IGUANAS AS PETS

I talk about this topic a lot and I get asked  "does an iguana make a good pet" almost every day. So what's my answer....

Well there isn't really a firm yes or no, there are too many variables to make it that simple. Just like any animal, pet or not they deserve respect for what they are and love.

Iguanas can make amazing pets but they can also be a pet owners worst nightmare. One of the biggest things to learn and learn fast is you need to understand the animal, see things how he or she sees them. Once you've mastered that it will allow you to work with the animal without frustration and understanding.

Like I've said many times iguanas are a prey species, which means their flight or fight instinct is very toned in. When they are babies they will choose the flight instinct just because they are so small but as they age they begin to stand their ground more, this means puffing up, hissing and then into whipping the tail and biting. I'm not saying a baby won't do that, if he's cornered or you have a hold of him or her they will resort to aggression to get away.

I will say that green iguanas are not a good pet for children unless the parents or adults have reptile experience. I see too many its bought for children and then two months later they need to be sold.

Iguanas can make excellent pets when they are taken care of properly but as they age and get bigger their attitudes may change no matter what you do. So the best thing you can do is be fully prepared prior to getting an iguana and doing as much research as you can to make sure you can offer your ig the happiest home you can and UNDERSTAND THEM.

this picture is of Billy and I the day Sebastian and I brought him home :)

Robin.

PROPER DIET

When it comes to feeding hour green iguana diet is a very important piece to being healthy just like any other animal.

First things first..... NO LETTUCE PEOPLE!!!! Lettuce is mainly just water it has no nutrients in it, its my biggest pet peeve when I see people feeding this as the main ingredient in the salads. they need nice dark leafy greens like dandelion, collard, escarole, watercress ect,. These greens will help keep your iguana strong and healthy along with s mix of other ingredients, my favourite to use is squashes such as butternut, spaghetti, acorn mixed with parsnip or okra. I don't use all of these all the time I mix up different salads for them.

One of the biggest health concerns you can have happen to tour iguana is MBD, metabolic bone disease, this can result from either lack of proper full spectrum UVB lighting, lack of proper calcium or phosphorus levels in the salad or a combination of both.

See iguana use Vito D3 (which they normally get from sunlight) to allow their body to absorb the calcium I. their diet. They get Vito D3 from their full spectrum UVB lights as well as some calcium supplements have it added in. Without this Vit you can put as much calcium into the diet as you want but the body will not be able to absorb it properly leaving the body calcium deficient which causes MBD,

I'll do a post strictly on MBD in the future but it needs to be touched on when talking about diets.

The second point I want to make clear is the calcium: phosphorus ratio in the salads. So if you have proper full spectrum UVB light and good calcium levels in your food can your ig still not get enough calcium? The answer is YES. The ratio should be 2:1 calcium: phosphorus. When the phosphorus levels are too high, they bond to the calcium and disables the body from accessing that calcium.

Temperature also plays a big role in how effective a healthy diet is.

A healthy diet is one step, but it only works they way it needs to when all other parts are problem free (temperature, full spectrum UVB, supplements)

That's it for my rant on diets I will touch on the other points in the near future.

Robin.

WHAT IS ONTARIO IGUANAS AND WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD

My last post explains slightly that Ontario Iguanas is to breed quality green iguana morphs for Canadians to enjoy.

However it is much more than that, my YouTube channel is full of educational videos to help out new and existing iguana owners who may be having troubles. My channel also consist of funny videos of my iguanas and what they get up to.

Ontario Iguanas isn't just about breeding morphs but its about education and support to those who need it, its about helping owners give their companion the best possible life they can. I am trying to achieve this with my instagram and Facebook page.

My instagram page started out like any other, just me sharing pictures of my reptile family to the world, but it grew along with the Ontario Iguanas name to what it is today. On a daily basis I help and give advice to individuals all around the world. I really enjoy this and love the feeling of helping iguana and their owners.

So Ontario Iguanas isn't just about breeding its about helping people out no matter where they are and what their problems out.

In the future when I have more space to work from I plan on running a green iguana rescue and rehabilitation center as well. Taking in green iguanas helping them become healthy and finding new educated homes for them.

I have high hopes for Ontario Iguanas and with the help and support from everyone who is following and joining me in my journey I believe we will be able to reach it.

For many adventures to come

Robin

GETTING TO KNOW ME

So.... for my first post I figured it would be best to tell you a little about myself and how Ontario Iguanas got started.

Back in 2010 I took Sassy in from a bad home and instantly fell in love. For the next couple years after that I rescued, trained and rehomed many more. Then I decided to get a red male to keep as part of my family. That's when my boyfriend and I rescued Billy, he started off very shy since he wasn't handled regularly, but he came around fast once he was with us with love and proper food and a good enclosure. I had two more iguana after that I worked with and re-homed. Lola was a three year old female and then there was MJ, a male I was given as a present since it was believed to be a female, when we found out it wad a male I had to rehome him since I have Billy and he is doing great in his new home.

(for info on the iguana I rescued and rehomed I have a video of my YouTube page dedicated to them with their stories)

It was in 2013 that I decided to get into breeding green iguana morphs (I do not and will not breed regular green iguanas). They are very hard to find in Canada and I wanted to help bring them here as well as it would help slow down the number of iguana that are imported from the US.

April 4th 2013 was the day I received my axanthic green iguanas Molly and Pip, they were a big jump forward for me as I now had a male-female pair of axanthics that are very hard to find in Canada. Shortly after purchasing them I took in another ig and had her shipped to me from Ottawa Canada, Phoenix is now her name. I now had a red and an axanthic green iguana breeding pair.

So that is how Ontario Iguanas got started but its so much more than just breeding quality iguana morphs but ill save that for my next blog.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog, it's my first ever entry some hope it was alright.

Until next time..

Robin