escaped. that was when i lived in Texas and many years ago. So maybe hes still out there somwhere, cause its pretty warm in Texas..
my iguana used to get out of his cage all the time, one time i woke up and he was standing on his back legs whipping at my little dog! mine is about 1 1/5 years old i got him in october of last year for my birth day. he is so cute. but axe that the hugest iguana i've seen. what is his diet?
nice ig. mine, Ozzy, died at the end of october and was 3 feet long. he was one of my best friends. jp
he is a beautiful iguana. my friend has one but you can play with it if you do it will BITE you he lets it run loose in a room he never uses.
I also have an ig that I assume to be about 5 years old (maybe older), but he's probably about half Rex's size. Sadly, I think it's because he hasn't ever gotten the proper care (Tiny enclosure, poor lighting, iceberg lettuce, etc.) I've been trying to rectify this, and I think I have succeeded in making him pretty happy, with the exception that his cage will need to get about twice as large to be about the recommended size for an adult ig. Sadly, I don't think he'll ever be as majestic as Rex, but we'll see. By the way, Rex looks absolutely beautiful! You must be veruy proud...
