hi!!! i'm Karen, i'm 14, and this is ZIGGY. he is a green iguana and he lives in my room and he is the best. right now (if it's a sunny afternoon) he's probably up on his branch under his heat lamp, staring at you. he does that. sometimes he puts his dewlap out (that's the flap under his chin) which means "this is MY branch" or else "i saw a bird out the window." we're not sure which.

the camera was my birthday present in march. it sits on my bookshelf across the room and sends a picture every 3 minutes. my dad set up the program for me.

>>> READ ABOUT THE NIGHT ZIGGY ESCAPED!!! <<<

when i got Ziggy the pet store told me to keep him in a 10 gallon tank and feed him lettuce and crickets. ALL OF THAT WAS WRONG. i found out from reading iguana pages and books from the library and my vet. here is what i learned. i'm not a vet, so ask one too, but this is the basics.

1. LIGHT. iguanas need a UVB light (a special fluorescent tube made for reptiles) or real sunshine. regular light bulbs don't count and sun through a window doesn't count either because the glass blocks the UVB. without it their bones get soft and they get really sick. the tube has to be close to where they bask and you have to replace it when it gets old even if it still lights up.

2. HEAT. they need a basking spot near 95 degrees and the rest of the cage warm too. Ziggy's is a heat lamp over the top of his branch. get a thermometer and check it, don't guess. a cold iguana can't digest his food.

3. FOOD. iguanas are vegetarians. feed them:

• dark leafy greens: collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens
• squash: butternut, acorn, yellow squash (grate it or chop it small)
• a little bit of other veggies, and fruit only as a treat

NOT lettuce (it's basically water, there's nothing in it) and NO crickets, mealworms, dog food or meat. people still tell you to feed them bugs. don't. Ziggy gets a fresh salad every morning before school and my mom does it on weekends when i sleep in (thanks mom).

4. ROOM. a baby fits in a fish tank but not for long. they grow FAST. they need a cage tall enough to climb in with a branch to bask on. Ziggy's is 6 feet long and 4 feet tall and he uses all of it.

5. WATER. a big water dish, and i mist him with a spray bottle. he gets a bath in the tub once a week, which he pretends to hate.

you are visitor number

since my birthday!!!

questions about iguanas? e-mail me!!
[email protected]
(no i'm not telling you what town i live in, nice try)

last updated 9/19/99