From: dank@calvin.usc.edu (Dan King)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: My First Iguana, part 1
Date: 7 Apr 1992 14:21:49 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Distribution: world
Reply-To: dank@usc.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: calvin.usc.edu


Saga of Sam, Part 1
-------------------

Howdy, folks!  Last Saturday, an officemate and I purchased iguanas as
pets.  Neither of us has raised a lizard before, so this is kind of
new.  Both of us have had numerous snakes, though, so we have at least
some clue how to care for a reptile.  I thought I'd type up a little
narrative about what's happened with Sam (my iguana) for the benefit
of those who are thinking of aquiring an ig.

So, Meet Sam.  Say hello, Sam {Sam looks bemusedly at the CRT from on
top of my shoulder}.  Well, don't say hello, then.

[Narrative paused as Sam launches himself down my arm (the one using
the mouse) and onto my desktop where his forward progress is abruptly
halted.  I have a glass desktop, Sam, there's no traction.  Sam
returns to his terrarium.]

OK, meet Sam.  Sam is a common iguana (iguana iguana iguana, AKA
"Green iguana").  He was purchased from "Pet Mart" in Redondo Beach,
CA for $29.99.  He is about 21 inches snout to tip of tail, about 8
inches snout to vent.  He is "greenish"; that is, green tinted with a
lot of black.  I think he's near shedding (or do you call it molting,
as with snakes?), but that's just a guess.

We purchased him (and two friends of his) from a pet store that had
just received the shipment the day before.  When we bought the igs,
all the reptile cages were clean, and the animals looked healthy.  The
igs were all certainly very active.  The people at the pet store were
also very nice and helpful (which was nice when we had to return one
of the three igs because he seemed very sickly and we weren't sure we
could care for him).  We also purchased a book entitled "Iguanas" (I'm
not sure of the author, but half the book was filled with an interview
with someone named "Mr Meeks" who apparently tames igs in Florida.  I
don't I like this book, BTW.).

The igs were all VERY frightened the first night, but we held them,
stroked them, and let them calm down in about ten minutes (OK, I know
this wasn't a good idea, but I hadn't read r.p.herp and I always used
to handle my snakes right away).  We offered the igs lettuce and
bananna (the bananna was a big hit, the lettuce wasn't).  After
holding the igs for a couple of hours, we put them into their
terrarium (a 10 gallon fish tank with a heat rock...I know is is way
too small, but I'm in the process of constructing a much larger
terrarium and it isn't finished yet).  I added a bowl of
lettuce+celery+bananna and a bowl of water.

The next day was much like the first day, skittish ig at first,
calming down after being held for a few minutes.  I added two branches
to the aquarium so they could climb a little, and also brought a 5
foot branch into my apartment so Sam could climb.  He really likes
this, if I set him on the floor, he usually wanders more or less right
towards it, climbs to the top, and sits there, eventually falling
asleep.  Sam and George ate more bananna, George picked at the
lettuce.

Monday came and I started reading rec.pets.herp.  Out went the lettuce
from the cage.  We went back to the pet store and bought some crickets
and mealworms.  Sam _LOVES_ mealworms.  He ate about thirty yesterday
(twelve as soon as I started feeding him, six more in about an hour,
and 13 before I went home that night).  I offered him some lettuce
after each batch of mealworms, and he took a piece each time.  This
morning, he ate about ten more mealworms, one small piece of cucumber,
and a small piece of lettuce.  He apparently doesn't like cucumber,
he'll lick it, but won't eat any more of it.  None of the three igs in
the cage are at all interested in crickets.

[What do y'all think of him eating this many mealworms?  They're small
(about 3/4" for the longest ones), but it seems like an awful lot to
me...]

I finshed the plans for the terrarium last night, I'll build it
tomorrow, and (hopefully) Sam will have a new palacial estate before
too long.

Which brings up another question.  The terrarium will have a plywood
top and bottom (roof and floor), 2"x2" posts in each corner, a wire
screen (specially chosen screen so he can't break his toes, I hope),
and pegboard on the back.  The floor and inside top will be lined with
astroturf, and I'll have some plants or branches inside as well.

Do I need to paint or finish the four posts?  If so, what should I
use?

Thanks for your time,
dank



Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp