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Daily baths helps hydration , shedding , and keeping your iguana clean . It is also a great way to potty train iguanas. Iguanas usually fight when first introduced to the bathtub. In the wild green iguanas live near rivers and lakes so swimming is a common activity. In time iguanas get use to baths, many actually climbing into the tub on their own. The Water needs to be about 85 F (29 C), you may find that your iguana prefers it a bit warmer or cooler. The longer your iguana bathes, the cooler the water will get. You will need to refresh the tub with warm water. Only fill the bath tub to the top of the iguanas front legs. You can put self-adhesive safety decals, rubber bath mat, or evan a towel on the bottom of the tub to allow the iguana to stand up and walk around the tub. Do not add anything to the water (soaps). If your iguana has cuts or wounds, then you can add some Betadine (povidone-iodine) to the bath water after your iguana has had a chance to drink. Iguanas can be bathed for about 30 minutes. This is about average for most. If your iguana poops in the water you will need to drain out the tub, rinse it thoroughly, and refill it. Iguanas should be bathed at the very least, once a week. Its better to bath them everyday or every other day. When an iguana swims, they lay their arms against their sides and their legs against their tail. Their tail propels them through the water and they steer themselves by bending themselves side to side at the waist. Iguanas can dive under water and stay there for about 30 minutes or so. This often scares the owner because they look as if they are dead. Keep in mind though that iguanas can drown. While under water, iguanas hold their breath while the heart is pumping blood filled with oxygen though their body. An iguanas body can access more oxygen in their blood then people can, this is why they can remain under water for 30 minutes or so. .When the bath is over, take the iguana out with a towel and set him/her in the basking spot so he/she can dry off and be warm. Make sure you completely clean and disinfect the bath tub after your the bath. Claw trimming Normally you only need to trim the claws about once a month. Its best to have a veterinarian show you how it is done if you have never done this before. You can pick up a pair of claw trimmers at most pet stores or maybe at your veterinarian. Only trim the tip of the claw. You must be careful not to trim to far back. There are blood vessels, nerves, and tissue that run though the claw. Not all iguanas like to cooperate with you. This is an experience in itself. If by accident you cut the tissue then put some blood stop powder or cornstarch on the claw to stop the bleeding. Once the bleeding has stopped, put Betadine on the claw and apply a small amount of antibiotic ointment.
Sneezing Sneezing is natural for iguanas. This is how they rid their bodies salt because they don"t sweat like people do. All foods have salts in them and what their body doesn't use, gets sneezed out. Shedding Iguanas shed every 4 - 6 weeks. Young iguanas more often. In the winter the shedding slows down because of slowed growth and reduced food intake. When your iguana gets ready to shed you will notice his/her color will become darker and duller and white patches will appear. Iguanas are good at getting the shed off themselves but sometimes they have trouble with spikes, toes, and end of the tail. You will need to help them get this off or what will end up happening is the old shed will strangle the body part in turn causing the tissue to die. The way to do this is to make sure the area is damp. Gently work at the area. If it does not come off easily then don't force it. You can cause damage that way. Over the next few days work at it until it comes off easily. So this covers some but not all of the maintenance issues. One that I didn't include was the vet because I thought that should be combined with health issues. So lets continue on with our reading to see about some health issues that could arise. Doctor, doctor give me the news © 2001-2007 IgPage All rights reserved. |
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