Mary Allen
Contrary to its name, the green iguana is not completely green. Adult animals show a play of colors from greyish-green to brown to dark gray or black in old age, male animals in the courtship display turn orange. The up to 2.20 m long lizards from the South and Central American lowland forest places high demands on its owner.
Acquisition and Maintenance
South American farms produce in bulk, it is more responsible to buy from the small breeder at the specialist dealer or the reptile sanctuary.
While young animals are available for 50 to 100 euros, the maintenance costs over a lifespan of up to 20 years amount to up to 30,000 euros.
Requirements for the Terrarium
Getting as close as possible to the natural habitat of the green iguana, with its dense and tall vegetation and access to a body of water, takes a lot of time, work, and money.
Terrarium
A large terrarium of at least 150 cm x 200 cm x 250 cm (length x width x height) with a claw-proof rear wall is essential for species-appropriate keeping. For each additional animal, 15% space is added. A reptile room with a terrarium is ideal. Free running in the apartment is unsuitable.
Facility
10-15 cm of topsoil with bark chips or pieces of bark are suitable as a substrate. Substrate should be digestible, otherwise, there is a risk of intestinal obstruction if swallowed.
With branches, trunks, and roots, a variety of climbing and hiding places are created and supplemented by harmless plants such as yucca palms, various ficus or philodendron varieties.
The pool for good swimmers should measure at least 60 x 20 x 20 cm and be deep enough for the iguana to dive into. Commercially available pond bowls are ideal.
Temperature
The temperature should be set with a thermostat to 25-30 °C, sometimes up to 40 °C during the day, at least 20 °C at night. The water temperature in the pool should be 25-28 °C, an extra heater may be necessary.
Humidity
The hygrometer should read over 70% in summer and between 50-70% in winter. If you don’t have a sprinkler system (with sufficient drainage) or an ultrasonic nebulizer, you can use the spray bottle to provide moisture several times a day.
Lighting
The terrarium should be illuminated 12-14 hours a day. Ideally, there should be 3-5 fluorescent tubes, 150-watt HGI lamps in the immediate area where the animals are, 50-watt reflector lamps or 80-watt lamps above sunbathing areas, and a UV lamp with around 300 watts for around 20-30 minutes a day Commitment. A timer automates the change of day and night. The lamps should be about 50 cm away from the animal to avoid burns.
Cleaning
Feces and uneaten food must be removed from the floor and the water changed regularly. the bathing area should have a filter.
Gender Differences
Both sexes have typical features such as the long tail, which can be up to 2/3 of the body size, the dorsal crest from the neck to the first third of the tail with spike-like scales, greatly enlarged scales under the ear openings (so-called cheeks) and a skin flap with a serrate Edge under the chin (so-called chin or throat dewlap).
Males have a more massive head, a dewlap that is up to 30% larger, larger cheeks, and a dorsal crest that is about 5 cm higher than females. The differences are only clearly recognizable from 1 year.
Acclimatization and Handling
Newcomers should be quarantined for four to eight weeks.
Males show strong territorial behavior and should therefore never be kept together. Green iguanas are best kept in harems, i.e. one male with at least one female.
3-4 weeks after mating in December/January, if fertilized, 30-45 young hatch, are incubated in the incubator. Who does not breed, removes the eggs.
Green iguanas are wild animals. Thanks to their intelligence and good memory, however, they can reward calm and level-headed behavior with trust over the long term. Important: Never grab from above like a prey animal. A green iguana with sharp claws is also a danger to the owner in fear of death.